Genesis

41 At the end of two full years, Pharʹaoh dreamed+ that he was standing by the Nile River. 2 And there, coming up from the river, were seven fine-looking, fat cows, and they were feeding on the Nile grass.+ 3 There were seven other cows that looked ugly and thin coming up after them from the Nile, and they stood alongside the fat cows by the bank of the Nile. 4 Then the ugly, thin cows began to eat up the seven fine-looking, fat cows. At this Pharʹaoh woke up.

5 Then he went back to sleep and had a second dream. There were seven ears of grain coming up on one stalk, full and choice.+ 6 And growing up after them were seven ears of grain that were thin and scorched by the east wind. 7 And the thin ears of grain began to swallow up the seven full and choice ears of grain. At this Pharʹaoh woke up and realized that it was a dream.

8 But in the morning, his spirit became agitated. So he sent for all the magic-practicing priests of Egypt and all her wise men. Pharʹaoh related his dreams to them, but there was no one who could interpret them for Pharʹaoh.

9 At that the chief cupbearer spoke with Pharʹaoh, saying: “I am confessing my sins today. 10 Pharʹaoh was indignant at his servants. So he committed me to the jail of the house of the chief of the guard, both me and the chief baker.+ 11 After that we each had a dream on the same night. He and I each had a dream with its own interpretation.+ 12 And there with us was a young Hebrew man, a servant of the chief of the guard.+ When we related them to him,+ he interpreted for us the meaning of each dream. 13 It happened exactly as he had interpreted to us. I was restored to my office, but the other man was hanged.”+

14 So Pharʹaoh sent for Joseph,+ and they brought him quickly from the prison.*+ He shaved and changed his clothes and went in to Pharʹaoh. 15 Then Pharʹaoh said to Joseph: “I had a dream, but there is no one to interpret it. Now I have heard it said about you that you can hear a dream and interpret it.”+ 16 At this Joseph answered Pharʹaoh: “I need not be considered! God will speak concerning Pharʹaoh’s welfare.”+

17 Pharʹaoh went on to say to Joseph: “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile River. 18 And there, coming up from the Nile, were seven fine-looking, fat cows, and they began to feed on the Nile grass.+ 19 And there were seven other cows coming up after them, poor and very bad-looking and thin. I have never seen such bad-looking cows in all the land of Egypt. 20 And the skinny, bad cows began to eat up the first seven fat cows. 21 But when they had consumed them, no one could have known that they had done so, since their appearance was just as bad as at the start. At that I woke up.

22 “After that I saw in my dream seven ears of grain coming up on one stalk, full and choice.+ 23 Growing up after them were seven ears of shriveled grain, thin and scorched by the east wind. 24 Then the thin ears of grain began to swallow up the seven choice ears of grain. So I told it to the magic-practicing priests,+ but there was no one who could explain it to me.”+

25 Then Joseph said to Pharʹaoh: “The dreams of Pharʹaoh are one and the same. The true God has told to Pharʹaoh what He will do.+ 26 The seven good cows are seven years. Likewise, the seven good ears of grain are seven years. The dreams are one and the same. 27 The seven skinny and bad cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears of grain, scorched by the east wind, will prove to be seven years of famine. 28 This is just as I told to Pharʹaoh: The true God has caused Pharʹaoh to see what He will do.

29 “There are to be seven years of great abundance in all the land of Egypt. 30 But seven years of famine will certainly arise after them, and all the abundance in the land of Egypt will certainly be forgotten, and the famine will exhaust the land.+ 31 And the previous abundance in the land will not be remembered because of the famine afterward, for it will be very severe. 32 The dream was given twice to Pharʹaoh because the matter has been firmly established by the true God, and the true God will soon carry it out.

33 “So now let Pharʹaoh look for a man who is discreet and wise and place him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharʹaoh take action and appoint overseers in the land, and he should collect one fifth of the produce of Egypt during the seven years of abundance.+ 35 And let them collect all the food during these coming good years, and let them stockpile grain under Pharʹaoh’s authority as food to be stored in the cities and safeguarded there.+ 36 The food should serve as a supply for the land for the seven years of famine that will occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish in the famine.”+

37 This proposal seemed good to Pharʹaoh and all his servants. 38 So Pharʹaoh said to his servants: “Can another man be found like this one in whom there is the spirit of God?” 39 Pharʹaoh then said to Joseph: “Since God has caused you to know all of this, there is no one as discreet and wise as you. 40 You will personally be over my house, and all my people will obey you implicitly.+ Only in my role as king* will I be greater than you.” 41 And Pharʹaoh added to Joseph: “See, I am putting you over all the land of Egypt.”+ 42 Then Pharʹaoh removed his signet ring from his own hand and put it on Joseph’s hand and clothed him with garments of fine linen and placed a necklace of gold around his neck. 43 Moreover, he had him ride in the second chariot of honor that he had, and they would call out ahead of him, “A·vrékh!”* Thus he put him over all the land of Egypt.

44 Pharʹaoh further said to Joseph: “I am Pharʹaoh, but without your authorization, no man may do a single thing* in all the land of Egypt.”+ 45 After that Pharʹaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphʹe·nath-pa·neʹah and gave him Asʹe·nath+ the daughter of Pot·iʹphe·ra the priest of On* as a wife. And Joseph began to oversee* the land of Egypt.+ 46 Joseph was 30 years old+ when he stood before* Pharʹaoh king of Egypt.

Then Joseph went out from before Pharʹaoh and traveled throughout all the land of Egypt. 47 And during the seven years of abundance, the land went on producing plentifully.* 48 And he kept collecting all the food of the seven years from the land of Egypt, and he would stockpile the food in the cities. In each city he would store the food from the fields around it. 49 Joseph continued stockpiling grain in very great quantity, like the sand of the sea, until finally they gave up measuring it because it could not be measured.

50 Before the year of the famine arrived, two sons were born to Joseph,+ whom Asʹe·nath the daughter of Pot·iʹphe·ra the priest of On* bore to him. 51 Joseph named the firstborn Ma·nasʹseh,*+ for he said, “God has made me forget all my trouble and all the house of my father.” 52 And he named the second one Eʹphra·im,*+ for he said, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”+

53 Then the seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt ended,+ 54 and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said.+ The famine developed in all the lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.*+ 55 Eventually, all the land of Egypt suffered from the famine, and the people began to cry to Pharʹaoh for bread.+ Then Pharʹaoh said to all the Egyptians: “Go to Joseph, and do whatever he tells you.”+ 56 The famine continued over all the surface of the earth.+ Then Joseph began to open up all the granaries that were among them and to sell to the Egyptians,+ as the famine had a strong grip on the land of Egypt. 57 Moreover, people of all the earth came to Egypt to buy from Joseph, because the famine had a strong grip on all the earth.+