41:1 And at the end of two full years1 Pharaoh had a dream:2 he was standing by the Nile. 41:2 And then, seven cows were coming up out of the Nile, fine looking3 and fat,4 and they grazed in the reed-grass. 41:3 Then seven other cows came up after them from the Nile, looking bad5 and thin,6 and they stood beside the cows by the edge of the river. 41:4 And the cows that were bad looking and thin ate the seven cows that were fine looking and fat. Then Pharaoh woke up.
41:5 And Pharaoh slept, and he dreamed a second time: there were seven ears of grain coming up on one stalk, healthy7 and good. 41:6 And then seven ears of grain, thin and burned with the east wind, springing up after them. 41:7 And the thin ears swallowed up the seven fat and full ears. Then Pharaoh woke up; and it was a dream.8
41:8 And in the morning his spirit was troubled; so he called for9 all the diviner-priests10 of Egypt and all its wise men; and Pharaoh told them his dream. But there was no one who could interpret11 them for Pharaoh.
41:9 Then the chief cupbearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying, “I recall12 my failures13 today. 41:10 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. 41:11 And we had a dream14 in one night, I and he, each of us dreamed a dream with its own interpretation. 41:12 Now there was with us a young man, a Hebrew, a servant of the captain of the guards, and we told him and he interpreted our dreams for us. He interpreted for each man according to his dream. 41:13 And it happened just as he had interpreted for us—Pharaoh restored15 me to my office, but he impaled him.
41:14 Then Pharaoh sent for16 Joseph. So they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; and he shaved himself and changed his garment,17 and came before Pharaoh. 41:15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream,18 and there is no one who can interpret19 it. But I have heard about you, that20 you can interpret dreams.”21
41:16 Joseph answered Pharaoh saying, “It is not within my power,22 but God will speak to23 the welfare of Pharaoh.”24
41:17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing by the edge of the Nile. 41:18 And then, seven cows were coming up out of the Nile, fat and fine looking, and they grazed in the reed-grass. 41:19 Then seven other cows came up after them, scrawny and bad looking and thin. I had never seen as bad as these in all the land of Egypt. 41:20 The lean, bad-looking cows ate up the first seven fat cows. 41:21 And when they had eaten them,25 no one could have known26 that they ate them, for they were as bad looking as at the beginning. And I woke up.
41:22 I also saw27 in my dream that there were seven ears of grain coming up on one stalk, full and good. 41:23 And then there were seven ears of grain, withered and thin and burned with the east wind, springing up after them. 41:24 And the thin ears of grain swallowed up the seven good ears of grain. So I told all this28 to the diviner-priests, but there was no one who could tell29 me its meaning.30
41:25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dream of Pharaoh is one dream.31 That which God is about to do32 he has declared to Pharaoh. 41:26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears of grain are seven years; the dream is one dream.33 41:27 The seven thin and bad looking cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears of grain burned with the east wind are also;34 they are seven years of famine.
41:28 It is what I said35 to Pharaoh, that which God is about to do he has shown Pharaoh. 41:29 Seven years of great plenty36 are coming in all the land of Egypt. 41:30 But seven years of famine will come up37 after them, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. And the famine will utterly destroy38 the land. 41:31 And the plenty of the land will not be remembered39 because of that famine after it, for the famine will be very severe.40 41:32 And the reason for the dream’s being repeated41 to Pharaoh two times is because the matter has been established by God, and God will do it very quickly.42
41:33 So now, let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man, and let him set him over all the land of Egypt. 41:34 Let Pharaoh do this, let him appoint overseers43 throughout the land to take up a fifth of the land of Egypt44 in the seven years of plenty. 41:35 And let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming, and let them store up the grain under the authority45 of Pharaoh for food46 in the cities, and let them preserve it.47 41:36 This food will be held in store48 for the land for the seven years of famine that will be in all the land of Egypt, so that the land will not be cut off49 because of the famine.
41:37 And the matter was good in the opinion of50 Pharaoh and in the opinion of all his servants. 41:38 Then Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this in whom the Spirit of God is?” 41:39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Because God has caused you to know all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. 41:40 You will be over my household, and all my people will submit51 to your commands;52 only in the throne will I be greater than you.”
41:41 Pharaoh said53 to Joseph, “See, I have set you54 over all the land of Egypt.55 41:42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on the hand of Joseph, and he clothed him with fine linen56 clothes, and put a gold chain around his neck. 41:43 And he made him ride in the second chariot he had,57 and they cried out before him, “Bend the knee!”58 Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt. 41:44 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without you no man will lift up his hand or his foot59 in all the land of Egypt.” 41:45 And Pharaoh named Joseph Zaphenath-Paneah;60 and he gave him as a wife Asenath,61 the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On.62 And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.
41:46 Now Joseph was thirty years old63 when he stood before Pharaoh the king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from before Pharaoh and went throughout all the land of Egypt.64 41:47 And in the seven years of plenty the land produced abundantly.65 41:48 And he gathered up all the food in the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and stored the food in the cities. In each city he put the food of the fields that were around it. 41:49 And Joseph stored up grain in abundance, like the sand of the sea, until he stopped measuring it because it was immeasurable.
41:50 And to Joseph two sons were born before the year of the famine came, which Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera the priest of On, bore him. 41:51 And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh, saying,66 “For God has made me forget67 all my trouble and all my father’s house.” 41:52 And the name of the second he called Ephraim, saying,68 “For God has made me fruitful69 in the land of my affliction.”
41:53 And the seven years of plenty that where in the land of Egypt came to an end, 41:54 and the seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said. And there was famine in all the lands, but in the land of Egypt there was food. 41:55 When70 all the land of Egypt was under famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. And Pharaoh said to all Egypt, “Go to Joseph and whatever he says to you do.”
41:56 When the famine was over all the face of the earth71 Joseph opened the storehouses72 and sold to the Egyptians. And the famine was severe in all the land of Egypt. 41:57 And every country came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all the earth.