Genesis 41
1 And it came to pass after two
aGr. years of days.full years that Pharao had a dream. He thought he stood upon
the bank of the river.
2 And lo, there came up as it were out
of the river seven cows, fair in appearance, and choice of flesh, and they fed
on the sedge.bThe Hebrew word which the LXX. have here written in Greek characters
without translating it, is rendered in the place A. V. by meadow, in Job
8. 11, the only other passage where it occurs, by flag.
3 And other seven cows came up after
these out of the river, ill-favoured and lean-fleshed, and fed by the
other cows on the bank of the river.
4 And the seven ill-favoured and lean
cows devoured the seven well-favoured and choice-fleshed cows; and Pharao
awoke. 5 And he dreamed again. And,
behold, seven ears came up on one stalk, choice and good.
6 And, behold, seven ears thin and
blasted with the wind, grew up after them.
7 And the seven thin ears and blasted
with the wind devoured the seven choice and full ears; and Pharao awoke, and
it was a dream. 8 And it was morning,
and his soul was troubled; and he sent and called all the interpreters of
Egypt, and all her wise men; and Pharao related to them his dream, and there
was no one to
cOr, tell.interpret it to Pharao. 9 And the
chief cupbearer spoke to Pharao, saying, I this day remember my fault:
10 Pharao was angry with his
servants, and put us in prison in the house of the captain of the guard, both
me and the chief baker. 11 And we
dGr. saw.had a dream both in one night, I and he; we saw, each according to his dream.
12 And there was there with us a
young man, a Hebrew servant of the captain of the guard; and we related to him
our dreams, and he interpreted
them to us.
13 And it came to pass, as he
interpreted them to us, so also it happened, both that I was restored to my
office, and that he was hanged.
14 And Pharao having sent, called
Joseph; and they brought him out from the prison, and shaved him, and changed
his dress, and he came to Pharao.
15 And Pharao said to Joseph, I have
seen a vision, and there is no one to interpret it; but I have heard
eGr. men saying.say concerning thee that thou didst hear dreams and interpret them.
16 And Joseph answered Pharao and
said, Without God an answer of safety shall not be given to Pharao.
17 And Pharao spoke to Joseph,
saying, In my dream methought I stood by the bank of the river;
18 and there came up as it were out
of the river, seven cows well-favoured and choice-fleshed, and they fed on the
sedge. 19 And behold seven other cows
came up after them out of the river, evil and ill-favoured and lean-fleshed,
such that I never saw worse in all the land of Egypt.
20 And the seven ill-favoured and
thin cows ate up the seven first good and choice cows.
21 And they went into their bellies;
and
fGr. they were.it was not perceptible that they had gone into their bellies, and their
appearance was ill-favoured, as also at the beginning; and after I awoke I
slept, 22 and saw again in my sleep,
and as it were seven ears came up on one stem, full and good.
23 And other seven ears, thin and
blasted with the wind, sprang up close to them.
24 And the seven thin and blasted
ears devoured the seven fine and full ears: so I spoke to the interpreters,
and there was no one to explain it to me.
25 And Joseph said to Pharao, The
dream of Pharao is one; whatever God does, he has shewn to Pharao.
26 The seven good cows are seven
years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the dream of Pharao is one.
27 And the seven thin kine that came
up after them are seven years; and the seven thin and blasted ears are seven
years; there shall be seven years of famine.
28 And as for the word which I have
told Pharao, whatsoever God intends to do, he has shewn to Pharao:
29 behold, for seven years there is
coming great plenty in all the land of Egypt.
30 But there shall come seven years
of famine after these, and they shall forget the plenty that shall be in all
Egypt, and the famine shall consume the land.
31 And the plenty shall not be known
in the land by reason of the famine that shall be after this, for it shall be
very grievous. 32 And concerning the
repetition of the dream to Pharao twice,
it is because the saying which is from God shall be
true, and God will hasten to accomplish it.
33 Now then, look out a wise and
prudent man, and set him over the land of Egypt.
34 And let Pharao make and appoint
local governors over the land; and let them take up a fifth part of all the
produce of the land of Egypt for the seven years of the plenty.
35 And let them gather all the food
of these seven good years that are coming, and let the corn be gathered under
the hand of Pharao; let food be kept in the cities.
36 And the stored food shall be for
the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of
Egypt; and the land shall not be utterly destroyed by the famine.
37 And the word was pleasing in the
sight of Pharao, and in the sight of all his servants.
38 And Pharao said to all his
servants, Shall we find such a man as this, who has the Spirit of God in him?
39 And Pharao said to Joseph, Since
God has shewed thee all these things, there is not a wiser or more prudent man
than thou. 40 Thou shalt be over my
house, and all my people shall be obedient to thy
gGr. mouth.word; only in the throne will I excel thee.
41 And Pharao said to Joseph, Behold,
I set thee this day over all the land of Egypt.
42 And Pharao took his ring off his
hand, and put it on the hand of Joseph, and put on him a robe of fine linen,
and put a necklace of gold about his neck.
43 And he mounted him on the second
of his chariots, and a herald made proclamation before him; and he set him
over all the land of Egypt. 44 And
Pharao said to Joseph, I am Pharao; without thee no one shall lift up his hand
on all the land of Egypt. 45 And
Pharao called the name of Joseph, Psonthomphanech; and he gave him Aseneth,
the daughter of Petephres, priest of Heliopolis, to wife.
46 And Joseph was thirty years old
when he stood before Pharao, king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the
presence of Pharao, and went through all the land of Egypt.
47 And the land produced, in the
seven years of plenty, whole handfuls
of corn.
48 And he gathered all the food of
the seven years, in which was the plenty in the land of Egypt; and he laid up
the food in the cities; the food of the fields of a city round about it he
laid up in it. 49 And Joseph gathered
very much corn as the sand of the sea, until it could not be numbered, for
there was no number of it.
50 And to Joseph were born two sons,
before the seven years of famine came, which Aseneth, the daughter of
Petephres, priest of Heliopolis, bore to him.
51 And Joseph called the name of the
first-born, Manasse; for God, said he, has made me
forget all my toils, and all
hGr. things belong to my father.my father's house. 52 And he called
the name of the second, Ephraim; for God, said he,
has increased me in the land of my humiliation.
53 And the seven years of plenty
passed away, which were in the land of Egypt.
54 And the seven years of famine
began to come, as Joseph said; and there was a famine in all the land; but in
all the land of Egypt there was bread.
55 And all the land of Egypt was
hungry; and the people cried to Pharao for bread. And Pharao said to all the
Egyptians, Go to Joseph, and do whatsoever he shall tell you.
56 And the famine was on the face of
all the earth; and Joseph opened all the granaries, and sold to all the
Egyptians. 57 And all countries came
to Egypt to buy of Joseph, for the famine prevailed in all the earth.
Footnotes
a41:1 Gr. years of days.
b41:2 The Hebrew word which the LXX. have here written in Greek characters without translating it, is rendered in the place A. V. by meadow, in Job 8. 11, the only other passage where it occurs, by flag.
c41:8 Or, tell.
d41:11 Gr. saw.
e41:15 Gr. men saying.
f41:21 Gr. they were.
g41:40 Gr. mouth.
h41:51 Gr. things belong to my father.