Genesis 41

41 ¹After two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: he was standing beside the Nile. ²Seven cows, sleek and fat, came up from the Nile and grazed among the reeds. ³Seven other cows, ugly and bony, came up after them from the Nile and stood beside them on the Nile's bank. ⁴Ugly, thin cows ate the seven fine, fat cows, and Pharaoh woke up. ⁵He fell asleep again and had a second dream: seven heads of grain, plump and good, grew on one stalk. ⁶Then after them, seven heads of grain sprouted up—thin and scorched by the east wind. ⁷The thin heads swallowed the seven plump, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up—it had been a dream. ⁸In the morning his spirit was troubled; he sent and called all Egypt's magicians and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but none could interpret them for him.

⁹Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, "Today I am reminded of my offenses. ¹⁰Pharaoh was angry with his servants and put me in custody in the guard captain's house, with the chief baker. ¹¹I and he each dreamed the same night, each dream with its own meaning. ¹²A young Hebrew, servant of the guard captain, was with us. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted each according to its own meaning. ¹³Just as he interpreted for us, it happened: I was restored to my position, the other was hanged."

¹⁴Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and they rushed him from the dungeon. He shaved, changed his clothes, and came before Pharaoh. ¹⁵Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I've had a dream no one can interpret. I've heard about you that when you hear a dream, you can interpret it."

¹⁶"I can't do that on my own," Joseph replied. "Our Father will give Pharaoh a favorable answer."

¹⁷Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile. ¹⁸Seven fat, sleek cows came up from the Nile and grazed among the reeds. ¹⁹Then seven other cows came up after them—scrawny, very ugly, thin-fleshed—the like I had never seen in all the land of Egypt. ²⁰The gaunt, ugly cows ate the first seven fat cows. ²¹Even after eating them, no one could tell, for they still looked as bad as before. Then I woke up. ²²In my dream I saw seven heads of grain grow on one stalk, full and good. ²³And after them sprouted seven heads of grain—withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind. ²⁴The thin heads swallowed the seven good heads. I told the magicians, but none could explain it to me."

²⁵Joseph said to Pharaoh, "Pharaoh's dreams are one: our Father has revealed to Pharaoh what he's about to do. ²⁶The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years—it is one dream. ²⁷The seven thin, ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty heads scorched by the east wind are seven years of famine. ²⁸This is what I told Pharaoh: our Father has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. ²⁹Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout all the land of Egypt. ³⁰Then seven years of famine will follow. All the plenty in Egypt will be forgotten, and famine will devour the land. ³¹The abundance will be forgotten in the land, since the famine afterward will be so severe. ³²Pharaoh's dream repeated twice means our Father has firmly fixed this matter, and our Father will soon carry it out.

³³So let Pharaoh find a discerning, wise man and put him over Egypt's land. ³⁴Let Pharaoh take action and appoint overseers over the land, and take a fifth of Egypt's produce during the seven years of abundance. ³⁵Let them gather all the food of these good coming years, and store grain under Pharaoh's hand as food in the cities, and guard it. ³⁶That food will be a reserve for the land during the seven years of famine coming on the land of Egypt, so the land won't be cut off by famine."

A Wise Plan for the Years Ahead

³⁷The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his servants. ³⁸Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find anyone like this, a man with God's Spirit in him?" ³⁹Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has shown you all this, none is as discerning and wise as you. ⁴⁰You will be over my house; all my people will obey your command. Only in the throne will I be greater than you." ⁴¹And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt."

⁴²Pharaoh took the signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, dressed him in fine linen, and put a gold chain on his neck. ⁴³Pharaoh had Joseph ride in his own second chariot, had men call out before Joseph, "Kneel!" and set him over all Egypt's land. ⁴⁴Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh; without you, no one moves hand or foot in all the land of Egypt." ⁴⁵Pharaoh named Joseph Zaphenath-paneah and gave him Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, as wife. Then Joseph went out over the land of Egypt. ^a a v45 On was a major Egyptian city and center of sun worship — known to the Greeks as Heliopolis, near modern Cairo.

⁴⁶Joseph was thirty when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. He left Pharaoh's presence and traveled through all the land of Egypt. ⁴⁷During the seven years of abundance, the land produced bountifully. ⁴⁸He collected all the food of the seven years in Egypt and stored it in the cities, in each city the food of the fields around it. ⁴⁹Joseph stored grain like the sand of the sea—so much he stopped counting; it was uncountable. ⁵⁰Before the famine years, Joseph fathered two sons with Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. ⁵¹Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh: "Because our Father made me forget all my hardship and all my father's house." ^b b v51 The name Manasseh means "making to forget." ⁵²He named the second Ephraim: "For our Father has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering." ^c c v52 The name Ephraim means "fruitful."

⁵³The seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt came to an end. ⁵⁴The seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. Famine struck every land, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. ⁵⁵When famine struck all Egypt, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph; do whatever he tells you." ⁵⁶As the famine spread across the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, since the famine was severe in Egypt. ⁵⁷All the earth came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, for the famine gripped all the earth.