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. 11Then 5we had a dream one night, 6he and I; each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream. 12Now a Hebrew youth was there with us, a 7servant of the captain of the bodyguard, and we told him the dreams, and 8he interpreted our dreams for us. For each man he interpreted according to his own dream. 13And just 9as he interpreted for us, so it happened; Pharaoh restored me in my office, but he hanged 10the chief baker.”

14Then Pharaoh sent word and 11called for Joseph, and they 12hurriedly 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, 13but no one can interpret it; and 14I have heard 15it said about you, that 16when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” 16Joseph then answered Pharaoh, saying, “1718It has nothing to do with me; 19God will 20give Pharaoh an answer for his own good.” 17So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream, there I was, standing on the bank of the Nile; 18and behold, seven cows, 21fat and fine-looking came up out of the Nile, and they grazed in the marsh grass. 19Then behold, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very 22ugly and 23thin, such as I had never seen for 24ugliness in all the land of Egypt; 20and the thin and ugly cows ate the first seven fat cows. 21Yet when they had 25devoured them, it could not be 26detected that they had 27devoured them, 28for they were just as ugly as 29before. Then I awoke. 22I saw also in my dream, and behold, seven ears of grain, full and good, came up on a single stalk; 23and behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind sprouted up after them; 24and the thin ears swallowed the seven good ears. Then 30I told it to the soothsayer priests, but there was no one who could explain it to me.”

25And Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Pharaoh’s 31dreams are one and the same; 32God 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 33dreams are one and the same. 27The seven thin and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven thin ears scorched by the east wind 34will be seven years of famine. 2835It is as I have spoken to Pharaoh: 36God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do. 29Behold, 37seven years of great abundance are coming in all the land of Egypt; 30and after them 38seven years of famine will 39come, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine will 40ravage 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 41the matter is confirmed by God, and God will quickly bring it about. 33So now let Pharaoh look for a man 42discerning and wise, and appoint him over the land of Egypt. 34Let Pharaoh take action to appoint overseers 43in charge of the land, and let him take a fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt as a tax in the seven years of abundance. 35Then have them 44collect 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 have them guard it. 36Let the food be used 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 45proposal seemed good 46to Pharaoh and 47to all his servants. 38Then Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, 48in whom there is a divine spirit?” 39So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has informed you of all this, there is no one as 49discerning and wise as you are. 4050You shall be 51in charge of my house, and all my people shall 52be obedient to you; only regarding the throne will I be greater than you.” 41Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “See, I have placed you 53over all the land of Egypt.” 42Then Pharaoh 54took off his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen, and 55put the gold necklace around his neck. 43And he had him ride in 56his second chariot; and they proclaimed ahead of him, “57Bow the knee!” And he placed him over all the land of Egypt. 44Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Though I am Pharaoh, yet 58without 59your permission no one shall raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” 45Then Pharaoh named Joseph 60Zaphenath-paneah; and he gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of 6162On, to be his wife. And Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.

46Now Joseph was 63thirty years old when he 64stood in the presence of 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 produced 65abundantly. 48So he collected all the food of these seven years which occurred in the land of Egypt and put the food in the cities; he put in every city the food from its own surrounding fields. 49Joseph stored up grain 66in great abundance like the sand of the sea, until he stopped 67measuring it, for it was 68beyond measure.

50Now before the year of famine came, 69two sons were born to Joseph, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of 70On, bore to him. 51Joseph named the firstborn 71Manasseh; “For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my trouble and all of my father’s household.” 52And he named the second 72Ephraim; “For,” he said, “73God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”

53When the seven years of plenty which had taken place in the land of Egypt came to an end, 54and 74the 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 suffered famine, the people cried out to Pharaoh for bread; and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph; 75whatever he says to you, you shall do.” 56When the famine was spread over the entire face of the earth, then Joseph opened all 76the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians; and the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. 57Then the people of all the earth came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because 77the famine was severe in all the earth.