Genesis 41

Modern

Literal

The Dreams of Pharaoh

¹After two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing beside the Nile,

¹And it came to pass at the end of two years of days that Pharaoh was dreaming, and behold, he was standing by the River.

²when seven cows, sleek and well-fed, came up from the river and began to graze among the reeds.

²And behold, out of the River came up seven cows, beautiful of appearance and fat of flesh, and they grazed among the reeds.

³After them, seven other cows, sickly and thin, came up from the Nile and stood beside the well-fed cows on the bank of the river.

³And behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the River, ugly of appearance and thin of flesh, and they stood beside the cows on the edge of the River.

⁴And the cows that were sickly and thin devoured the seven sleek, well-fed cows.

Then Pharaoh woke up,

⁴And the cows that were ugly of appearance and thin of flesh ate the seven cows beautiful of appearance and fat. And Pharaoh awoke.

⁵but he fell back asleep and dreamed a second time: Seven heads of grain, plump and ripe, came up on one stalk.

⁵And he slept and dreamed a second time, and behold, seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, fat and good.

⁶After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted, thin and scorched by the east wind.

⁶And behold, seven heads of grain, thin and scorched by the east wind, were sprouting after them.

⁷And the thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven plump, ripe ones. Then Pharaoh awoke and realized it was a dream.

⁷And the thin heads of grain swallowed the seven heads fat and full. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.

⁸In the morning his spirit was troubled, so he summoned all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.

⁸And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, and there was no one interpreting them to Pharaoh.

⁹Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I recall my failures.

⁹And the chief of the cupbearers spoke to Pharaoh, saying, “My sin I am remembering this day;

¹⁰Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he put me and the chief baker in the custody of the captain of the guard.

¹⁰Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and he put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guards—me and the chief of the bakers.

¹¹One night both the chief baker and I had dreams, and each dream had its own meaning.

¹¹And we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; each man according to the interpretation of his dream we dreamed.

¹²Now 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 individually.

¹²And there was with us a young man, a Hebrew, a servant of the captain of the guards. And we told to him, and he interpreted for us our dreams; each man according to his dream he interpreted.

¹³And it happened to us just as he had interpreted: I was restored to my position, and the other man was hanged.”

¹³And it came to pass as he interpreted to us—so it came to pass. Me he restored to my office, and him he hanged.”

Joseph Interprets Pharaoh’s Dreams

¹⁴So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, who was quickly brought out of the dungeon. After he had shaved and changed his clothes, he went in before Pharaoh.

¹⁴And Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they hurried him from the pit. And he shaved and changed his clothing, and he came to Pharaoh.

¹⁵Pharaoh 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.”

¹⁵And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have dreamed a dream, and there is no one interpreting it. And I have heard it said of you that you hear a dream to interpret it.”

¹⁶“I myself cannot do it,” Joseph replied, “but God will give Pharaoh a sound answer.”

¹⁶And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will answer Pharaoh with peace.”

¹⁷Then Pharaoh said to Joseph: “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile,

¹⁷And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream, behold, I was standing on the edge of the River,

¹⁸when seven cows, well-fed and sleek, came up from the river and began to graze among the reeds.

¹⁸and behold, out of the River came up seven cows fat of flesh and beautiful of appearance, and they grazed among the reeds.

¹⁹After them, seven other cows—sickly, ugly, and thin—came up. I have never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt!

¹⁹And behold, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly of appearance and thin of flesh. Never have I seen such as these in all the land of Egypt for ugliness.

²⁰Then the thin, ugly cows devoured the seven well-fed cows that were there first.

²⁰And the thin and ugly cows ate the first seven fat cows.

²¹When they had devoured them, however, no one could tell that they had done so; their appearance was as ugly as it had been before. Then I awoke.

²¹And they went into their bellies, and no one would have known that they had gone into their bellies, and they were as ugly as at the beginning. And I awoke.

²²In my dream I also saw seven heads of grain, plump and ripe, growing on a single stalk.

²²And I saw in my dream, and behold, seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, full and good,

²³After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted—withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind.

²³and behold, seven heads of grain withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind, were sprouting after them.

²⁴And the thin heads of grain swallowed the seven plump ones.

I told this dream to the magicians, but no one could explain it to me.”

²⁴And the thin heads of grain swallowed the seven good heads of grain. And I told this to the magicians, and there was no one who interpreted it for me.”

²⁵At this, Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what He is about to do.

²⁵And Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dream of Pharaoh is one. What God is about to do He has declared to Pharaoh.

²⁶The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven ripe heads of grain are seven years. The dreams have the same meaning.

²⁶The seven good cows—they are seven years; and the seven good heads of grain—they are seven years. The dream is one.

²⁷Moreover, the seven thin, ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind—they are seven years of famine.

²⁷And the seven thin and ugly cows that came up after them—they are seven years; and the seven empty the heads of grain scorched by the east wind—they are seven years of famine.

²⁸It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do.

²⁸This is the word that I have spoken to Pharaoh. What God is about to do He has shown Pharaoh.

