Genesis 41:33-46

Contemporary English Version

³³Your Majesty, you should find someone who is wise and will know what to do, so that you can put him in charge of all Egypt. ³⁴Then appoint some other officials to collect one fifth of every crop harvested in Egypt during the seven years when there is plenty. ³⁵Give them the power to collect the grain during those good years and to store it in your cities. ³⁶It can be stored until it is needed during the seven years when there won't be enough grain in Egypt. This will keep the country from being destroyed because of the lack of food.

Joseph Is Made Governor over Egypt

³⁷The king^[a] and his officials liked this plan. ³⁸So the king said to them, “Who could possibly handle this better than Joseph? After all, the Spirit of God is with him.”

³⁹The king told Joseph, “God is the one who has shown you these things. No one else is as wise as you are or knows as much as you do. ⁴⁰^(A) I'm putting you in charge of my palace, and everybody will have to obey you. No one will be over you except me. ⁴¹You are now governor of all Egypt!”

⁴²^(B) Then the king took off his royal ring and put it on Joseph's finger. He gave him fine clothes to wear and placed a gold chain around his neck. ⁴³He also let him ride in the chariot next to his own, and people shouted, “Make way for Joseph!” So Joseph was governor of Egypt.

⁴⁴The king told Joseph, “Although I'm king, no one in Egypt is to do anything without your permission.” ⁴⁵He gave Joseph the Egyptian name Zaphenath Paneah. And he let him marry Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, a priest in the city of Heliopolis.^[b] Joseph traveled all over^[c] Egypt.

⁴⁶Joseph was 30 when the king made him governor, and he went everywhere for the king.

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Footnotes

41.37 The king: See the note at 12.15.
41.45 Heliopolis: The Hebrew text has “On,” which is better known by its Greek name “Heliopolis.”
41.45 traveled all over: Or “extended his authority over all.”