Bereshis 40-42

Orthodox Jewish Bible

40 And it came to pass after these things, that the mashkeh (cupbearer) Melech Mitzrayim and his ofeh (baker) had offended adoneihem Melech Mitzrayim.

² And Pharaoh was in wrath against two of his sarisim, against the sar hamashkim, and against the sar ha’ofim.

³ And he put them b’mishmar (under watch, in custody) in the bais sar hatabachim (house of the captain of the bodyguards), in the bais hasohar, in the makom (place) where Yosef was incarcerated.

⁴ And the sar hatabachim charged Yosef with them, and he ministered to them; and they continued a season b’mishmar (in custody, under watch).

⁵ And they dreamed a chalom both of them, each man his chalom in lailah echad (in one night, the same night), and each chalom with its own pitron (meaning, interpretation), the mashkeh and the ofeh of Melech Mitzrayim, which were prisoners in the bais hasohar.

⁶ And Yosef came in unto them in the boker, and looked upon them, and, hinei, they were zo’afim (troubled ones, sad ones).

⁷ And he asked the sarisim of Pharaoh that were with him b’mishmar (in the custody ward) of bais adonav, saying, Why look ye so ra’im (bad, downcast ones) hayom (today)?

⁸ And they said unto him, We have dreamed a chalom, and there is no poter (interpreter) of it. And Yosef said unto them, Do not pitronim (interpretations) belong to Elohim? Tell now to me.

⁹ And the sar hamashkim told his chalom to Yosef, and said to him, In my chalom, hinei, a gefen was before me;

¹⁰ And in the gefen were shloshah sarigim (three branches); and it was as soon as it budded, its blossom shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth anavim (ripe grapes);

¹¹ And the kos Pharaoh was in my yad; and I took the anavim (grapes), and pressed them into kos Pharaoh, and I put the kos into the palm of Pharaoh.

¹² And Yosef said unto him, This is the pitron (interpretation) of it; The shloshet hasarigim are shloshet yamim.

¹³ Within shloshet yamim shall Pharaoh lift up thine rosh, and restore thee unto thy ken (place, post); and thou shalt deliver kos Pharaoh into his yad, after the mishpat harishon (former practice) when thou wast his mashkeh.

¹⁴ But remember me [see Amos 6:6] when it shall be well with thee, and show chesed now unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this bais;

¹⁵ For indeed I was stolen away out of the Eretz HaIvrim; and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the bor (dungeon).

¹⁶ When the sar ha’ofim saw that he had done the pitron well, he said unto Yosef, I also was in my chalom, and, hinei, I had shloshah salei chori (three baskets of cakes) on my rosh;

¹⁷ And in the sal haelyon (uppermost basket) there was all manner of food for Pharaoh; and ha’oph (the birds) did eat them out of the sal (basket) upon my rosh.

¹⁸ And Yosef answered and said, This is the pitron (interpretation, meaning) thereof: The shloshet hasalim (three baskets) are shloshet yamim.

¹⁹ Yet within shloshet yamim shall Pharaoh lift off thy rosh from on thee, and shall hang thee on an etz; and ha’oph (the birds) shall eat thy basar from off thee.

²⁰ And it came to pass on Yom HaShlishi, which was the yom huledet of Pharaoh, that he made a mishteh (feast) unto all his avadim; and he lifted up the rosh sar hamashkim and the rosh sar ha’ofim (head of the chief baker) in the midst of his avadim (officials).

²¹ He restored the sar hamashkim unto his mashkeh; and he gave the kos into the palm of Pharaoh;

²² But he hanged the sar ha’ofim: just as Yosef had made the pitron to them.

²³ Yet did not the sar hamashkim remember Yosef [see Amos 6:6] but forgot him.

[MIKETZ]

41 And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed a chalom: and, hinei, he stood by haye’or (the River, i.e., the Nile).

² And, hinei, there came up out of haye’or (the River, i.e., the Nile) seven cows, fine in appearance and fat in basar; and they grazed on the riverbank.

³ And, hinei, seven other cows came up after them out of the Nile, ra’ot mareh (ugly in appearance) and dakot basar (gaunt ones in flesh, lean-fleshed); and stood by the other cows upon the bank of the Nile.

⁴ And the cows that were ra’ot hamareh and that were dakot habasar did devour the seven cows that were fine in appearance and fat. Then Pharaoh awoke.

⁵ And he slept and dreamed a chalom the second time; and, hinei, shivah heads of grain came up upon one stalk, beri’ot (fat ones) and tovot.

⁶ And, hinei, seven thin heads of grain scorched by the east wind tzomechot (sprung up) after them.

