Genesis 41
41
Joseph’s Rise to Power
1 At the end of two full years#tn Heb “two years, days.” Pharaoh had a dream.#tn Heb “was dreaming.” As he was standing by the Nile, 2 seven fine-looking, fat cows were coming up out of the Nile,#tn Heb “And look, he was standing by the Nile, and look, from the Nile were coming up seven cows, attractive of appearance and fat of flesh.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the audience to see the dream through Pharaoh’s eyes. and they grazed in the reeds. 3 Then seven bad-looking, thin cows were coming up after them from the Nile,#tn Heb “And look, seven other cows were coming up after them from the Nile, bad of appearance and thin of flesh.” and they stood beside the other cows at the edge of the river.#tn Heb “the Nile.” This has been replaced by “the river” in the translation for stylistic reasons. 4 The bad-looking, thin cows ate the seven fine-looking, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.
5 Then he fell asleep again and had a second dream: There were seven heads of grain growing#tn Heb “coming up.” on one stalk, healthy#tn Heb “fat.” and good. 6 Then#tn Heb “And look.” seven heads of grain, thin and burned by the east wind, were sprouting up after them. 7 The thin heads swallowed up the seven healthy and full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up and realized it was a dream.#tn Heb “And look, a dream.”sn Pharaoh’s two dreams, as explained in the following verses, pertained to the economy of Egypt. Because of the Nile River, the land of Egypt weathered all kinds of famines – there was usually grain in Egypt, and if there was grain and water the livestock would flourish. These two dreams, however, indicated that poverty would overtake plenty and that the blessing of the herd and the field would cease.
8 In the morning he#tn Heb “his spirit.” was troubled, so he called for#tn Heb “he sent and called,” which indicates an official summons. all the diviner-priests#tn The Hebrew term חַרְטֹם (khartom) is an Egyptian loanword (hyr-tp) that describes a class of priests who were skilled in such interpretations. of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams,#tn The Hebrew text has the singular (though the Samaritan Pentateuch reads the plural). If retained, the singular must be collective for the set of dreams. Note the plural pronoun “them,” referring to the dreams, in the next clause. However, note that in v. 15 Pharaoh uses the singular to refer to the two dreams. In vv. 17-24 Pharaoh seems to treat the dreams as two parts of one dream (see especially v. 22). but no one could interpret#tn “there was no interpreter.” them for him.#tn Heb “for Pharaoh.” The pronoun “him” has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons. 9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I recall my failures.#tn Heb “sins, offenses.” He probably refers here to the offenses that landed him in prison (see 40:1). 10 Pharaoh was enraged with his servants, and he put me in prison in the house of the captain of the guards – me and the chief baker. 11 We each had a dream one night; each of us had a dream with its own meaning.#tn Heb “and we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he, each according to the interpretation of his dream we dreamed.” 12 Now a young man, a Hebrew, a servant#tn Or “slave.” of the captain of the guards,#tn Heb “a servant to the captain of the guards.” On this construction see GKC 419-20 §129.c. was with us there. We told him our dreams,#tn The words “our dreams” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. and he interpreted the meaning of each of our respective dreams for us.#tn Heb “and he interpreted for us our dreams, each according to his dream he interpreted.” 13 It happened just as he had said#tn Heb “interpreted.” to us – Pharaoh#tn Heb “he”; the referent (Pharaoh) has been specified in the translation for clarity. restored me to my office, but he impaled the baker.”#tn Heb “him”; the referent (the baker) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
14 Then Pharaoh summoned#tn Heb “and Pharaoh sent and called,” indicating a summons to the royal court. Joseph. So they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; he shaved himself, changed his clothes, and came before Pharaoh. 15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream,#tn Heb “dreamed a dream.” and there is no one who can interpret#tn Heb “there is no one interpreting.” it. But I have heard about you, that#tn Heb “saying.” you can interpret dreams.”#tn Heb “you hear a dream to interpret it,” which may mean, “you only have to hear a dream to be able to interpret it.” 16 Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “It is not within my power,#tn Heb “not within me.” but God will speak concerning#tn Heb “God will answer.” the welfare of Pharaoh.”#tn The expression שְׁלוֹם פַּרְעֹה (shÿlom par’oh) is here rendered “the welfare of Pharaoh” because the dream will be about life in his land. Some interpret it to mean an answer of “peace” – one that will calm his heart, or give him the answer that he desires (cf. NIV, NRSV, NLT).
