Genesis 41

Two whole years later, {King} Pharaoh had a dream. {In the dream} he saw himself standing beside the {Nile} River.

Suddenly, seven healthy-looking, fat cows walked up out of the river and started eating the tall grass {beside the river}.

Next he saw that seven sickly-looking, scrawny cows walked up out of the river and stood next to the {first} cows on the river bank. \*

Then the sickly-looking, scrawny cows devoured the seven healthy-looking, fat cows. {Just} then Pharaoh woke up.

Then he went {back} to sleep and had a second {dream}. {This time} he saw seven plump, well-formed heads of grain growing on the same plant.

Suddenly, seven small heads of grain that the {hot} desert wind had dried out started growing {on the same plant} beside the first heads. \*

Next, the small heads of grain gobbled up the seven big, well-formed heads. At that point, Pharaoh woke up and realized that {he had been} dreaming.

The next morning Pharaoh was upset {about the dreams}, so he had {servants} summon all the sorcerers and {other} scholars in {the country of} Egypt. {When they arrived,} he told them what he had dreamed, but none of them was able to explain to him {what} the dreams {meant}. \*

Then the head wine-server said to Pharaoh, “{Sir,} today I remember {the time} when I offended {you}.

{Some time ago,} {King} Pharaoh, you were angry with your officials, {including} me and the head baker, and you put us in prison at the captain of the guards’ house.

{While we were there,} one night we {each} had a dream, {and} each of our dreams had a different meaning. \*

There was a young Hebrew man with us {who was} a servant for the captain over the guards. After we told him {our dreams}, he explained them to us. He told us what each of our dreams meant.

And sure enough, everything happened exactly the way he had explained {the dreams} to us: you returned me to my {former} work {as your wine-server}, and you {had your soldiers} execute the baker.” \*

{When Pharaoh heard that,} {immediately} he had {servants} summon Joseph. So they went right away and got him out of the prison. Then after he shaved {his head and face} and changed into appropriate clothing, he went before Pharaoh.

Then Pharaoh said to him, “I had a dream, but no one has been able to explain {to me} what it means. But someone told me about you, {that} when you hear a dream, {you are able} to explain what it means.”

Joseph replied to him, “{Sir,} I do not have that ability {on my own}, {but} God will explain {your dream} so that {you,} {King} Pharaoh, will have peace {in your heart}.” \*

So Pharaoh told Joseph, “As I was dreaming, I saw myself standing beside the {Nile} River.

Then suddenly, seven fat, healthy-looking cows walked up out of the river {onto the bank} and started eating the tall grass {that was there}. \*

Suddenly seven other cows walked up {out of the river} behind the first cows; {they were} in terrible condition, very sickly-looking and scrawny. {In fact,} I have never seen such awful-looking {cows} anywhere in the land of Egypt!

Then the scrawny, sickly cows devoured the seven fat ones.

But {even} after they had swallowed them, no one would {ever} know that they had devoured them, because they {still} looked just as terrible as before. That’s when I woke up. \*

Then I {went back to sleep and} had {another} dream. {This time} I saw that there were seven big, well-formed heads of grain growing on the same plant.

Then suddenly, seven small heads of grain sprouted {on the same plant} next to the first heads. {These had} wilted because the {hot} desert wind had dried them out.

Then the small heads of grain gobbled up the seven well-formed ones. I told {my dreams} to {my} sorcerers, but none of them could explain to me {what the dreams meant}.” \*

Then Joseph told {King} Pharaoh, “{Your Majesty,} {both of} your dreams mean the same thing. {Through them,} God is revealing to you what he is going to do.

The seven healthy cows {represent} seven years, and the seven well-formed heads of grain {represent} {the same} seven years. {Both} dreams mean the same thing. \*

The seven scrawny and sickly cows that walked up {out of the river} behind the first cows {represent} {a different} seven years, and {so do} the seven small heads of grain that the desert wind had dried out. {They both mean that} there will be a famine that lasts seven years.

{King} Pharaoh, that {is} what I was talking about {when I told} you {that} God is revealing to you what he is going to do.

Listen, {first} there will be seven years when people will have more than enough food {to eat} throughout the entire country of Egypt. \*

But after that, there will be a famine that lasts seven years. As a result, the people in Egypt will forget what it was like in their country during all the years when they had more than enough {food} {to eat}, because the famine will devastate the country {so that many people will starve}.

That’s right, people will completely forget about the years when there was plenty of food, because the famine {that comes} after that {will be} so severe.

