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Genesis 41-45
The Message
Genesis 41-45
The Message
41 1-4 Two years passed and Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile River. Seven cows came up out of the Nile, all shimmering with health, and grazed on the marsh grass. Then seven other cows, all skin and bones, came up out of the river after them and stood by them on the bank of the Nile. The skinny cows ate the seven healthy cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.
5-7 He went back to sleep and dreamed a second time: Seven ears of grain, full-bodied and lush, grew out of a single stalk. Then seven more ears grew up, but these were thin and dried out by the east wind. The thin ears swallowed up the full, healthy ears. Then Pharaoh woke up—another dream.
8 When morning came, he was upset. He sent for all the magicians and sages of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but they couldn’t interpret them to him.
9-13 The head cupbearer then spoke up and said to Pharaoh, “I just now remembered something—I’m sorry, I should have told you this long ago. Once when Pharaoh got angry with his servants, he locked me and the head baker in the house of the captain of the guard. We both had dreams on the same night, each dream with its own meaning. It so happened that there was a young Hebrew slave there with us; he belonged to the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams and he interpreted them for us, each dream separately. Things turned out just as he interpreted. I was returned to my position and the head baker was impaled.”
14 Pharaoh at once sent for Joseph. They brought him on the run from the jail cell. He cut his hair, put on clean clothes, and came to Pharaoh.
15 “I dreamed a dream,” Pharaoh told Joseph. “Nobody can interpret it. But I’ve heard that just by hearing a dream you can interpret it.”
16 Joseph answered, “Not I, but God. God will set Pharaoh’s mind at ease.”
17-21 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile. Seven cows, shimmering with health, came up out of the river and grazed on the marsh grass. On their heels seven more cows, all skin and bones, came up. I’ve never seen uglier cows anywhere in Egypt. Then the seven skinny, ugly cows ate up the first seven healthy cows. But you couldn’t tell by looking—after eating them up they were just as skinny and ugly as before. Then I woke up.
22-24 “In my second dream I saw seven ears of grain, full-bodied and lush, growing out of a single stalk, and right behind them, seven other ears, shriveled, thin, and dried out by the east wind. And the thin ears swallowed up the full ears. I’ve told all this to the magicians but they can’t figure it out.”
25-27 Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Pharaoh’s two dreams both mean the same thing. God is telling Pharaoh what he is going to do. The seven healthy cows are seven years and the seven healthy ears of grain are seven years—they’re the same dream. The seven sick and ugly cows that followed them up are seven years and the seven scrawny ears of grain dried out by the east wind are the same—seven years of famine.
28-32 “The meaning is what I said earlier: God is letting Pharaoh in on what he is going to do. Seven years of plenty are on their way throughout Egypt. But on their heels will come seven years of famine, leaving no trace of the Egyptian plenty. As the country is emptied by famine, there won’t be even a scrap left of the previous plenty—the famine will be total. The fact that Pharaoh dreamed the same dream twice emphasizes God’s determination to do this and do it soon.
33-36 “So, Pharaoh needs to look for a wise and experienced man and put him in charge of the country. Then Pharaoh needs to appoint managers throughout the country of Egypt to organize it during the years of plenty. Their job will be to collect all the food produced in the good years ahead and stockpile the grain under Pharaoh’s authority, storing it in the towns for food. This grain will be held back to be used later during the seven years of famine that are coming on Egypt. This way the country won’t be devastated by the famine.”
37 This seemed like a good idea to Pharaoh and his officials.
38 Then Pharaoh said to his officials, “Isn’t this the man we need? Are we going to find anyone else who has God’s spirit in him like this?”
39-40 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “You’re the man for us. God has given you the inside story—no one is as qualified as you in experience and wisdom. From now on, you’re in charge of my affairs; all my people will report to you. Only as king will I be over you.”
41-43 So Pharaoh commissioned Joseph: “I’m putting you in charge of the entire country of Egypt.” Then Pharaoh removed his signet ring from his finger and slipped it on Joseph’s hand. He outfitted him in robes of the best linen and put a gold chain around his neck. He put the second-in-command chariot at his disposal, and as he rode people shouted “Bravo!”
Joseph was in charge of the entire country of Egypt.
44 Pharaoh told Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but no one in Egypt will make a single move without your stamp of approval.”
45 Then Pharaoh gave Joseph an Egyptian name, Zaphenath-Paneah (God Speaks and He Lives). He also gave him an Egyptian wife, Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On (Heliopolis).
And Joseph took up his duties over the land of Egypt.
46 Joseph was thirty years old when he went to work for Pharaoh the king of Egypt. As soon as Joseph left Pharaoh’s presence, he began his work in Egypt.