17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing#tn Heb “In my dream look, I was standing.” The use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) here (and also in vv. 18, 19, 22, 23) invites the hearer (within the context of the narrative, Joseph; but in the broader sense the reader or hearer of the Book of Genesis) to observe the scene through Pharaoh’s eyes. by the edge of the Nile. 18 Then seven fat and fine-looking cows were coming up out of the Nile, and they grazed in the reeds.#tn Heb “and look, from the Nile seven cows were coming up, fat of flesh and attractive of appearance, and they grazed in the reeds.” 19 Then#tn Heb “And look.” seven other cows came up after them; they were scrawny, very bad-looking, and lean. I had never seen such bad-looking cows#tn The word “cows” is supplied here in the translation for stylistic reasons. as these in all the land of Egypt! 20 The lean, bad-looking cows ate up the seven#tn Heb “the seven first fat cows.” fat cows. 21 When they had eaten them,#tn Heb “when they went inside them.” no one would have known#tn Heb “it was not known.” that they had done so, for they were just as bad-looking as before. Then I woke up. 22 I also saw in my dream#tn Heb “and I saw in my dream and look.” seven heads of grain growing on one stalk, full and good. 23 Then#tn Heb “And look.” seven heads of grain, withered and thin and burned with the east wind, were sprouting up after them. 24 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads of grain. So I told all this#tn The words “all this” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. to the diviner-priests, but no one could tell me its meaning.”#tn Heb “and there was no one telling me.”
25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Both dreams of Pharaoh have the same meaning.#tn Heb “the dream of Pharaoh is one.” God has revealed#tn Heb “declared.” to Pharaoh what he is about to do.#tn The active participle here indicates what is imminent. 26 The seven good cows represent seven years, and the seven good heads of grain represent seven years. Both dreams have the same meaning.#tn Heb “one dream it is.” 27 The seven lean, bad-looking cows that came up after them represent seven years, as do the seven empty heads of grain burned with the east wind. They represent#tn Heb “are.” Another option is to translate, “There will be seven years of famine.” seven years of famine. 28 This is just what I told#tn Heb “it is the word that I spoke.” Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29 Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the whole land of Egypt. 30 But seven years of famine will occur#tn The perfect with the vav consecutive continues the time frame of the preceding participle, which has an imminent future nuance here. after them, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will devastate#tn The Hebrew verb כָּלָה (kalah) in the Piel stem means “to finish, to destroy, to bring an end to.” The severity of the famine will ruin the land of Egypt. the land. 31 The previous abundance of the land will not be remembered#tn Heb “known.” because of the famine that follows, for the famine will be very severe.#tn Or “heavy.” 32 The dream was repeated to Pharaoh#tn Heb “and concerning the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh two times.” The Niphal infinitive here is the object of the preposition; it is followed by the subjective genitive “of the dream.” because the matter has been decreed#tn Heb “established.” by God, and God will make it happen soon.#tn The clause combines a participle and an infinitive construct: God “is hurrying…to do it,” meaning he is going to do it soon.