The fact that you, {King} Pharaoh, had two {different} dreams that mean the same thing shows that God has decided what he is going to do, and he will make it happen soon. \*

So now, {your Majesty,} I recommend that you look for a man {who is} intelligent and knows what to do, and put him in charge over the country of Egypt.

Sir, you should {also} appoint {regional} administrators in charge of the country, and {have them} collect one-fifth of {the crops that people harvest throughout} the country during the seven years when harvests are plentiful. \*

Have them collect all that {surplus} grain during the prosperous years ahead {when there will be plenty of food}. Using your authority, {King} Pharaoh, have them stockpile {that} grain {in storehouses} in the cities and {have soldiers} guard it, so that there will be food {for the people}.

That food should stay in storage for {the people of} the country {to eat} during the famine that will last seven years in the country of Egypt, so that they will not starve to death because of the severe lack of food.” \*

What Joseph proposed seemed like a good plan to Pharaoh and all his officials.

So Pharaoh exclaimed to them, “{Certainly} we cannot find anyone else more qualified than this man whom God’s Spirit guides!” \*

Then he said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, no one {else} is {as} intelligent as you {are} or knows what to do {in this situation}.

{So} I am putting you in charge of my household {and my kingdom}, so that all the people in my country must obey whatever you command. Only I who am king will have higher authority than you.”

Then Pharaoh said, “Listen, I hereby put you in charge of the whole country of Egypt.” \*

Then he took off his {official} identification ring and put it on Joseph’s finger {to show that he had appointed him}. He {also} gave Joseph {expensive} linen clothes to wear and put a chain {made} of gold around his neck.

Then Pharaoh had Joseph ride {around} in the chariot that showed he was the second highest ruler in the country. {As he rode,} messengers {walked} {in the road} ahead of him calling out {to everyone}, “Make way!” In that way, Pharaoh {officially} appointed Joseph to be in charge of the whole country of Egypt. \*

Pharaoh {also} told Joseph, “I, Pharaoh, {hereby command} that throughout the whole country of Egypt, everyone must only do what you tell them to do!”

Then Pharaoh gave Joseph the {Egyptian} name Zaphenath-Paneah, {which means “the one who explains/reveals secrets,”} and he gave him {a woman named} Asenath to be {his} wife. {She was} the daughter of Potiphera, {who was} a priest {at the temple} in {the city of} On. Then Joseph {started his duties and} traveled throughout the country of Egypt. \*

Joseph {was} thirty years old when he {started} serving Pharaoh, the king over Egypt. {After Pharaoh appointed him,} Joseph left him and traveled throughout the whole country of Egypt {doing his work}.

During the seven years when food was plentiful, the land produced huge amounts of grain. \*

So Joseph {had his helpers} collect all the {surplus} grain {that people harvested} during {those} seven years in the country of Egypt, and he {had them} stockpile {that} grain in the cities. In each city he {had them} store the grain {that people harvested} from the surrounding fields.

In that way, Joseph stockpiled so much grain that it was as {plentiful as} the {grains of} sand on the seashore. {In fact,} it was so plentiful that he stopped keeping records {of it} because it was too much to keep track of. \*

Before the {seven} famine years started, Joseph had two sons with {his wife} Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, {who was} a priest in {the city of} On.

Joseph named {his} oldest {son} Manasseh, {which means “forget,”} {and he explained,} “{It is} because God has helped me to forget {about} all my troubles and about {how much I have missed} my father and the rest of my family {back home}.”

And he named {his} second son Ephraim, {which means “twice prosperous,”} {and he explained,} “{It is} because God has helped me to prosper in the country where I have suffered {so much}.” \*

Finally the seven years were over when food was plentiful in the country of Egypt.

Then the seven years began when there was a severe lack of food, which is exactly what Joseph had predicted {would happen}. The famine spread to every country, but throughout the whole country of Egypt there was {still} food {in the storehouses}. \*

When everyone in Egypt became very hungry {because of the famine}, they begged {King} Pharaoh for food. So he commanded them, “Go ask Joseph {for help}, {and} do whatever he commands you {to do}.”

Since the severe food shortage was affecting the whole country, Joseph {had his helpers} open up all the storehouses {full of grain}, and he started selling {the grain} to the people of Egypt. Then the famine became worse {and worse} throughout the country of Egypt.

In fact, {people from} all over the world started coming to Egypt to buy {grain} from Joseph, because the food shortage was {so} terrible throughout the whole world. \*