A modern English translation drawn directly from the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. Translated word-for-word where possible, by a committee with scholarly oversight.
Uses the same source texts as the ESV, NASB, and most academic Bibles, including the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia and the Nestle-Aland critical edition.
Genesis 41
Genesis 41 is the forty-first chapter of the book of Genesis and the chapter in which Joseph rises from prison to second in command of Egypt. The 57-verse chapter contains Pharaoh's two dreams, Joseph's interpretation, the elevation, the seven years of plenty, and the start of the seven years of famine.
The chapter opens two full years after the cupbearer's release. Pharaoh has a dream. He is standing by the Nile. Seven sleek, well-fed cows come up out of the river and graze among the reeds. Then seven other cows come up after them, gaunt and ugly, and the gaunt cows eat the sleek ones. Pharaoh wakes. He sleeps again and dreams a second time: seven plump, ripe heads of grain growing on a single stalk; then seven thin heads scorched by the east wind sprout up and swallow the plump ones. Pharaoh wakes troubled.
In the morning Pharaoh sends for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt and tells them his dreams. None of them can interpret. The chief cupbearer then remembers Joseph and tells Pharaoh about the Hebrew who interpreted his dream in prison two years earlier.
Pharaoh sends for Joseph. They shave him, change his clothes, and bring him in. Joseph answers Pharaoh's question, "I myself cannot do it, but God will give Pharaoh a sound answer." Pharaoh recounts both dreams. Joseph interprets them as one. The seven sleek cows and seven plump heads are seven years of great abundance. The seven gaunt cows and seven thin heads are seven years of famine that will follow and consume all the abundance. He adds, "Because the dream was given to Pharaoh in two versions, the matter has been decreed by God, and He will carry it out shortly."
Joseph proposes a plan. Pharaoh should appoint a discerning and wise man, with commissioners under him, to gather a fifth of the harvest in each of the seven good years and store it against the famine to come.
Pharaoh is pleased. He says to his officials, "Can we find anyone like this man, in whom the Spirit of God abides?" He sets Joseph over the whole land, gives him his signet ring, dresses him in fine linen, puts a gold chain around his neck, and has him ride in the second chariot. He gives him the Egyptian name Zaphenath-paneah and a wife, Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.
Joseph is 30. He travels through Egypt and gathers grain in the seven plentiful years until he stops measuring it, like the sand of the sea. Two sons are born to him by Asenath before the famine. He names the firstborn Manasseh, saying, "God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father's household." He names the second Ephraim, saying, "God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction."
The seven years of plenty end and the famine begins. There is famine in all the lands, but bread in Egypt. People from every country come to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine is severe in all the earth.
Verse 1. After two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing beside the Nile,
Verse 2. when seven cows, sleek and well-fed, came up from the river and began to graze among the reeds.
Verse 3. After them, seven other cows, sickly and thin, came up from the Nile and stood beside the well-fed cows on the bank of the river.
Verse 4. And the cows that were sickly and thin devoured the seven sleek, well-fed cows. Then Pharaoh woke up,
Verse 5. but he fell back asleep and dreamed a second time: Seven heads of grain, plump and ripe, came up on one stalk.
Verse 6. After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted, thin and scorched by the east wind.
Verse 7. And the thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven plump, ripe ones. Then Pharaoh awoke and realized it was a dream.
Verse 8. In the morning his spirit was troubled, so he summoned all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.
Verse 9. Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I recall my failures.
Verse 10. Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he put me and the chief baker in the custody of the captain of the guard.
Verse 11. One night both the chief baker and I had dreams, and each dream had its own meaning.
Verse 12. Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams and he interpreted them for us individually.
Verse 13. And it happened to us just as he had interpreted: I was restored to my position, and the other man was hanged.”
Verse 14. So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, who was quickly brought out of the dungeon. After he had shaved and changed his clothes, he went in before Pharaoh.
Verse 15. Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”
Verse 16. “I myself cannot do it,” Joseph replied, “but God will give Pharaoh a sound answer.”
Verse 17. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph: “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile,
Verse 18. when seven cows, well-fed and sleek, came up from the river and began to graze among the reeds.
Verse 19. After them, seven other cows—sickly, ugly, and thin—came up. I have never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt!
Verse 20. Then the thin, ugly cows devoured the seven well-fed cows that were there first.
Verse 21. When they had devoured them, however, no one could tell that they had done so; their appearance was as ugly as it had been before. Then I awoke.
Verse 22. In my dream I also saw seven heads of grain, plump and ripe, growing on a single stalk.
Verse 23. After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted—withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind.
Verse 24. And the thin heads of grain swallowed the seven plump ones. I told this dream to the magicians, but no one could explain it to me.”
Verse 25. At this, Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what He is about to do.
Verse 26. The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven ripe heads of grain are seven years. The dreams have the same meaning.
Verse 27. Moreover, the seven thin, ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind—they are seven years of famine.
Verse 28. It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do.
Verse 29. Behold, seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt,
Verse 30. but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in the land of Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will devastate the land.
Verse 31. The abundance in the land will not be remembered, since the famine that follows it will be so severe.
Verse 32. Moreover, because the dream was given to Pharaoh in two versions, the matter has been decreed by God, and He will carry it out shortly.
Verse 33. Now, therefore, Pharaoh should look for a discerning and wise man and set him over the land of Egypt.
Verse 34. Let Pharaoh take action and appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance.
Verse 35. Under the authority of Pharaoh, let them collect all the excess food from these good years, that they may come and lay up the grain to be preserved as food in the cities.
Verse 36. This food will be a reserve for the land during the seven years of famine to come upon the land of Egypt. Then the country will not perish in the famine.”
Verse 37. This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his officials.
Verse 38. So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, in whom the Spirit of God abides?”
Verse 39. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one as discerning and wise as you.
Verse 40. You shall be in charge of my house, and all my people are to obey your commands. Only with regard to the throne will I be greater than you.”
Verse 41. Pharaoh also told Joseph, “I hereby place you over all the land of Egypt.”
Verse 42. Then Pharaoh removed the signet ring from his finger, put it on Joseph’s finger, clothed him in garments of fine linen, and placed a gold chain around his neck.
Verse 43. He had Joseph ride in his second chariot, with men calling out before him, “Bow the knee!” So he placed him over all the land of Egypt.
Verse 44. And Pharaoh declared to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your permission, no one in all the land of Egypt shall lift his hand or foot.”
Verse 45. Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-paneah, and he gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph took charge of all the land of Egypt.
Verse 46. Now Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph left Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout the land of Egypt.
Verse 47. During the seven years of abundance, the land brought forth bountifully.
Verse 48. During those seven years, Joseph collected all the excess food in the land of Egypt and stored it in the cities. In every city he laid up the food from the fields around it.
Verse 49. So Joseph stored up grain in such abundance, like the sand of the sea, that he stopped keeping track of it; for it was beyond measure.
Verse 50. Before the years of famine arrived, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.
Verse 51. Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, saying, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s household.”
Verse 52. And the second son he named Ephraim, saying, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
Verse 53. When the seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt came to an end,
Verse 54. the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. And although there was famine in every country, there was food throughout the land of Egypt.
Verse 55. When extreme hunger came to all the land of Egypt and the people cried out to Pharaoh for food, he told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.”
Verse 56. When the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened up all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians; for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.
Verse 57. And every nation came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth.
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