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47-49 During the next seven years of plenty the land produced bumper crops. Joseph gathered up the food of the seven good years in Egypt and stored the food in cities. In each city he stockpiled surplus from the surrounding fields. Joseph collected so much grain—it was like the sand of the ocean!—that he finally quit keeping track.
50-52 Joseph had two sons born to him before the years of famine came. Asenath, daughter of Potiphera the priest of On, was their mother. Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh (Forget), saying, “God made me forget all my hardships and my parental home.” He named his second son Ephraim (Double Prosperity), saying, “God has prospered me in the land of my sorrow.”
53-54 Then Egypt’s seven good years came to an end and the seven years of famine arrived, just as Joseph had said. All countries experienced famine; Egypt was the only country that had bread.
55 When the famine spread throughout Egypt, the people called out in distress to Pharaoh, calling for bread. He told the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph. Do what he tells you.”
56-57 As the famine got worse all over the country, Joseph opened the storehouses and sold emergency supplies to the Egyptians. The famine was very bad. Soon the whole world was coming to buy supplies from Joseph. The famine was bad all over.
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42 1-2 When Jacob learned that there was food in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you sit around here and look at one another? I’ve heard that there is food in Egypt. Go down there and buy some so that we can survive and not starve to death.”
3-5 Ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to Egypt to get food. Jacob didn’t send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with them; he was afraid that something bad might happen to him. So Israel’s sons joined everyone else that was going to Egypt to buy food, for Canaan, too, was hit hard by the famine.
6-7 Joseph was running the country; he was the one who gave out rations to all the people. When Joseph’s brothers arrived, they treated him with honor, bowing to him. Joseph recognized them immediately, but treated them as strangers and spoke roughly to them.
He said, “Where do you come from?”
“From Canaan,” they said. “We’ve come to buy food.”
8 Joseph knew who they were, but they didn’t know who he was.
9 Joseph, remembering the dreams he had dreamed of them, said, “You’re spies. You’ve come to look for our weak spots.”
10-11 “No, master,” they said. “We’ve only come to buy food. We’re all the sons of the same man; we’re honest men; we’d never think of spying.”
12 He said, “No. You’re spies. You’ve come to look for our weak spots.”
13 They said, “There were twelve of us brothers—sons of the same father in the country of Canaan. The youngest is with our father, and one is no more.”
14-16 But Joseph said, “It’s just as I said, you’re spies. This is how I’ll test you. As Pharaoh lives, you’re not going to leave this place until your younger brother comes here. Send one of you to get your brother while the rest of you stay here in jail. We’ll see if you’re telling the truth or not. As Pharaoh lives, I say you’re spies.”
17 Then he threw them into jail for three days.
18-20 On the third day, Joseph spoke to them. “Do this and you’ll live. I’m a God-fearing man. If you’re as honest as you say you are, one of your brothers will stay here in jail while the rest of you take the food back to your hungry families. But you have to bring your youngest brother back to me, confirming the truth of your speech—and not one of you will die.” They agreed.
21 Then they started talking among themselves. “Now we’re paying for what we did to our brother—we saw how terrified he was when he was begging us for mercy. We wouldn’t listen to him and now we’re the ones in trouble.”
22 Reuben broke in. “Didn’t I tell you, ‘Don’t hurt the boy’? But no, you wouldn’t listen. And now we’re paying for his murder.”
23-24 Joseph had been using an interpreter, so they didn’t know that Joseph was understanding every word. Joseph turned away from them and cried. When he was able to speak again, he took Simeon and had him tied up, making a prisoner of him while they all watched.
25 Then Joseph ordered that their sacks be filled with grain, that their money be put back in each sack, and that they be given rations for the road. That was all done for them.
26 They loaded their food supplies on their donkeys and set off.
27-28 When they stopped for the night, one of them opened his sack to get food for his donkey; there at the mouth of his bag was his money. He called out to his brothers, “My money has been returned; it’s right here in my bag!” They were puzzled—and frightened. “What’s God doing to us?”
29-32 When they got back to their father Jacob, back in the land of Canaan, they told him everything that had happened, saying, “The man who runs the country spoke to us roughly and accused us of being spies. We told him, ‘We are honest men and in no way spies. There were twelve of us brothers, sons of one father; one is gone and the youngest is with our father in Canaan.’
33-34 “But the master of the country said, ‘Leave one of your brothers with me, take food for your starving families, and go. Bring your youngest brother back to me, proving that you’re honest men and not spies. And then I’ll give your brother back to you and you’ll be free to come and go in this country.’”
35 As they were emptying their food sacks, each man came on his purse of money. On seeing their money, they and their father were upset.
36 Their father said to them, “You’re taking everything I’ve got! Joseph’s gone, Simeon’s gone, and now you want to take Benjamin. If you have your way, I’ll be left with nothing.”
37 Reuben spoke up: “I’ll put my two sons in your hands as hostages. If I don’t bring Benjamin back, you can kill them. Trust me with Benjamin; I’ll bring him back.”