33 “So now Pharaoh should look#tn Heb “let Pharaoh look.” The jussive form expresses Joseph’s advice to Pharaoh. for a wise and discerning man#tn Heb “a man discerning and wise.” The order of the terms is rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons. and give him authority#tn Heb “and let him set him.” over all the land of Egypt. 34 Pharaoh should do#tn The imperfect verbal form has an obligatory nuance here. The Samaritan Pentateuch has a jussive form here, “and let [Pharaoh] do.” this – he should appoint#tn Heb “and let him appoint.” The jussive form expresses Joseph’s advice to Pharaoh. officials#tn Heb “appointees.” The noun is a cognate accusative of the preceding verb. Since “appoint appointees” would be redundant in English, the term “officials” was used in the translation instead. throughout the land to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt#tn Heb “and he shall collect a fifth of the land of Egypt.” The language is figurative (metonymy); it means what the land produces, i.e., the harvest. during the seven years of abundance. 35 They should gather all the excess food#tn Heb “all the food.” during these good years that are coming. By Pharaoh’s authority#tn Heb “under the hand of Pharaoh.” they should store up grain so the cities will have food,#tn Heb “[for] food in the cities.” The noun translated “food” is an adverbial accusative in the sentence. and they should preserve it.#tn The perfect with vav (ו) consecutive carries the same force as the sequence of jussives before it. 36 This food should be held in storage for the land in preparation for the seven years of famine that will occur throughout the land of Egypt. In this way the land will survive the famine.”#tn Heb “and the land will not be cut off in the famine.”
37 This advice made sense to Pharaoh and all his officials.#tn Heb “and the matter was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants.” 38 So Pharaoh asked his officials, “Can we find a man like Joseph,#tn Heb “like this,” but the referent could be misunderstood to be a man like that described by Joseph in v. 33, rather than Joseph himself. For this reason the proper name “Joseph” has been supplied in the translation. one in whom the Spirit of God is present?”#tn The rhetorical question expects the answer “No, of course not!” 39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Because God has enabled you to know all this, there is no one as wise and discerning#tn Heb “as discerning and wise.” The order has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons. as you are! 40 You will oversee my household, and all my people will submit to your commands.#tn Heb “and at your mouth (i.e., instructions) all my people will kiss.” G. J. Wenham translates this “shall kowtow to your instruction” (Genesis [WBC], 2:395). Although there is some textual support for reading “will be judged, ruled by you,” this is probably an attempt to capture the significance of this word. Wenham lists a number of references where individuals have tried to make connections with other words or expressions – such as a root meaning “order themselves” lying behind “kiss,” or an idiomatic idea of “kiss” meaning “seal the mouth,” and so “be silent and submit to.” See K. A. Kitchen, “The Term Nsq in Genesis 41:40,” ExpTim 69 (1957): 30; D. S. Sperling, “Genesis 41:40: A New Interpretation,” JANESCU 10 (1978): 113-19. Only I, the king, will be greater than you.#tn Heb “only the throne, I will be greater than you.”
41 “See here,” Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I place#tn The translation assumes that the perfect verbal form is descriptive of a present action. Another option is to understand it as rhetorical, in which case Pharaoh describes a still future action as if it had already occurred in order to emphasize its certainty. In this case one could translate “I have placed” or “I will place.” The verb נָתַן (natan) is translated here as “to place in authority [over].” you in authority over all the land of Egypt.”#sn Joseph became the grand vizier of the land of Egypt. See W. A. Ward, “The Egyptian Office of Joseph,” JSS 5 (1960): 144-50; and R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel, 129-31. 42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his own hand and put it on Joseph’s. He clothed him with fine linen#tn The Hebrew word שֵׁשׁ (shesh) is an Egyptian loanword that describes the fine linen robes that Egyptian royalty wore. The clothing signified Joseph’s rank. clothes and put a gold chain around his neck. 43 Pharaoh#tn Heb “he”; the referent (Pharaoh) has been specified in the translation for clarity. had him ride in the chariot used by his second-in-command,#tn Heb “and he caused him to ride in the second chariot which was his.” and they cried out before him, “Kneel down!”#tn The verb form appears to be a causative imperative from a verbal root meaning “to kneel.” It is a homonym of the word “bless” (identical in root letters but not related etymologically). So he placed him over all the land of Egypt. 44 Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your permission#tn Heb “apart from you.” no one#tn Heb “no man,” but here “man” is generic, referring to people in general. will move his hand or his foot#tn The idiom “lift up hand or foot” means “take any action” here. in all the land of Egypt.” 