Genesis 41
1After two years, Pharaoh saw a dream. He thought himself to be standing above a river,
2from which ascended seven cows, exceedingly beautiful and stout. And they pastured in marshy places.
3Likewise, another seven emerged from the river, filthy and thoroughly emaciated. And they pastured on the same bank of the river, in green places.
4And they devoured those whose appearance and condition of body was so wonderful. Pharaoh, having been awakened,
5slept again, and he saw another dream. Seven ears of grain sprung up on one stalk, full and well-formed.
6Likewise, other ears of grain, of the same number, rose up, thin and struck with blight,
7devouring all the beauty of the first. Pharaoh, when he awakened after his rest,
8and when morning arrived, being terrified with fear, sent to all the interpreters of Egypt and to all of the wise men. And when they were summoned, he explained to them his dream; but there was no one who could interpret it.
9Then at last the chief cupbearer, remembering, said, “I confess my sin.
10The king, being angry with his servants, ordered me and the chief miller of grain to be forced into the prison of the leader of the military.
11There, in one night, both of us saw a dream presaging the future.
12In that place, there was a Hebrew, a servant of the same commander of the military, to whom we explained our dreams.
13Whatever we heard was proven afterwards by the event of the matter. For I was restored to my office, and he was suspended on a cross.”
14Immediately, by the king’s authority, Joseph was led out of prison, and they shaved him. And changing his apparel, they presented him to him.
15And he said to him, “I have seen dreams, and there is no one who can unfold them. I have heard that you are very wise at interpreting these.”
16Joseph responded, “Apart from me, God will respond favorably to Pharaoh.”
17Therefore, Pharaoh explained what he had seen: “I thought myself to be standing on the bank of a river,
18and seven cows climbed up from the river, exceedingly beautiful and full of flesh. And they grazed in a pasture of a marshy greenery.
19And behold, there followed after these, another seven cows, with such deformity and emaciation as I had never seen in the land of Egypt.
20These devoured and consumed the first,
21giving no indication of being full. But they remained in the same state of emaciation and squalor. Awakening, but being weighed down into sleep again,
22I saw a dream. Seven ears of grain sprang up on one stalk, full and very beautiful.
23Likewise, another seven, thin and struck with blight, rose up from the stalk.
24And they devoured the beauty of the first. I explained this dream to the interpreters, and there is no one who can unfold it.”
25Joseph responded: “The dream of the king is one. What God will do, he has revealed to Pharaoh.
26The seven beautiful cows, and the seven full ears of grain, are seven years of abundance. And so the force of the dreams is understood to be the same.
27Likewise, the seven thin and emaciated cows, which ascended after them, and the seven thin ears of grain, which were struck with the burning wind, are seven approaching years of famine.
28These will be fulfilled in this order.
29Behold, there will arrive seven years of great fertility throughout the entire land of Egypt.
30After this, there will follow another seven years, of such great barrenness that all the former abundance will be delivered into oblivion. For the famine will consume all the land,
31and the greatness of this destitution will cause the greatness of the abundance to be lost.
32Now, as to what you saw the second time, it is a dream pertaining to the same thing. It is an indication of its firmness, because the word of God shall be done, and it shall be completed swiftly.
33Now therefore, let the king provide a wise and industrious man, and place him over the land of Egypt,
34so that he may appoint overseers throughout all the regions. And let a fifth part of the fruits, throughout the seven fertile years
35that now have already begun to occur, be gathered into storehouses. And let all the grain be stored away, under the power of Pharaoh, and let it be kept in the cities.
36And let it be prepared for the future famine of seven years, which will oppress Egypt, and then the land will not be consumed by destitution.”
37The counsel pleased Pharaoh and all his ministers.
38And he said to them, “Would we be able to find another such man, who is full of the Spirit of God?”
39Therefore, he said to Joseph: “Because God has revealed to you all that you have said, would I be able to find anyone wiser and as much like you?