38 But Jacob refused. “My son will not go down with you. His brother is dead and he is all I have left. If something bad happens to him on the road, you’ll put my gray, sorrowing head in the grave.”
43 1-2 The famine got worse. When they had eaten all the food they had brought back from Egypt, their father said, “Go back and get some more food.”
3-5 But Judah said, “The man warned us most emphatically, ‘You won’t so much as see my face if you don’t have your brother with you.’ If you’re ready to release our brother to go with us, we’ll go down and get you food. But if you’re not ready, we aren’t going. What would be the use? The man told us, ‘You won’t so much as see my face if you don’t have your brother with you.’”
6 Israel said, “Why are you making my life so difficult! Why did you ever tell the man you had another brother?”
7 They said, “The man pressed us hard, asking pointed questions about our family: ‘Is your father alive? Do you have another brother?’ So we answered his questions. How did we know that he’d say, ‘Bring your brother here’?”
8-10 Judah pushed his father Israel. “Let the boy go; I’ll take charge of him. Let us go and be on our way—if we don’t get going, we’re all going to starve to death—we and you and our children, too! I’ll take full responsibility for his safety; it’s my life on the line for his. If I don’t bring him back safe and sound, I’m the guilty one; I’ll take all the blame. If we had gone ahead in the first place instead of procrastinating like this, we could have been there and back twice over.”
11-14 Their father Israel gave in. “If it has to be, it has to be. But do this: stuff your packs with the finest products from the land you can find and take them to the man as gifts—some balm and honey, some spices and perfumes, some pistachios and almonds. And take plenty of money—pay back double what was returned to your sacks; that might have been a mistake. Take your brother and get going. Go back to the man. And may The Strong God give you grace in that man’s eyes so that he’ll send back your other brother along with Benjamin. For me, nothing’s left; I’ve lost everything.”
15-16 The men took the gifts, double the money, and Benjamin. They lost no time in getting to Egypt and meeting Joseph. When Joseph saw that they had Benjamin with them, he told his house steward, “Take these men into the house and make them at home. Butcher an animal and prepare a meal; these men are going to eat with me at noon.”
17-18 The steward did what Joseph had said and took them inside. But they became anxious when they were brought into Joseph’s home, thinking, “It’s the money; he thinks we ran off with the money on our first trip down here. And now he’s got us where he wants us—he’s going to turn us into slaves and confiscate our donkeys.”
19-22 So they went up to Joseph’s house steward and talked to him in the doorway. They said, “Listen, master. We came down here one other time to buy food. On our way home, the first night out we opened our bags and found our money at the mouth of the bag—the exact amount we’d paid. We’ve brought it all back and have plenty more to buy more food with. We have no idea who put the money in our bags.”
23 The steward said, “Everything’s in order. Don’t worry. Your God and the God of your father must have given you a bonus. I was paid in full.” And with that, he presented Simeon to them.
24-25 He then took them inside Joseph’s house and made them comfortable—gave them water to wash their feet and saw to the feeding of their donkeys. The brothers spread out their gifts as they waited for Joseph to show up at noon—they had been told that they were to have dinner with him.
26 When Joseph got home, they presented him with the gifts they had brought and bowed respectfully before him.
27 Joseph welcomed them and said, “And your old father whom you mentioned to me, how is he? Is he still alive?”
28 They said, “Yes—your servant our father is quite well, very much alive.” And they again bowed respectfully before him.
29 Then Joseph picked out his brother Benjamin, his own mother’s son. He asked, “And is this your youngest brother that you told me about?” Then he said, “God be gracious to you, my son.”
30-31 Deeply moved on seeing his brother and about to burst into tears, Joseph hurried out into another room and had a good cry. Then he washed his face, got a grip on himself, and said, “Let’s eat.”
32-34 Joseph was served at his private table, the brothers off by themselves and the Egyptians off by themselves (Egyptians won’t eat at the same table with Hebrews; it’s repulsive to them). The brothers were seated facing Joseph, arranged in order of their age, from the oldest to the youngest. They looked at one another wide-eyed, wondering what would happen next. When the brothers’ plates were served from Joseph’s table, Benjamin’s plate came piled high, far more so than his brothers. And so the brothers feasted with Joseph, drinking freely.
44 1-2 Joseph ordered his house steward: “Fill the men’s bags with food—all they can carry—and replace each one’s money at the top of the bag. Then put my chalice, my silver chalice, in the top of the bag of the youngest, along with the money for his food.” He did as Joseph ordered.
3-5 At break of day the men were sent off with their donkeys. They were barely out of the city when Joseph said to his house steward, “Run after them. When you catch up with them, say, ‘Why did you pay me back evil for good? This is the chalice my master drinks from; he also uses it for divination. This is outrageous!’”
