Genesis 41

Joseph Interprets the King's Dreams

1After two years had passed, the king of Egypt dreamed that he was standing by the Nile River, 2when seven cows, fat and sleek, came up out of the river and began to feed on the grass. 3Then seven other cows came up; they were thin and bony. They came and stood by the other cows on the riverbank, 4and the thin cows ate up the fat cows. Then the king woke up. 5He fell asleep again and had another dream. Seven heads of grain, full and ripe, were growing on one stalk. 6Then seven other heads of grain sprouted, thin and scorched by the desert wind, 7and the thin heads of grain swallowed the full ones. The king woke up and realized that he had been dreaming. 8#Dn 2.2 In the morning he was worried, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. He told them his dreams, but no one could explain them to him.

9Then the wine steward said to the king, “I must confess today that I have done wrong. 10You were angry with the chief baker and me, and you put us in prison in the house of the captain of the guard. 11One night each of us had a dream, and the dreams had different meanings. 12A young Hebrew was there with us, a slave of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us. 13Things turned out just as he said: you restored me to my position, but you executed the baker.”

14The king sent for Joseph, and he was immediately brought from the prison. After he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came into the king's presence. 15The king said to him, “I have had a dream, and no one can explain it. I have been told that you can interpret dreams.”

16Joseph answered, “I cannot, Your Majesty, but God will give a favorable interpretation.”

17The king said, “I dreamed that I was standing on the bank of the Nile, 18when seven cows, fat and sleek, came up out of the river and began feeding on the grass. 19Then seven other cows came up which were thin and bony. They were the poorest cows I have ever seen anywhere in Egypt. 20The thin cows ate up the fat ones, 21but no one would have known it, because they looked just as bad as before. Then I woke up. 22I also dreamed that I saw seven heads of grain which were full and ripe, growing on one stalk. 23Then seven heads of grain sprouted, thin and scorched by the desert wind, 24and the thin heads of grain swallowed the full ones. I told the dreams to the magicians, but none of them could explain them to me.”

25Joseph said to the king, “The two dreams mean the same thing; God has told you what he is going to do. 26The seven fat cows are seven years, and the seven full heads of grain are also seven years; they have the same meaning. 27The seven thin cows which came up later and the seven thin heads of grain scorched by the desert wind are seven years of famine. 28It is just as I told you—God has shown you what he is going to do. 29There will be seven years of great plenty in all the land of Egypt. 30After that, there will be seven years of famine, and all the good years will be forgotten, because the famine will ruin the country. 31The time of plenty will be entirely forgotten, because the famine which follows will be so terrible. 32The repetition of your dream means that the matter is fixed by God and that he will make it happen in the near future.

33“Now you should choose some man with wisdom and insight and put him in charge of the country. 34You must also appoint other officials and take a fifth of the crops during the seven years of plenty. 35Order them to collect all the food during the good years that are coming, and give them authority to store up grain in the cities and guard it. 36The food will be a reserve supply for the country during the seven years of famine which are going to come on Egypt. In this way the people will not starve.”

Joseph Is Made Governor over Egypt

37The king and his officials approved this plan, 38and he said to them, “We will never find a better man than Joseph, a man who has God's spirit in him.” 39The king said to Joseph, “God has shown you all this, so it is obvious that you have greater wisdom and insight than anyone else. 40#Ac 7.10 I will put you in charge of my country, and all my people will obey your orders. Your authority will be second only to mine. 41I now appoint you governor over all Egypt.” 42#Dn 5.29 The king removed from his finger the ring engraved with the royal seal and put it on Joseph's finger. He put a fine linen robe on him, and placed a gold chain around his neck. 43He gave him the second royal chariot to ride in, and his guard of honor went ahead of him and cried out, “Make way! Make way!” And so Joseph was appointed governor over all Egypt. 44The king said to him, “I am the king—and no one in all Egypt shall so much as lift a hand or a foot without your permission.” 45-46He gave Joseph the Egyptian name Zaphenath Paneah, and he gave him a wife, Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, a priest in the city of Heliopolis.

Joseph was thirty years old when he began to serve the king of Egypt. He left the king's court and traveled all over the land. 47During the seven years of plenty the land produced abundant crops, 48all of which Joseph collected and stored in the cities. In each city he stored the food from the fields around it. 49There was so much grain that Joseph stopped measuring it—it was like the sand of the sea.

50Before the years of famine came, Joseph had two sons by Asenath. 51He said, “God has made me forget all my sufferings and all my father's family”; so he named his first son Manasseh.#41.51: Manasseh: This name sounds like the Hebrew for “cause to forget.” 52He also said, “God has given me children in the land of my trouble”; so he named his second son Ephraim.#41.52: Ephraim: This name sounds like the Hebrew for “give children.”

53The seven years of plenty that the land of Egypt had enjoyed came to an end, 54#Ac 7.11 and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in every other country, but there was food throughout Egypt. 55#Jn 2.5 When the Egyptians began to be hungry, they cried out to the king for food. So he ordered them to go to Joseph and do what he told them. 56The famine grew worse and spread over the whole country, so Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians. 57People came to Egypt from all over the world to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe everywhere.

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Berĕshith (Genesis) 41

1And it came to be, at the end of two years’ time, that Pharaoh had a dream, and saw him standing by the river,

2and saw seven cows coming up out of the river, beautiful looking and fat, and they fed amongst the reeds,

3then saw seven other cows coming up after them out of the river, ugly and lean of flesh, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the river.

4And the ugly and lean of flesh cows ate up the seven beautiful looking and fat cows. Then Pharaoh awoke.

5And he slept and dreamed a second time and saw seven heads of grain coming up on one stalk, plump and good,

6and saw seven lean heads, scorched by the east wind, coming up after them.

7And the seven lean heads swallowed the seven plump and complete heads. Then Pharaoh awoke and saw it was a dream.

8And it came to be in the morning that his spirit was moved, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Mitsrayim and all its wise men. And Pharaoh related to them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them for Pharaoh.

9Then the chief cupbearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying, “I remember my crimes this day.

10“When Pharaoh was wroth with his servants, and put me in confinement in the house of the captain of the guard, both me and the chief baker,

11each one of us dreamed a dream in one night, he and I. Each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream.

12“And there was with us a Hebrew youth, a servant of the captain of the guard. And we related to him, and he interpreted our dreams for us. To each man he interpreted according to his own dream.

13And it came to be, as he interpreted for us, so it came to be. He restored me to my office, and he hanged him.

14Then Pharaoh sent and called Yosĕph, and they hurriedly brought him out of the dungeon. And he shaved and changed his garments, and came to Pharaoh.

15And Pharaoh said to Yosĕph, “I have dreamed a dream, and there is no one to interpret it. Now I myself have heard it said of you that you understand a dream, to interpret it.”

16And Yosĕph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me, let Elohim answer Pharaoh with peace.”

17And Pharaoh said to Yosĕph, “See, in my dream I stood on the bank of the river

18and saw seven cows coming up out of the river, beautiful looking and fat, and they fed amongst the reeds,

19then saw seven other cows coming up after them, poor and very ugly and lean of flesh, such ugliness as I have never seen in all the land of Mitsrayim.

20“And the lean of flesh and ugly cows ate up the first seven, the fat cows.

21“Yet when they had eaten them up, no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were as ugly as at the beginning. Then I awoke.

22“Also, I looked in my dream and saw seven heads coming up on one stalk, complete and good,

23then saw seven heads, withered, lean, scorched by the east wind, coming up after them.

24“And the lean heads swallowed the seven good heads. And I spoke to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.”

25And Yosĕph said to Pharaoh, “The dream of Pharaoh is one. Elohim has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do:

26“The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads are seven years – it is one dream.

27“And the seven lean and ugly cows which came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty heads scorched by the east wind are seven years of scarcity of food.

28“This is the word which I spoke to Pharaoh: Elohim has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do.

29See, seven years of great plenty are coming in all the land of Mitsrayim,”

30but after them seven years of scarcity of food shall arise and all the plenty be forgotten in the land of Mitsrayim. And the scarcity of food shall destroy the land,

31and the plenty shall not be remembered in the land, because of the scarcity of food following, for it is very severe.

32“And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the word is established by Elohim, and Elohim is hastening to do it.

33“And now, let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Mitsrayim.

34“Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint overseers over the land, to take up one-fifth of the land of Mitsrayim in the seven years of plenty.

35“And let them gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up grain under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities.

36And the food shall be for a store for the land for the seven years of scarcity of food which shall be in the land of Mitsrayim, and do not let the land be cut off by the scarcity of food.

37And the word was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants.

38And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Could we find another like him, a man in whom is the Spirit of Elohim?”

39Then Pharaoh said to Yosĕph, “Since Elohim has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you.

40Be over my house, you yourself, and at your mouth all my people shall kiss – only in the throne I am greater than you.

41And Pharaoh said to Yosĕph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Mitsrayim.”

42And Pharaoh took his seal-ring off his hand and put it on Yosĕph’s hand. And he dressed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.

43And he had him ride in the second chariot which he had. And they cried out before him, “Bow the knee!” And he set him over all the land of Mitsrayim.

44And Pharaoh said to Yosĕph, “I am Pharaoh, and without a word from you let no man lift his hand or foot in all the land of Mitsrayim.”

45And Pharaoh called Yosĕph’s name Zaphnath-Pa‛nĕaḥ. And he gave him as a wife Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On. And Yosĕph went out over all the land of Mitsrayim.

46Now Yosĕph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh sovereign of Mitsrayim. And Yosĕph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Mitsrayim.

47And in the seven years of plenty the ground brought forth generously.

48And he gathered all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Mitsrayim, and laid up the food in the cities. He laid up in every city the food of the fields which surrounded them.

49Thus Yosĕph gathered very much grain, as the sand of the sea, until he ceased counting, for it was without number.

50And to Yosĕph were born two sons before the years of scarcity of food came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him.

51And Yosĕph called the name of the first-born Menashsheh, “For Elohim has made me forget all my toil and all my father’s house.”

52And the name of the second he called Ephrayim, “For Elohim has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.”

53And the seven years of plenty which were in the land of Mitsrayim came to an end,

54and the seven years of scarcity of food began to come, as Yosĕph had said. And the scarcity of food was in all lands, but in all the land of Mitsrayim there was bread.

55But when all the land of Mitsrayim hungered, and the people cried to Pharaoh for bread, Pharaoh said to all the Mitsrites, “Go to Yosĕph, do whatever he says to you.”

56And the scarcity of food was over all the face of the earth, and Yosĕph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Mitsrites. And the scarcity of food was severe in the land of Mitsrayim.

57And all the earth came to Yosĕph in Mitsrayim to buy grain, because the scarcity of food was severe in all the earth.

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