45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah.#sn The meaning of Joseph’s Egyptian name, Zaphenath-Paneah, is uncertain. Many recent commentators have followed the proposal of G. Steindorff that it means “the god has said, ‘he will live’” (“Der Name Josephs Saphenat-Pa‘neach,” ZÄS 31 [1889]: 41-42); others have suggested “the god speaks and lives” (see BDB 861 s.v. צָפְנָת פַּעְנֵחַ); “the man he knows” (J. Vergote, Joseph en Égypte, 145); or “Joseph [who is called] áIp-àankh” (K. A. Kitchen, NBD3 1262). He also gave him Asenath#sn The name Asenath may mean “she belongs to the goddess Neit” (see HALOT 74 s.v. אָֽסְנַת). A novel was written at the beginning of the first century entitled Joseph and Asenath, which included a legendary account of the conversion of Asenath to Joseph’s faith in Yahweh. However, all that can be determined from this chapter is that their children received Hebrew names. See also V. Aptowitzer, “Asenath, the Wife of Joseph – a Haggadic Literary-Historical Study,” HUCA 1 (1924): 239-306. daughter of Potiphera, priest of On,#sn On (also in v. 50) is another name for the city of Heliopolis. to be his wife. So Joseph took charge of#tn Heb “and he passed through.” all the land of Egypt.
46 Now Joseph was 30 years old#tn Heb “a son of thirty years.” when he began serving#tn Heb “when he stood before.” Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph was commissioned by#tn Heb “went out from before.” Pharaoh and was in charge of#tn Heb “and he passed through all the land of Egypt”; this phrase is interpreted by JPS to mean that Joseph “emerged in charge of the whole land.” all the land of Egypt. 47 During the seven years of abundance the land produced large, bountiful harvests.#tn Heb “brought forth by handfuls.” 48 Joseph#tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity. collected all the excess food#tn Heb “all the food.” in the land of Egypt during the seven years and stored it in the cities.#tn Heb “of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt and placed food in the cities.” In every city he put the food gathered from the fields around it. 49 Joseph stored up a vast amount of grain, like the sand of the sea,#tn Heb “and Joseph gathered grain like the sand of the sea, multiplying much.” To emphasize the vast amount of grain he stored up, the Hebrew text modifies the verb “gathered” with an infinitive absolute and an adverb. until he stopped measuring it because it was impossible to measure.
50 Two sons were born to Joseph before the famine came.#tn Heb “before the year of the famine came.” Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, was their mother.#tn Heb “gave birth for him.” 51 Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh,#sn The name Manasseh (מְנַשֶּׁה, mÿnasheh) describes God’s activity on behalf of Joseph, explaining in general the significance of his change of fortune. The name is a Piel participle, suggesting the meaning “he who brings about forgetfulness.” The Hebrew verb נַשַּׁנִי (nashani) may have been used instead of the normal נִשַּׁנִי (nishani) to provide a closer sound play with the name. The giving of this Hebrew name to his son shows that Joseph retained his heritage and faith; and it shows that a brighter future was in store for him. saying,#tn The word “saying” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. “Certainly#tn Or “for.” God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s house.” 52 He named the second child Ephraim,#sn The name Ephraim (אֶפְרַיִם, ’efrayim), a form of the Hebrew verb פָּרָה (parah), means “to bear fruit.” The theme of fruitfulness is connected with this line of the family from Rachel (30:2) on down (see Gen 49:22, Deut 33:13-17, and Hos 13:15). But there is some difficulty with the name “Ephraim” itself. It appears to be a dual, for which F. Delitzsch simply said it meant “double fruitfulness” (New Commentary on Genesis, 2:305). G. J. Spurrell suggested it was a diphthongal pronunciation of a name ending in -an or -am, often thought to be dual suffixes (Notes on the text of the book of Genesis, 334). Many, however, simply connect the name to the territory of Ephraim and interpret it to be “fertile land” (C. Fontinoy, “Les noms de lieux en -ayim dans la Bible,” UF 3 [1971]: 33-40). The dual would then be an old locative ending. There is no doubt that the name became attached to the land in which the tribe settled, and it is possible that is where the dual ending came from, but in this story it refers to Joseph’s God-given fruitfulness. saying,#tn The word “saying” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. “Certainly#tn Or “for.” God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”
53 The seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt came to an end. 54 Then the seven years of famine began,#tn Heb “began to arrive.” just as Joseph had predicted. There was famine in all the other lands, but throughout the land of Egypt there was food. 55 When all the land of Egypt experienced the famine, the people cried out to Pharaoh for food. Pharaoh said to all the people of Egypt,#tn Heb “to all Egypt.” The name of the country is used by metonymy for the inhabitants. “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.”
56 While the famine was over all the earth,#tn Or “over the entire land”; Heb “over all the face of the earth.” The disjunctive clause is circumstantial-temporal to the next clause. Joseph opened the storehouses#tc The MT reads “he opened all that was in [or “among”] them.” The translation follows the reading of the LXX and Syriac versions. and sold grain to the Egyptians. The famine was severe throughout the land of Egypt. 57 People from every country#tn Heb “all the earth,” which refers here (by metonymy) to the people of the earth. Note that the following verb is plural in form, indicating that the inhabitants of the earth are in view. came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain because the famine was severe throughout the earth.
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Genesis 41: NET
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Genesis 41
41
Pharaoh had 2 dreams
12 years later, Pharaoh, the big boss of Egypt, he had a dream. In his dream, he stood next to the Nile River, 2and he saw 7 cows coming up from the river. Those 7 cows were good-looking and fat, and they started to eat the long grass that was beside the river. 3After that, another 7 cows came up from the river. Those other 7 cows were ugly and skinny, and they stood beside the river next to the 7 fat cows. 4Then those 7 ugly, skinny cows, they ate the 7 good-looking, fat cows. That was the end of Pharaoh’s dream, and he woke up.
5Then Pharaoh went to sleep again, and he had another dream. In his dream, he saw a plant that grows seeds for food, called wheat. That wheat plant had 1 stick part, and on top were 7 groups of wheat seeds growing on it. Each group had lots of good big seeds. 6After that, another 7 groups of seeds started to grow. But they were small and dry, because a hot dry wind blew on them. 7Then those 7 groups of small dry seeds, they ate the 7 groups of good big seeds, like a person eats food. That was the end of Pharaoh’s dream, and he thought it was real. Then he woke up, and he knew that it was a dream.
8The next morning, Pharaoh felt very worried, because he didn’t know what those 2 dreams meant. So he said to some of his workers, “You know, there are some men here in Egypt country that can do magic, and there are some other men that are really wise. Go and get all those men, and bring them here. I want somebody to tell me what my dreams mean.”#Daniel 2:2
So Pharaoh’s workers went and got all those men, and they brought them to Pharaoh. Then Pharaoh told them about those 2 dreams that he had. But none of those men understood what the dreams meant.
9Pharaoh’s wine-boss was there, and he remembered that time when he had a dream in the jail, and he remembered that Joseph told him what his dream meant. So that wine-boss said to Pharaoh, “Sir, now I remember a time that I did the wrong thing. 10You know, some time ago, you got really angry with me and your bread-boss. You put us in jail, and your most important soldier guarded us. 11Then one night, me and that bread-boss, we both had dreams. We knew that those dreams showed things that will happen later on, but we didn’t know what they meant. 12But there was a young man with us in the jail. He was from the Hebrew tribe, and he worked for that important soldier, the one that guarded us. We told that young man about our dreams, and he told us what they meant. He said to me, ‘Your dream shows that Pharaoh will get you to work for him again.’ And he said to the bread-boss, ‘Your dream shows that Pharaoh will get his soldiers to kill you.’ 13And everything happened just like that young man said. Soon after that, you got me to work for you again. But you got your soldiers to kill the bread-boss and hang his body on a pole.”
Joseph told Pharaoh what his dreams meant
14Then Pharaoh sent some of his workers to go and get Joseph. Those workers quickly went and took Joseph out of the jail. Then Joseph got ready to go and see Pharaoh. He cut his hair, and he shaved his beard, and he put on clean clothes. Then he went and stood in front of Pharaoh.
15Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and nobody can tell me what it means. But somebody told me that you can understand dreams. They said that if somebody tells you about their dream, you can say what it means.”
16Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Sir, I can’t do that by myself. God is the one that lets me understand people’s dreams. He will show me what your dream means, and it will be good for you to hear it.”
17So Pharaoh told Joseph about his dream. He said, “In my dream, I stood next to the Nile River. 18Then 7 cows came up from the river. Those 7 cows were good-looking and fat, and they started to eat the long grass that was beside the river. 19After that, another 7 cows came up from the river. Those other cows looked really weak and sick, and they were very ugly and skinny. They were more ugly and skinny than any cows I saw in Egypt country. 20Then those 7 ugly, skinny cows, they ate those 7 good-looking, fat cows, those ones that came up first from the river. 21But after that, those ugly, skinny cows looked just the same as before. They were still very ugly and skinny, even though they ate those fat cows. That was the end of my dream, and I woke up.”
22Then Pharaoh said, “I went to sleep again, and I had another dream. In my dream, I saw a wheat plant. That wheat plant had 1 stick part with 7 groups of wheat seeds growing on top, and they had lots of good big seeds. 23After that, another 7 groups of seeds started to grow. They were small and dry, because a hot dry wind blew on them. 24Then those 7 groups of small dry seeds, they ate the 7 groups of good big seeds, like a person eats food. That was the end of my dream.”
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I talked to the men that can do magic, and I told them about those dreams that I had. But they don’t know what my dreams mean.”
25Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Sir, both those dreams mean the same thing. God gave you those dreams to show you what he is going to do next.”
26Then Joseph told Pharaoh what those dreams meant. First Joseph said, “Those 7 good-looking, fat cows that you saw in your dream, they are like a picture of 7 good years. And those 7 groups of good big seeds on the wheat plant, they are like a picture of 7 good years too. Both those dreams mean the same thing.”
27Then Joseph said, “And you know those 7 ugly, skinny cows, those ones that came up from the river later on, they are like a picture of 7 dry years with no rain and no food plants growing. And you know those 7 small groups of seeds on the wheat plant. They were dry, because a hot dry wind blew on them. Well, they are like a picture of those 7 dry years too.”
28Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Sir, God gave you those dreams to show you what he is going to do next, just like I said. 29For 7 years, there will be lots and lots of food everywhere in Egypt country. 30But after that, there will be 7 dry years. There will be no rain and no food plants growing anywhere in Egypt. Those dry years will be bad for the whole country. All the people in Egypt, they will forget about that time when there was lots and lots of food. 31Those dry years will be so bad, it will be just like those 7 good years never happened. 32Sir, God is going to make those things happen, for sure. And he’s going to make them happen soon. That’s the reason why he gave you 2 dreams about them.”
33Then Joseph said, “Sir, now I will tell you what you have to do. You have to pick a man that is really wise and thinks properly. And you have to put that man in charge of Egypt country. 34-35Then you have to pick some other men to work for him. And those men have to go all over Egypt country, and they have to gather up food from all the farms. Every time the farmers have food plants with seeds that are ready to make flour, those workers have to say to the farmers, ‘This is what Pharaoh says you have to do. Split up that food into 5 piles, and give one pile to us.’ Then those workers have to put that food in big sheds in the towns, and they have to look after it. They have to keep on doing that for 7 years, while there is lots and lots of food in Egypt country. 36At the end of those 7 good years, there will be 7 dry years. There will be no rain, and no food plants will grow in Egypt country. But all the people in Egypt country, they can eat the food that is in those sheds, and they can keep on doing that for those 7 dry years, so that they will not die.”
Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of Egypt country
37Pharaoh and all his workers listened to Joseph, and they all liked Joseph’s idea. 38And Pharaoh said to his workers, “Now I know that this man has God’s spirit in him. There isn’t anybody else like him.”
39Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “God showed you what is going to happen, and he told you what to do. So I know that you are more wise than everybody else. You really know how to think properly. 40So now I will make you my most important worker, and all the people in Egypt will have to do what you say. I will be the only one that is more important than you, because I am the big boss.”#Acts 7:10
41After Pharaoh said those things, he said to Joseph, “Now I’m putting you in charge of all of Egypt country.”
42Pharaoh was wearing a ring with a special mark on it. That ring showed that Pharaoh was the big boss. So Pharaoh took off that special ring, and he put it on Joseph’s finger, to show that Joseph was in charge. And Pharaoh gave Joseph some new clothes to wear. Those clothes were made out of a really good cloth, called linen. And Pharaoh put a gold necklace around Joseph’s neck.#Daniel 5:29 43Then Pharaoh got a special trailer with horses pulling it, and he got Joseph to ride in that special trailer to show that he was the 2nd boss over Egypt country. Pharaoh’s soldiers went with Joseph, and they shouted out to all the people, “Joseph is coming. Show him respect.”
In that way, Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of all of Egypt country.
44Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am the big boss, and you are my most important worker. If anybody in Egypt country wants to do something, they have to ask you first, and you can say yes or no.”
45-46Then Pharaoh gave Joseph a name in the Egypt language. That name was Zafenath-Pania. Pharaoh also gave Joseph a woman to marry. That woman’s name was Asenath, and her father’s name was Potifera. He was a ceremony leader for the Egypt people, at the town called Onn.
That’s the story about how Joseph became Pharaoh’s most important worker, and he started to be in charge of Egypt country. At that time, Joseph was 30 years old. Then Joseph left Pharaoh’s house, and he went all around Egypt country.
Joseph got the Egypt people to put food in sheds
47The next 7 years were really good years in Egypt country, because lots and lots of food grew on the land. 48So for those 7 years, Joseph told the Egypt people to get food from the farms and take it into the towns. And the people did what Joseph said. Everywhere in Egypt country, the people got food from the farms, and they took that food into the towns that were near the farms. Then they put that food into big sheds, to keep it safe. 49There was so much food in those sheds that nobody could count it, just like nobody can count all those little bits of sand that are at the beaches by the sea.
Joseph had 2 sons
50Joseph’s wife was called Asenath, and her father’s name was Potifera. He was a ceremony leader for the Egypt people, at the town called Onn.
Joseph and Asenath had 2 sons. Both those sons were born at the time when there was still lots of food growing in Egypt country.
51Joseph named his 1st son Manasseh. That name means he let me forget. Joseph said, “You see, God was good to me. He let me forget about all that trouble I had, and he even let me forget that I miss my family.”
52Joseph named his 2nd son Ephraim. That name means he let me have kids. Joseph said, “You see, God was good to me. He let me have kids in this country, even though I had lots of trouble here.”
There was no rain and no food plants
53For those 7 years, lots and lots of food plants grew in Egypt country. But at the end of those 7 good years, the rain stopped coming. 54Then the 7 dry years started. There was no rain, and the food plants stopped growing. It happened just like Joseph said.#Acts 7:11
The same thing happened in all the other countries around Egypt too. There was no rain and no food plants growing in those countries, so the people in those countries didn’t have enough food. But there was still lots of food in those big sheds in Egypt.
55-56This is what happened in Egypt country at the time when the rain stopped coming. It got dry all over Egypt country, and the food plants everywhere stopped growing. It got really bad, and all the Egypt people started to get hungry. So they went to Pharaoh, and they said to him, “Please, please give us food.”
Then Pharaoh said to all the Egypt people, “Go to Joseph, and do whatever he tells you.”#John 2:5
So they went to Joseph, and they asked him for food. Then Joseph got his workers to go to all the towns in Egypt country and open those big sheds. There was lots of food in those sheds from the 7 good years. So Joseph’s workers started to sell that food to the Egypt people.
57And there was no rain in other countries too. It was really bad everywhere. So the people that lived in those other countries, they went to Egypt, and they bought food from Joseph’s workers too.
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