6 He caught up with them and repeated all this word for word.
7-9 They said, “What is my master talking about? We would never do anything like that! Why, the money we found in our bags earlier, we brought back all the way from Canaan—do you think we’d turn right around and steal it back from your master? If that chalice is found on any of us, he’ll die; and the rest of us will be your master’s slaves.”
10 The steward said, “Very well then, but we won’t go that far. Whoever is found with the chalice will be my slave; the rest of you can go free.”
11-12 They outdid each other in putting their bags on the ground and opening them up for inspection. The steward searched their bags, going from oldest to youngest. The chalice showed up in Benjamin’s bag.
13 They ripped their clothes in despair, loaded up their donkeys, and went back to the city.
14 Joseph was still at home when Judah and his brothers got back. They threw themselves down on the ground in front of him.
15 Joseph accused them: “How can you have done this? You have to know that a man in my position would have discovered this.”
16 Judah as spokesman for the brothers said, “What can we say, master? What is there to say? How can we prove our innocence? God is behind this, exposing how bad we are. We stand guilty before you and ready to be your slaves—we’re all in this together, the rest of us as guilty as the one with the chalice.”
17 “I’d never do that to you,” said Joseph. “Only the one involved with the chalice will be my slave. The rest of you are free to go back to your father.”
18-20 Judah came forward. He said, “Please, master; can I say just one thing to you? Don’t get angry. Don’t think I’m presumptuous—you’re the same as Pharaoh as far as I’m concerned. You, master, asked us, ‘Do you have a father and a brother?’ And we answered honestly, ‘We have a father who is old and a younger brother who was born to him in his old age. His brother is dead and he is the only son left from that mother. And his father loves him more than anything.’
21-22 “Then you told us, ‘Bring him down here so I can see him.’ We told you, master, that it was impossible: ‘The boy can’t leave his father; if he leaves, his father will die.’
23 “And then you said, ‘If your youngest brother doesn’t come with you, you won’t be allowed to see me.’
24-26 “When we returned to our father, we told him everything you said to us. So when our father said, ‘Go back and buy some more food,’ we told him flatly, ‘We can’t. The only way we can go back is if our youngest brother is with us. We aren’t allowed to even see the man if our youngest brother doesn’t come with us.’
27-29 “Your servant, my father, told us, ‘You know very well that my wife gave me two sons. One turned up missing. I concluded that he’d been ripped to pieces. I’ve never seen him since. If you now go and take this one and something bad happens to him, you’ll put my old gray, grieving head in the grave for sure.’
30-32 “And now, can’t you see that if I show up before your servant, my father, without the boy, this son with whom his life is so bound up, the moment he realizes the boy is gone, he’ll die on the spot. He’ll die of grief and we, your servants who are standing here before you, will have killed him. And that’s not all. I got my father to release the boy to show him to you by promising, ‘If I don’t bring him back, I’ll stand condemned before you, Father, all my life.’
33-34 “So let me stay here as your slave, not this boy. Let the boy go back with his brothers. How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? Oh, don’t make me go back and watch my father die in grief!”
45 1-2 Joseph couldn’t hold himself in any longer, keeping up a front before all his attendants. He cried out, “Leave! Clear out—everyone leave!” So there was no one with Joseph when he identified himself to his brothers. But his sobbing was so violent that the Egyptians couldn’t help but hear him. The news was soon reported to Pharaoh’s palace.
3 Joseph spoke to his brothers: “I am Joseph. Is my father really still alive?” But his brothers couldn’t say a word. They were speechless—they couldn’t believe what they were hearing and seeing.
4-8 “Come closer to me,” Joseph said to his brothers. They came closer. “I am Joseph your brother whom you sold into Egypt. But don’t feel badly, don’t blame yourselves for selling me. God was behind it. God sent me here ahead of you to save lives. There has been a famine in the land now for two years; the famine will continue for five more years—neither plowing nor harvesting. God sent me on ahead to pave the way and make sure there was a remnant in the land, to save your lives in an amazing act of deliverance. So you see, it wasn’t you who sent me here but God. He set me in place as a father to Pharaoh, put me in charge of his personal affairs, and made me ruler of all Egypt.
9-11 “Hurry back to my father. Tell him, ‘Your son Joseph says: I’m master of all of Egypt. Come as fast as you can and join me here. I’ll give you a place to live in Goshen where you’ll be close to me—you, your children, your grandchildren, your flocks, your herds, and anything else you can think of. I’ll take care of you there completely. There are still five more years of famine ahead; I’ll make sure all your needs are taken care of, you and everyone connected with you—you won’t want for a thing.’
12-13 “Look at me. You can see for yourselves, and my brother Benjamin can see for himself, that it’s me, my own mouth, telling you all this. Tell my father all about the high position I hold in Egypt, tell him everything you’ve seen here, but don’t take all day—hurry up and get my father down here.”