40You will be over my house, and to the authority of your mouth, all the people will show obedience. Only in one way, in the throne of the kingdom, will I go before you.”
41And again, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Behold, I have appointed you over the entire land of Egypt.”
42And he took the ring from his own hand, and he gave it into his hand. And he clothed him with a robe of fine linen, and he placed a necklace of gold around his neck.
43And he caused him to ascend upon his second swift chariot, with the herald proclaiming that everyone should bend their knee before him, and that they should know that he was governor over the entire land of Egypt.
44Likewise, the king said to Joseph: “I am Pharaoh: apart from your authority, no one will move hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.”
45And he changed his name and called him, in the Egyptian tongue: ‘Savior of the world.’ And he gave him as a wife, Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of Heliopolis. And so Joseph went out into the land of Egypt.
46(Now he was thirty years old when he stood in the sight of king Pharaoh.) And he traveled throughout the regions of Egypt.
47And the fertility of the seven years arrived. And when the grain fields were reduced to sheaves, these were gathered into the storehouses of Egypt.
48And now all the abundance of grain was stored away in every city.
49And there was such a great abundance of wheat that it was comparable to the sands of the sea, and its bounty exceeded all measure.
50Then, before the famine arrived, Joseph had two sons born, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of Heliopolis, bore for him.
51And he called the name of the firstborn Manasseh, saying, “God has caused me to forget all my labors and the house of my father.”
52Likewise, he named the second Ephraim, saying, “God has caused me to increase in the land of my poverty.”
53And so, when the seven years of fertility that occurred in Egypt had passed,
54the seven years of destitution, which Joseph had predicted, began to arrive. And the famine prevailed throughout the whole world, but there was bread in all the land of Egypt.
55And being hungry, the people cried out to Pharaoh, asking for provisions. And he said to them: “Go to Joseph. And do whatever he will tell you.”
56Then the famine increased daily in all the land. And Joseph opened all of the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. For the famine had oppressed them also.
57And all the provinces came to Egypt, to buy food and to temper the misfortune of their destitution.
1And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river.
2And, behold, there came up out of the river seven well favoured kine and fatfleshed; and they fed in a meadow.
3And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill favoured and leanfleshed; and stood by the other kine upon the brink of the river.
4And the ill favoured and leanfleshed kine did eat up the seven well favoured and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke.
5And he slept and dreamed the second time: and, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good.
6And, behold, seven thin ears and blasted with the east wind sprung up after them.
7And the seven thin ears devoured the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream.
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 the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.
9Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults this day:
10Pharaoh was wroth with his servants, and put me in ward in the captain of the guard’s house, both me and the chief baker:
11And we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream.
12And there was there with us a young man, an Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard; and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each man according to his dream he did interpret.
13And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was; me he restored unto mine office, and him he hanged.
14Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.
15And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it.
16And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.
17And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river:
18And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fatfleshed and well favoured; and they fed in a meadow:
19And, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and leanfleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness:
20And the lean and the ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine:
21And when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still ill favoured, as at the beginning. So I awoke.
22And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good:
23And, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them:
24And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears: and I told this unto the magicians; but there was none that could declare it to me.
25And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.
26The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one.
27And the seven thin and ill favoured kine that came up after them are seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine.
28This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh.
29Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt:
30And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land;
31And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous.
32And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.
33Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt.
34Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years.
35And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities.
36And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine.
37And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.
38And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?
39And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art:
40Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.
41And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.
42And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck;
43And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.
44And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.
45And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnath–paaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Poti–pherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.
46And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.
47And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls.
48And he gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same.
49And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number.
50And unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, which Asenath the daughter of Poti–pherah priest of On bare unto him.
51And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house.
52And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.
53And the seven years of plenteousness, that was in the land of Egypt, were ended.
54And the seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.
55And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do.
56And the famine was over all the face of the earth: And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt.
57And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands.