Genesis 41:9-57

9Then the chief cupbearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying, “I would make mention today of 1my own 2offenses. 10Pharaoh was 3furious with his servants, and 4he put me in confinement in the house of the captain of the bodyguard, both me and the chief baker. 115We had a dream 6on the same night, 7he and I; each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream. 12Now a Hebrew youth was with us there, a 8servant of the captain of the bodyguard, and we related them to him, and 9he interpreted our dreams for us. To each one he interpreted according to his own dream. 13And just 10as he interpreted for us, so it happened; he restored me in my 11office, but he hanged him.”

14Then Pharaoh sent and 12called for Joseph, and they 13hurriedly brought him out of the dungeon; and when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came to Pharaoh. 15Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, 14but no one can interpret it; and 15I have heard 16it said about you, that 17when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” 16Joseph then answered Pharaoh, saying, “1819It is not in me; 20God will 21give Pharaoh a favorable answer.” 17So Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, “In my dream, behold, I was standing on the bank of the Nile; 18and behold, seven cows, 22fat and sleek came up out of the Nile, and they grazed in the marsh grass. 19Lo, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and 23gaunt, such as I had never seen for 24ugliness in all the land of Egypt; 20and the lean and 25ugly cows ate up the first seven fat cows. 21Yet when they had 26devoured them, it could not be 27detected that they had 28devoured them, 29for they were just as ugly as 30before. Then I awoke. 22I saw also in my dream, and behold, seven ears, full and good, came up on a single stalk; 23and lo, seven ears, withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them; 24and the thin ears swallowed the seven good ears. Then 31I told it to the 32magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.”

25Now Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Pharaoh’s 33dreams are one and the same; 34God has told to Pharaoh what He is about to do. 26The seven good cows are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years; the 35dreams are one and the same. 27The seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven thin ears scorched by the east wind 36will be seven years of famine. 2837It is as I have spoken to Pharaoh: 38God has shown to Pharaoh what He is about to do. 29Behold, 39seven years of great abundance are coming in all the land of Egypt; 30and after them 40seven years of famine will 41come, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine will 42ravage the land. 31So the abundance will be unknown in the land because of that subsequent famine; for it will be very severe. 32Now as for the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh twice, it means that 43the matter is determined by God, and God will quickly bring it about. 33Now let Pharaoh look for a man 44discerning and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34Let Pharaoh take action to appoint overseers 45in charge of the land, and let him exact a fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven years of abundance. 35Then let them 46gather all the food of these good years that are coming, and store up the grain for food in the cities under Pharaoh’s authority, and let them guard it. 36Let the food become as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which will occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land will not perish during the famine.”

37Now the 47proposal seemed good 48to Pharaoh and 49to all his servants. 38Then Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, 50in whom is a divine spirit?” 39So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has informed you of all this, there is no one so 51discerning and wise as you are. 4052You shall be over my house, and according to your 53command all my people shall 54do homage; only in the throne I will be greater than you.” 41Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you 55over all the land of Egypt.” 42Then Pharaoh 56took off his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and 57put the gold necklace around his neck. 43He had him ride in 58his second chariot; and they proclaimed before him, “59Bow the knee!” And he set him over all the land of Egypt. 44Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Though I am Pharaoh, yet 60without 61your permission no one shall raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” 45Then Pharaoh named Joseph 62Zaphenath-paneah; and he gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of 6364On, as his wife. And Joseph went forth over the land of Egypt.

46Now Joseph was 65thirty years old when he 66stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt. 47During the seven years of plenty the land brought forth 67abundantly. 48So he gathered all the food of these seven years which occurred in the land of Egypt and placed the food in the cities; he placed in every city the food from its own surrounding fields. 49Thus Joseph stored up grain 68in great abundance like the sand of the sea, until he stopped 69measuring it, for it was 70beyond measure.

50Now before the year of famine came, 71two sons were born to Joseph, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of 72On, bore to him. 51Joseph named the firstborn 73Manasseh, “For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” 52He named the second 74Ephraim, “For,” he said, “75God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”

53When the seven years of plenty which had been in the land of Egypt came to an end, 54and 76the seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said, then there was famine in all the lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 55So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried out to Pharaoh for bread; and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph; 77whatever he says to you, you shall do.” 56When the famine was spread over all the face of the earth, then Joseph opened all 78the storehouses, and sold to the Egyptians; and the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. 57The people of all the earth came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because 79the famine was severe in all the earth.