14-15 Then Joseph threw himself on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. He then kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Only then were his brothers able to talk with him.
16 The story was reported in Pharaoh’s palace: “Joseph’s brothers have come.” It was good news to Pharaoh and all who worked with him.
17-18 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘This is the plan: Load up your pack animals; go to Canaan, get your father and your families and bring them back here. I’ll settle you on the best land in Egypt—you’ll live off the fat of the land.’
19-20 “Also tell them this: ‘Here’s what I want you to do: Take wagons from Egypt to carry your little ones and your wives and load up your father and come back. Don’t worry about having to leave things behind; the best in all of Egypt will be yours.’”
21-23 And they did just that, the sons of Israel. Joseph gave them the wagons that Pharaoh had promised and food for the trip. He outfitted all the brothers in brand-new clothes, but he gave Benjamin three hundred pieces of silver and several suits of clothes. He sent his father these gifts: ten donkeys loaded with Egypt’s best products and another ten donkeys loaded with grain and bread, provisions for his father’s journey back.
24 Then he sent his brothers off. As they left he told them, “Take it easy on the journey; try to get along with each other.”
25-28 They left Egypt and went back to their father Jacob in Canaan. When they told him, “Joseph is still alive—and he’s the ruler over the whole land of Egypt!” he went numb; he couldn’t believe his ears. But the more they talked, telling him everything that Joseph had told them and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him back, the blood started to flow again—their father Jacob’s spirit revived. Israel said, “I’ve heard enough—my son Joseph is still alive. I’ve got to go and see him before I die.”
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Genesis 41-45
New International Version
Genesis 41-45
New International Version
Pharaoh’s Dreams
41 When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream:(A) He was standing by the Nile,(B) 2 when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat,(C) and they grazed among the reeds.(D) 3 After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. 4 And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.(E)
5 He fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain,(F) healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk. 6 After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted—thin and scorched by the east wind.(G) 7 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up;(H) it had been a dream.
8 In the morning his mind was troubled,(I) so he sent for all the magicians(J) and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.(K)
9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I am reminded of my shortcomings.(L) 10 Pharaoh was once angry with his servants,(M) and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard.(N) 11 Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own.(O) 12 Now a young Hebrew(P) was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard.(Q) We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream.(R) 13 And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was impaled.(S)”
14 So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon.(T) When he had shaved(U) and changed his clothes,(V) he came before Pharaoh.
15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it.(W) But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”(X)
16 “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”(Y)
17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile,(Z) 18 when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds.(AA) 19 After them, seven other cows came up—scrawny and very ugly and lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt. 20 The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first. 21 But even after they ate them, no one could tell that they had done so; they looked just as ugly as before. Then I woke up.
22 “In my dream I saw seven heads of grain, full and good, growing on a single stalk. 23 After them, seven other heads sprouted—withered and thin and scorched by the east wind. 24 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but none of them could explain it to me.(AB)”
25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same.(AC) God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.(AD) 26 The seven good cows(AE) are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. 27 The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine.(AF)
28 “It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do.(AG) 29 Seven years of great abundance(AH) are coming throughout the land of Egypt, 30 but seven years of famine(AI) will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land.(AJ) 31 The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. 32 The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided(AK) by God, and God will do it soon.(AL)
33 “And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man(AM) and put him in charge of the land of Egypt.(AN) 34 Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners(AO) over the land to take a fifth(AP) of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance.(AQ) 35 They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food.(AR) 36 This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt,(AS) so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.”
37 The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials.(AT) 38 So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God[a]?”(AU)
39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you,(AV) there is no one so discerning and wise as you.(AW) 40 You shall be in charge of my palace,(AX) and all my people are to submit to your orders.(AY) Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.(AZ)”
Joseph in Charge of Egypt
41 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.”(BA) 42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring(BB) from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes(BC) of fine linen(BD) and put a gold chain around his neck.(BE) 43 He had him ride in a chariot(BF) as his second-in-command,[b](BG) and people shouted before him, “Make way[c]!”(BH) Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.(BI)
44 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.”(BJ) 45 Pharaoh gave Joseph(BK) the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest(BL) of On,[d](BM) to be his wife.(BN) And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt.
46 Joseph was thirty years old(BO) when he entered the service(BP) of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout Egypt. 47 During the seven years of abundance(BQ) the land produced plentifully. 48 Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities.(BR) In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it. 49 Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea;(BS) it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure.
50 Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.(BT) 51 Joseph named his firstborn(BU) Manasseh[e](BV) and said, “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” 52 The second son he named Ephraim[f](BW) and said, “It is because God has made me fruitful(BX) in the land of my suffering.”
