1 At the end of two full years, Pharaoh
dreamed, and behold, he stood by the
river.
2 Behold, seven cattle came up out of the
river. They were sleek and fat, and they
fed in the marsh grass.
3 Behold, seven other cattle came up after
them out of the river, ugly and thin, and
stood by the other cattle on the brink of the
river.
4 The ugly and thin cattle ate up the
seven sleek and fat cattle. So Pharaoh
awoke.
5 He slept and dreamed a second time;
and behold, seven heads of grain came up
on one stalk, healthy and good.
6 Behold, seven heads of grain, thin and
blasted with the east wind, sprung up after
them.
7 The thin heads of grain swallowed up
the seven healthy and full ears. Pharaoh
awoke, and behold, it was a dream.
8 In the morning, his spirit was troubled,
and he sent and called for all of Egypt’s
magicians and wise men. Pharaoh told
them his dreams, but there was no one
who could interpret them to Pharaoh.
9 Then the chief cup bearer spoke to
Pharaoh, saying, “I remember my faults
today.
10 Pharaoh was angry with his servants,
and put me in custody in the house of the
captain of the guard, with the chief baker.
11 We dreamed a dream in one night, he
and I. Each man dreamed according to the
interpretation of his dream.
12 There was with us there a young man,
a Hebrew, servant to the captain of the
guard, and we told him, and he interpreted
to us our dreams. He interpreted to each
man according to his dream.
13 As he interpreted to us, so it was. He
restored me to my office, and he hanged
him.”
14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph,
and they brought him hastily out of the
dungeon. He shaved himself, changed his
clothing, and came in to Pharaoh.
15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have
dreamed a dream, and there is no one who
can interpret it. I have heard it said of
you, that when you hear a dream you can
interpret it.”
16 Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It
isn’t in me. God will give Pharaoh an
answer of peace.”
17 Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, “In my
dream, behold, I stood on the brink of the
river;
18 and behold, seven fat and sleek cattle
came up out of the river. They fed in the
marsh grass;
19 and behold, seven other cattle came
up after them, poor and very ugly and thin,
such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt
for ugliness.
20 The thin and ugly cattle ate up the first
seven fat cattle;
21 and when they had eaten them up,
it couldn’t be known that they had eaten
them, but they were still ugly, as at the
beginning. So I awoke.
22 I saw in my dream, and behold, seven
heads of grain came up on one stalk, full
and good;
23 and behold, seven heads of grain,
withered, thin, and blasted with the east
wind, sprung up after them.
24 The thin heads of grain swallowed up
the seven good heads of grain. I told it to
the magicians, but there was no one who
could explain it to me.”
25 Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dream of
Pharaoh is one. What God is about to do he
has declared to Pharaoh.
26 The seven good cattle are seven years;
and the seven good heads of grain are
seven years. The dream is one.
27 The seven thin and ugly cattle that
came up after them are seven years,
and also the seven empty heads of grain
blasted with the east wind; they will be
seven years of famine.
28 That is the thing which I have spoken
to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what
he is about to do.
29 Behold, seven years of great plenty
throughout all the land of Egypt are coming.
30 Seven years of famine will arise after
them, and all the plenty will be forgotten
in the land of Egypt. The famine will consume
the land,
31 and the plenty will not be known in
the land by reason of that famine which
follows; for it will be very grievous.
32 The dream was doubled to Pharaoh,
because the thing is established by God,
and God will shortly bring it to pass.
33 “Now therefore let Pharaoh look for a
discreet and wise man, and set him over
the land of Egypt.
34 Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint
overseers over the land, and take up
the fifth part of the land of Egypt’s produce
in the seven plenteous years.
35 Let them gather all the food of these
good years that come, and store grain under
the hand of Pharaoh for food in the
cities, and let them keep it.
36 The food will be to supply the land
against the seven years of famine, which
will be in the land of Egypt; so that the land
will not perish through the famine.”
37 The thing was good in the eyes of
Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.
38 Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we
find such a one as this, a man in whom is
the Spirit of God?”
39 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Because God
has shown you all of this, there is no one so
discreet and wise as you.
40 You shall be over my house. All my
people will be ruled according to your
word. Only in the throne I will be greater
than you.”
41 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Behold, I
have set you over all the land of Egypt.”
42 Pharaoh took off his signet ring from
his hand, and put it on Joseph’s hand, and
arrayed him in robes of fine linen, and put
a gold chain about his neck.
43 He made him ride in the second chariot
which he had. They cried before him,
“Bow the knee!” He set him over all the
land of Egypt.
44 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh.
Without you, no man shall lift up his hand
or his foot in all the land of Egypt.”
45 Pharaoh called Joseph’s name
Zaphenath-Paneah. He gave him Asenath,
the daughter of Potiphera priest of On as
a wife. Joseph went out over the land of
Egypt.
46 Joseph was thirty years old when he
stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph
went out from the presence of Pharaoh,
and went throughout all the land of Egypt.
47 In the seven plenteous years the earth
produced abundantly.
48 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.
He stored food in each city from the fields
around that city.
49 Joseph laid up grain as the sand of the
sea, very much, until he stopped counting,
for it was without number.
50 To Joseph were born two sons before
the year of famine came, whom Asenath,
the daughter of Potiphera priest of On,
bore to him.
51 Joseph called the name of the firstborn
Manasseh,† “For”, he said, “God has made
me forget all my toil, and all my father’s
house.” 52 The name of the second, he called
Ephraim:‡ “For God has made me fruitful
in the land of my affliction.”
53 The seven years of plenty, that were in
the land of Egypt, came to an end.
54 The seven years of famine began to
come, just as Joseph had said. There was
famine in all lands, but in all the land of
Egypt there was bread.
55 When all the land of Egypt was famished,
the people cried to Pharaoh for
bread, and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians,
“Go to Joseph. What he says to you,
do.” 56 The famine was over all the surface
of the earth. Joseph opened all the store
houses, and sold to the Egyptians. The
famine was severe in the land of Egypt.
57 All countries came into Egypt, to
Joseph, to buy grain, because the famine
was severe in all the earth.
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