Genesis 41

When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile,

Two full years later, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing on the bank of the Nile River.

when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds.

In his dream he saw seven fat, healthy cows come up out of the river and begin grazing in the marsh grass.

After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank.

Then he saw seven more cows come up behind them from the Nile, but these were scrawny and thin. These cows stood beside the fat cows on the riverbank.

And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.

Then the scrawny, thin cows ate the seven healthy, fat cows! At this point in the dream, Pharaoh woke up.

He fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk.

But he fell asleep again and had a second dream. This time he saw seven heads of grain, plump and beautiful, growing on a single stalk.

After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted—thin and scorched by the east wind.

Then seven more heads of grain appeared, but these were shriveled and withered by the east wind.

The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been a dream.

And these thin heads swallowed up the seven plump, well-formed heads! Then Pharaoh woke up again and realized it was a dream.

In the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.

The next morning Pharaoh was very disturbed by the dreams. So he called for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. When Pharaoh told them his dreams, not one of them could tell him what they meant.

Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I am reminded of my shortcomings.

Finally, the king’s chief cup-bearer spoke up. “Today I have been reminded of my failure,” he told Pharaoh.

Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard.

“Some time ago, you were angry with the chief baker and me, and you imprisoned us in the palace of the captain of the guard.

Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own.

One night the chief baker and I each had a dream, and each dream had its own meaning.

Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream.

There was a young Hebrew man with us in the prison who was a slave of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he told us what each of our dreams meant.

And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was impaled.”

And everything happened just as he had predicted. I was restored to my position as cup-bearer, and the chief baker was executed and impaled on a pole.”

So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh.

Pharaoh sent for Joseph at once, and he was quickly brought from the prison. After he shaved and changed his clothes, he went in and stood before Pharaoh.

Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”

Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream last night, and no one here can tell me what it means. But I have heard that when you hear about a dream you can interpret it.”

“I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”

“It is beyond my power to do this,” Joseph replied. “But God can tell you what it means and set you at ease.”

Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile,

So Pharaoh told Joseph his dream. “In my dream,” he said, “I was standing on the bank of the Nile River,

when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds.

and I saw seven fat, healthy cows come up out of the river and begin grazing in the marsh grass.

After them, seven other cows came up—scrawny and very ugly and lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt.

But then I saw seven sick-looking cows, scrawny and thin, come up after them. I’ve never seen such sorry-looking animals in all the land of Egypt.

The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first.

These thin, scrawny cows ate the seven fat cows.

But even after they ate them, no one could tell that they had done so; they looked just as ugly as before. Then I woke up.

But afterward you wouldn’t have known it, for they were still as thin and scrawny as before! Then I woke up.

“In my dream I saw seven heads of grain, full and good, growing on a single stalk.

“In my dream I also saw seven heads of grain, full and beautiful, growing on a single stalk.

After them, seven other heads sprouted—withered and thin and scorched by the east wind.

Then seven more heads of grain appeared, but these were blighted, shriveled, and withered by the east wind.

The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but none of them could explain it to me.”

And the shriveled heads swallowed the seven healthy heads. I told these dreams to the magicians, but no one could tell me what they mean.”

Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.

Joseph responded, “Both of Pharaoh’s dreams mean the same thing. God is telling Pharaoh in advance what he is about to do.

The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream.

The seven healthy cows and the seven healthy heads of grain both represent seven years of prosperity.

The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine.

The seven thin, scrawny cows that came up later and the seven thin heads of grain, withered by the east wind, represent seven years of famine.

“It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do.

“This will happen just as I have described it, for God has revealed to Pharaoh in advance what he is about to do.

Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt,

The next seven years will be a period of great prosperity throughout the land of Egypt.

but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land.

But afterward there will be seven years of famine so great that all the prosperity will be forgotten in Egypt. Famine will destroy the land.

The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe.

This famine will be so severe that even the memory of the good years will be erased.

The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon.

As for having two similar dreams, it means that these events have been decreed by God, and he will soon make them happen.

“And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt.

“Therefore, Pharaoh should find an intelligent and wise man and put him in charge of the entire land of Egypt.

Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance.

Then Pharaoh should appoint supervisors over the land and let them collect one-fifth of all the crops during the seven good years.

They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food.

Have them gather all the food produced in the good years that are just ahead and bring it to Pharaoh’s storehouses. Store it away, and guard it so there will be food in the cities.

This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.”

That way there will be enough to eat when the seven years of famine come to the land of Egypt. Otherwise this famine will destroy the land.”

Joseph Made Ruler of Egypt

The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials.

Joseph’s suggestions were well received by Pharaoh and his officials.

So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God^[a]?”

So Pharaoh asked his officials, “Can we find anyone else like this man so obviously filled with the spirit of God?”

Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you.

Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has revealed the meaning of the dreams to you, clearly no one else is as intelligent or wise as you are.

You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.”

Joseph in Charge of Egypt

You will be in charge of my court, and all my people will take orders from you. Only I, sitting on my throne, will have a rank higher than yours.”

So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.”

Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the entire land of Egypt.”

Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.

Then Pharaoh removed his signet ring from his hand and placed it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in fine linen clothing and hung a gold chain around his neck.

He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command,^[b] and people shouted before him, “Make way^[c]!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.

Then he had Joseph ride in the chariot reserved for his second-in-command. And wherever Joseph went, the command was shouted, “Kneel down!” So Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of all Egypt.

Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.”

And Pharaoh said to him, “I am Pharaoh, but no one will lift a hand or foot in the entire land of Egypt without your approval.”

Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On,^[d] to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt.

Then Pharaoh gave Joseph a new Egyptian name, Zaphenath-paneah.^[a] He also gave him a wife, whose name was Asenath. She was the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On.^[b] So Joseph took charge of the entire land of Egypt.

Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout Egypt.

He was thirty years old when he began serving in the court of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. And when Joseph left Pharaoh’s presence, he inspected the entire land of Egypt.

During the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully.

As predicted, for seven years the land produced bumper crops.

Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it.

During those years, Joseph gathered all the crops grown in Egypt and stored the grain from the surrounding fields in the cities.

Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure.

He piled up huge amounts of grain like sand on the seashore. Finally, he stopped keeping records because there was too much to measure.

Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.

During this time, before the first of the famine years, two sons were born to Joseph and his wife, Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On.

Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh^[e] and said, “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.”

Joseph named his older son Manasseh,^[c] for he said, “God has made me forget all my troubles and everyone in my father’s family.”

The second son he named Ephraim^[f] and said, “It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”

Joseph named his second son Ephraim,^[d] for he said, “God has made me fruitful in this land of my grief.”

The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end,

At last the seven years of bumper crops throughout the land of Egypt came to an end.

and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food.

Then the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had predicted. The famine also struck all the surrounding countries, but throughout Egypt there was plenty of food.

When all Egypt began to feel the famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.”

Eventually, however, the famine spread throughout the land of Egypt as well. And when the people cried out to Pharaoh for food, he told them, “Go to Joseph, and do whatever he tells you.”

When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt.

So with severe famine everywhere, Joseph opened up the storehouses and distributed grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout the land of Egypt.

And all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe everywhere.

And people from all around came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph because the famine was severe throughout the world.