53 The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end, 54 and the seven years of famine(BY) began,(BZ) just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food. 55 When all Egypt began to feel the famine,(CA) the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.”(CB)
56 When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians,(CC) for the famine(CD) was severe throughout Egypt.(CE) 57 And all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph,(CF) because the famine was severe everywhere.(CG)
Joseph’s Brothers Go to Egypt
42 When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt,(CH) he said to his sons, “Why do you just keep looking at each other?” 2 He continued, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us,(CI) so that we may live and not die.”(CJ)
3 Then ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain(CK) from Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin,(CL) Joseph’s brother, with the others, because he was afraid that harm might come to him.(CM) 5 So Israel’s sons were among those who went to buy grain,(CN) for there was famine in the land of Canaan(CO) also.(CP)
6 Now Joseph was the governor of the land,(CQ) the person who sold grain to all its people.(CR) So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.(CS) 7 As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them.(CT) “Where do you come from?”(CU) he asked.
“From the land of Canaan,” they replied, “to buy food.”
8 Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him.(CV) 9 Then he remembered his dreams(CW) about them and said to them, “You are spies!(CX) You have come to see where our land is unprotected.”(CY)
10 “No, my lord,(CZ)” they answered. “Your servants have come to buy food.(DA) 11 We are all the sons of one man. Your servants(DB) are honest men,(DC) not spies.(DD)”
12 “No!” he said to them. “You have come to see where our land is unprotected.”(DE)
13 But they replied, “Your servants(DF) were twelve brothers, the sons of one man, who lives in the land of Canaan.(DG) The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.”(DH)
14 Joseph said to them, “It is just as I told you: You are spies!(DI) 15 And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives,(DJ) you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.(DK) 16 Send one of your number to get your brother;(DL) the rest of you will be kept in prison,(DM) so that your words may be tested to see if you are telling the truth.(DN) If you are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!(DO)” 17 And he put them all in custody(DP) for three days.
18 On the third day, Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God:(DQ) 19 If you are honest men,(DR) let one of your brothers stay here in prison,(DS) while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households.(DT) 20 But you must bring your youngest brother to me,(DU) so that your words may be verified and that you may not die.” This they proceeded to do.
21 They said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother.(DV) We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that’s why this distress(DW) has come on us.”
22 Reuben replied, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy?(DX) But you wouldn’t listen! Now we must give an accounting(DY) for his blood.”(DZ) 23 They did not realize(EA) that Joseph could understand them,(EB) since he was using an interpreter.
24 He turned away from them and began to weep,(EC) but then came back and spoke to them again. He had Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes.(ED)
25 Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain,(EE) to put each man’s silver back in his sack,(EF) and to give them provisions(EG) for their journey.(EH) After this was done for them, 26 they loaded their grain on their donkeys(EI) and left.
27 At the place where they stopped for the night one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey,(EJ) and he saw his silver in the mouth of his sack.(EK) 28 “My silver has been returned,” he said to his brothers. “Here it is in my sack.”
Their hearts sank(EL) and they turned to each other trembling(EM) and said, “What is this that God has done to us?”(EN)
29 When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan,(EO) they told him all that had happened to them.(EP) They said, 30 “The man who is lord over the land spoke harshly to us(EQ) and treated us as though we were spying on the land.(ER) 31 But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies.(ES) 32 We were twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in Canaan.’(ET)
33 “Then the man who is lord over the land said to us, ‘This is how I will know whether you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, and take food for your starving households and go.(EU) 34 But bring your youngest brother to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men.(EV) Then I will give your brother back to you,(EW) and you can trade[g] in the land.(EX)’”
35 As they were emptying their sacks, there in each man’s sack was his pouch of silver!(EY) When they and their father saw the money pouches, they were frightened.(EZ) 36 Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more,(FA) and now you want to take Benjamin.(FB) Everything is against me!(FC)”
37 Then Reuben said to his father, “You may put both of my sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Entrust him to my care,(FD) and I will bring him back.”(FE)
38 But Jacob said, “My son will not go down there with you; his brother is dead(FF) and he is the only one left. If harm comes to him(FG) on the journey you are taking, you will bring my gray head down to the grave(FH) in sorrow.(FI)”
The Second Journey to Egypt
43 Now the famine was still severe in the land.(FJ) 2 So when they had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt,(FK) their father said to them, “Go back and buy us a little more food.”(FL)
3 But Judah(FM) said to him, “The man warned us solemnly, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’(FN) 4 If you will send our brother along with us, we will go down and buy food for you.(FO) 5 But if you will not send him, we will not go down, because the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.(FP)’”
6 Israel(FQ) asked, “Why did you bring this trouble(FR) on me by telling the man you had another brother?”
7 They replied, “The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family. ‘Is your father still living?’(FS) he asked us. ‘Do you have another brother?’(FT) We simply answered his questions. How were we to know he would say, ‘Bring your brother down here’?”(FU)
8 Then Judah(FV) said to Israel(FW) his father, “Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die.(FX) 9 I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him.(FY) If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame(FZ) before you all my life.(GA) 10 As it is, if we had not delayed,(GB) we could have gone and returned twice.”
11 Then their father Israel(GC) said to them, “If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products(GD) of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift(GE)—a little balm(GF) and a little honey, some spices(GG) and myrrh,(GH) some pistachio nuts and almonds. 12 Take double the amount(GI) of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks.(GJ) Perhaps it was a mistake. 13 Take your brother also and go back to the man at once.(GK) 14 And may God Almighty[h](GL) grant you mercy(GM) before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you.(GN) As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”(GO)
15 So the men took the gifts and double the amount of silver,(GP) and Benjamin also. They hurried(GQ) down to Egypt and presented themselves(GR) to Joseph. 16 When Joseph saw Benjamin(GS) with them, he said to the steward of his house,(GT) “Take these men to my house, slaughter an animal and prepare a meal;(GU) they are to eat with me at noon.”
17 The man did as Joseph told him and took the men to Joseph’s house.(GV) 18 Now the men were frightened(GW) when they were taken to his house.(GX) They thought, “We were brought here because of the silver that was put back into our sacks(GY) the first time. He wants to attack us(GZ) and overpower us and seize us as slaves(HA) and take our donkeys.(HB)”
19 So they went up to Joseph’s steward(HC) and spoke to him at the entrance to the house. 20 “We beg your pardon, our lord,” they said, “we came down here the first time to buy food.(HD) 21 But at the place where we stopped for the night we opened our sacks and each of us found his silver—the exact weight—in the mouth of his sack. So we have brought it back with us.(HE) 22 We have also brought additional silver with us to buy food. We don’t know who put our silver in our sacks.”
23 “It’s all right,” he said. “Don’t be afraid. Your God, the God of your father,(HF) has given you treasure in your sacks;(HG) I received your silver.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.(HH)
24 The steward took the men into Joseph’s house,(HI) gave them water to wash their feet(HJ) and provided fodder for their donkeys. 25 They prepared their gifts(HK) for Joseph’s arrival at noon,(HL) because they had heard that they were to eat there.
26 When Joseph came home,(HM) they presented to him the gifts(HN) they had brought into the house, and they bowed down before him to the ground.(HO) 27 He asked them how they were, and then he said, “How is your aged father(HP) you told me about? Is he still living?”(HQ)
28 They replied, “Your servant our father(HR) is still alive and well.” And they bowed down,(HS) prostrating themselves before him.(HT)
29 As he looked about and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother’s son,(HU) he asked, “Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?”(HV) And he said, “God be gracious to you,(HW) my son.” 30 Deeply moved(HX) at the sight of his brother, Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep. He went into his private room and wept(HY) there.
31 After he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself,(HZ) said, “Serve the food.”(IA)
32 They served him by himself, the brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews,(IB) for that is detestable to Egyptians.(IC) 33 The men had been seated before him in the order of their ages, from the firstborn(ID) to the youngest;(IE) and they looked at each other in astonishment. 34 When portions were served to them from Joseph’s table, Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as anyone else’s.(IF) So they feasted(IG) and drank freely with him.
A Silver Cup in a Sack
44 Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house:(IH) “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man’s silver in the mouth of his sack.(II) 2 Then put my cup,(IJ) the silver one,(IK) in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with the silver for his grain.” And he did as Joseph said.
3 As morning dawned, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys.(IL) 4 They had not gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward,(IM) “Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil?(IN) 5 Isn’t this the cup(IO) my master drinks from and also uses for divination?(IP) This is a wicked thing you have done.’”
6 When he caught up with them, he repeated these words to them. 7 But they said to him, “Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants(IQ) to do anything like that!(IR) 8 We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan(IS) the silver(IT) we found inside the mouths of our sacks.(IU) So why would we steal(IV) silver or gold from your master’s house? 9 If any of your servants(IW) is found to have it, he will die;(IX) and the rest of us will become my lord’s slaves.(IY)”
10 “Very well, then,” he said, “let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have it(IZ) will become my slave;(JA) the rest of you will be free from blame.”(JB)
11 Each of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. 12 Then the steward(JC) proceeded to search,(JD) beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest.(JE) And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.(JF) 13 At this, they tore their clothes.(JG) Then they all loaded their donkeys(JH) and returned to the city.