²⁹Behold, seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt,

²⁹Behold, seven years are coming—great abundance in all the land of Egypt,

³⁰but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in the land of Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will devastate the land.

³⁰and seven years of famine will arise after them, and all the abundance in the land of Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will consume the land.

³¹The abundance in the land will not be remembered, since the famine that follows it will be so severe.

³¹And the abundance will not be known in the land because of that famine after thus; for it is very severe.

³²Moreover, because the dream was given to Pharaoh in two versions, the matter has been decreed by God, and He will carry it out shortly.

³²And as for the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh twice—it is because the thing is established by God, and God is hastening to do it.

³³Now, therefore, Pharaoh should look for a discerning and wise man and set him over the land of Egypt.

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

³⁴Let Pharaoh take action and appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest^a of Egypt during the seven years of abundance.

³⁴Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land and let him take a fifth of the land of Egypt in the seven years of abundance.

³⁵Under the authority of Pharaoh, let them collect all the excess food from these good years, that they may come and lay up the grain to be preserved as food in the cities.

³⁵And let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the hand of Pharaoh—food in the cities—and guard it

³⁶This food will be a reserve for the land during the seven years of famine to come upon the land of Egypt. Then the country will not perish in the famine.”

³⁶and the food shall be as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine that shall be in the land of Egypt, that the land may not be cut off by the famine.”

Joseph Given Charge of Egypt

³⁷This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his officials.

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

³⁸So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, in whom the Spirit of God^a abides?”

³⁸And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man such as this, in whom is the Spirit of God?”

³⁹Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one as discerning and wise as you.

³⁹And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made known to you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you.

⁴⁰You shall be in charge of my house, and all my people are to obey your commands. Only with regard to the throne will I be greater than you.”

⁴⁰You shall be over my house, and according to your mouth all my people will kiss. Only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.”

⁴¹Pharaoh also told Joseph, “I hereby place you over all the land of Egypt.”

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

⁴²Then Pharaoh removed the signet ring from his finger, put it on Joseph’s finger, clothed him in garments of fine linen, and placed a gold chain around his neck.

⁴²And Pharaoh removed his signet ring from his hand and put it on the hand of Joseph, and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put the chain of gold around his neck.

⁴³He had Joseph ride in his second chariot, with men calling out before him, “Bow the knee!”^a So he placed him over all the land of Egypt.

⁴³And he had him ride in the second chariot that was his, and they called out before him, “Abrek!” And he set him over all the land of Egypt.

⁴⁴And Pharaoh declared to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your permission, no one in all the land of Egypt shall lift his hand or foot.”

⁴⁴And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and apart from you, no man may lift his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt.”

⁴⁵Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-paneah,^a and he gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On,^b to be his wife. And Joseph took charge of all the land of Egypt.

⁴⁵And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphenath-paneah; and he gave to him Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, for a wife. And Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.

The Seven Years of Plenty

⁴⁶Now Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph left Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout the land of Egypt.

⁴⁶And Joseph was a son of thirty years when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and he passed through all the land of Egypt.

⁴⁷During the seven years of abundance, the land brought forth bountifully.

⁴⁷And the land made as handfuls in the seven years of abundance.

⁴⁸During those seven years, Joseph collected all the excess food in the land of Egypt and stored it in the cities. In every city he laid up the food from the fields around it.

⁴⁸And he gathered all the food of the seven years that were in the land of Egypt, and he placed the food in the cities. The food of the fields of the city that surrounded them, he placed in its midst.

⁴⁹So Joseph stored up grain in such abundance, like the sand of the sea, that he stopped keeping track of it; for it was beyond measure.

⁴⁹And Joseph stored up grain like the sand of the sea, multiplying exceedingly, until that he stopped counting, for it was without number.

⁵⁰Before the years of famine arrived, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.

⁵⁰And to Joseph were born two sons before the year of famine came, whom Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, bore to him.

⁵¹Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh,^a saying, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s household.”

⁵¹And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh, “For God has made me forget all my toil and all the house of my father.”

⁵²And the second son he named Ephraim,^a saying, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”

⁵²And the name of the second he called Ephraim: “For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.”

The Famine Begins

⁵³When the seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt came to an end,

⁵³And the seven years of abundance, that were in the land of Egypt, came to an end.

⁵⁴the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. And although there was famine in every country, there was food throughout the land of Egypt.

⁵⁴And the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. And there was famine in all the lands, and in all the land of Egypt there was bread.

⁵⁵When extreme hunger came to all the land of Egypt and the people cried out to Pharaoh for food, he told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.”

⁵⁵And all the land of Egypt hungered. And the people cried to Pharaoh for bread, and Pharaoh said to all Egypt, “Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, do.”

⁵⁶When the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened up all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians; for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.

⁵⁶And the famine was over all the face of the land, and Joseph opened all that was in them and sold to the Egyptians, and the famine was strong in the land of Egypt.

⁵⁷And every nation came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth.

⁵⁷And all the earth came to Egypt to buy, to Joseph, because the famine was strong in all the earth.