14 Joseph was still in the house(JI) when Judah(JJ) and his brothers came in, and they threw themselves to the ground before him.(JK) 15 Joseph said to them, “What is this you have done?(JL) Don’t you know that a man like me can find things out by divination?(JM)”
16 “What can we say to my lord?(JN)” Judah(JO) replied. “What can we say? How can we prove our innocence?(JP) God has uncovered your servants’(JQ) guilt. We are now my lord’s slaves(JR)—we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup.(JS)”
17 But Joseph said, “Far be it from me to do such a thing!(JT) Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave.(JU) The rest of you, go back to your father in peace.”(JV)
18 Then Judah(JW) went up to him and said: “Pardon your servant, my lord,(JX) let me speak a word to my lord. Do not be angry(JY) with your servant, though you are equal to Pharaoh himself. 19 My lord asked his servants,(JZ) ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’(KA) 20 And we answered, ‘We have an aged father, and there is a young son born to him in his old age.(KB) His brother is dead,(KC) and he is the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’(KD)
21 “Then you said to your servants,(KE) ‘Bring him down to me so I can see him for myself.’(KF) 22 And we said to my lord,(KG) ‘The boy cannot leave his father; if he leaves him, his father will die.’(KH) 23 But you told your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’(KI) 24 When we went back to your servant my father,(KJ) we told him what my lord(KK) had said.(KL)
25 “Then our father said, ‘Go back and buy a little more food.’(KM) 26 But we said, ‘We cannot go down. Only if our youngest brother is with us will we go. We cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’(KN)
27 “Your servant my father(KO) said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons.(KP) 28 One of them went away from me, and I said, “He has surely been torn to pieces.”(KQ) And I have not seen him since.(KR) 29 If you take this one from me too and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray head down to the grave(KS) in misery.’(KT)
30 “So now, if the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father,(KU) and if my father, whose life is closely bound up with the boy’s life,(KV) 31 sees that the boy isn’t there, he will die.(KW) Your servants(KX) will bring the gray head of our father down to the grave(KY) in sorrow. 32 Your servant guaranteed the boy’s safety to my father. I said, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before you, my father, all my life!’(KZ)
33 “Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave(LA) in place of the boy,(LB) and let the boy return with his brothers. 34 How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery(LC) that would come on my father.”(LD)
Joseph Makes Himself Known
45 Then Joseph could no longer control himself(LE) before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!”(LF) So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept(LG) so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it.(LH)
3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?”(LI) But his brothers were not able to answer him,(LJ) because they were terrified at his presence.(LK)
4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.”(LL) When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt!(LM) 5 And now, do not be distressed(LN) and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here,(LO) because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.(LP) 6 For two years now there has been famine(LQ) in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. 7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant(LR) on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.[i](LS)
8 “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God.(LT) He made me father(LU) to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.(LV) 9 Now hurry(LW) back to my father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don’t delay.(LX) 10 You shall live in the region of Goshen(LY) and be near me—you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have.(LZ) 11 I will provide for you there,(MA) because five years of famine(MB) are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.’(MC)
12 “You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin,(MD) that it is really I who am speaking to you.(ME) 13 Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt(MF) and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.(MG)”
14 Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin(MH) embraced him,(MI) weeping. 15 And he kissed(MJ) all his brothers and wept over them.(MK) Afterward his brothers talked with him.(ML)
16 When the news reached Pharaoh’s palace that Joseph’s brothers had come,(MM) Pharaoh and all his officials(MN) were pleased.(MO) 17 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals(MP) and return to the land of Canaan,(MQ) 18 and bring your father and your families back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt(MR) and you can enjoy the fat of the land.’(MS)
19 “You are also directed to tell them, ‘Do this: Take some carts(MT) from Egypt for your children and your wives, and get your father and come. 20 Never mind about your belongings,(MU) because the best of all Egypt(MV) will be yours.’”
21 So the sons of Israel did this. Joseph gave them carts,(MW) as Pharaoh had commanded, and he also gave them provisions for their journey.(MX) 22 To each of them he gave new clothing,(MY) but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels[j] of silver and five sets of clothes.(MZ) 23 And this is what he sent to his father: ten donkeys(NA) loaded with the best things(NB) of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and other provisions for his journey.(NC) 24 Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, “Don’t quarrel on the way!”(ND)
25 So they went up out of Egypt(NE) and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan.(NF) 26 They told him, “Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.”(NG) Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them.(NH) 27 But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts(NI) Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. 28 And Israel said, “I’m convinced!(NJ) My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”(NK)
Footnotes
- Genesis 41:38 Or of the gods
- Genesis 41:43 Or in the chariot of his second-in-command; or in his second chariot
- Genesis 41:43 Or Bow down
- Genesis 41:45 That is, Heliopolis; also in verse 50
- Genesis 41:51 Manasseh sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for forget.
- Genesis 41:52 Ephraim sounds like the Hebrew for twice fruitful.
- Genesis 42:34 Or move about freely
- Genesis 43:14 Hebrew El-Shaddai
- Genesis 45:7 Or save you as a great band of survivors
- Genesis 45:22 That is, about 7 1/2 pounds or about 3.5 kilograms
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