⁷ And the seven thin heads of grain devoured the seven fat and mele’ot (full) heads of grain. And Pharaoh awoke; and, hinei, it was a chalom!

⁸ And it came to pass in the boker that his ruach was troubled; and he sent and called for all the chartummei Mitzrayim (magicians of Egypt), and all the chachamim thereof; and Pharaoh told them his chalom; but there was no poter (interpreter) for Pharaoh.

⁹ Then the sar hamashkim spoke unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults this day.

¹⁰ Pharaoh was in wrath with his avadim, and put me b’mishmar (in custody) in the bais sar hatabbachim, both me and the sar ha’ofim;

¹¹ And we dreamed a chalom in the same lailah, I and he; and each chalom we dreamed had its own pitron (interpretation).

¹² And there was there with us a na’ar Ivri, eved to the sar hatabbachim; and we told him, and he interpreted to us chalomoteinu (our dreams); to each according to his chalom he did interpret.

¹³ And it was, just as he interpreted to us, so it came to pass; me he restored unto mine ken (post), and him he hanged.

¹⁴ Then Pharaoh sent and summoned Yosef, and they brought him hastily out of the bor (dungeon); and he shaved, and changed his clothes, and came in unto Pharaoh.

¹⁵ And Pharaoh said unto Yosef, I have dreamed a chalom, and there is no poter (interpreter) for it; and I have heard it said of thee, that thou canst understand a chalom to interpret it.

¹⁶ And Yosef answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me; Elohim shall give Pharaoh an answer of shalom.

¹⁷ And Pharaoh said unto Yosef, In my chalom, hineni, I stood upon the bank of the Nile;

¹⁸ And, hinei, there came up out of the Nile seven cows beri’ot basar (fat in body) and sleek of form; and they grazed by the riverbank.

¹⁹ And, hinei, seven other cows came up after them, dalot (poor, scrawny, thin) and ra’ot to’ar me’od (very ugly in appearance) and lean-fleshed, such as I never saw in kol Eretz Mitzrayim, unacceptably bad;

²⁰ And the lean and the ra’ot cows did eat up the first seven fat cows;

²¹ And when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still rah in appearance, as at the beginning. So I awoke.

²² And I saw in my chalom, and, hinei, seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, mele’ot (full) and tovot (good);

²³ And, hinei, seven heads of grain, withered, thin, and scorched with the east wind, tzomechot (sprung up) after them;

²⁴ And the thin heads of grain devoured the seven tov heads of grain; and I told this unto the chartummi (magicians); but there was none that could explain it to me.

²⁵ And Yosef said unto Pharaoh, The chalom of Pharaoh is echad: HaElohim hath revealed to Pharaoh what He is about to do.

²⁶ The seven good cows are seven shanim; and the seven good heads of grain are seven shanim. The chalom is echad.

²⁷ And the seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are sheva shanim; and the seven empty heads of grain scorched by the east wind are sheva shnei ra’av (seven years of famine).

²⁸ This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh; What HaElohim is about to do He showeth unto Pharaoh.

²⁹ Hinei, there come sheva shanim of sava gadol (great fullness, plenty, abundance) throughout kol Eretz Mitzrayim.

³⁰ And there shall arise after them sheva shnei ra’av (seven years of famine) and kol hasava (all abundance) shall be forgotten in Eretz Mitzrayim; and the ra’av (famine) shall consume the land;

³¹ And the sava shall not be known in the land by reason of that ra’av (famine) following; for it shall be kaved me’od (very grievous).

³² And for that the chalom was doubled unto Pharaoh; it is because the thing is [decidedly] established by HaElohim, and HaElohim will shortly bring it to pass.

³³ Now therefore let Pharaoh select an ish navon and chochom (a man discerning and wise) and set him over Eretz Mitzrayim.

³⁴ Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint pekidim (officers, overseers, commissioners) over the land, and take up the fifth part [of the harvest] of Eretz Mitzrayim in the sheva shnei hasava.

³⁵ And let them gather kol ochel of those shanim hatovot that come, and store up grain under the yad Pharaoh, and let them be shomer over ochel in the cities.

³⁶ And that ochel shall be for reserves for the land against the sheva shnei hara’av, which shall be in Eretz Mitzrayim; that the land perish not through the ra’av.

³⁷ And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his avadim.

³⁸ And Pharaoh said unto his avadim, Can we find such an ish as this is, an ish in whom is the Ruach Elohim?

³⁹ And Pharaoh said unto Yosef, Forasmuch as Elohim hath showed thee all this, there is none so navon (discerning) and chochom (wise) as thou art;

⁴⁰ Thou shalt be over my bais (palace), and according unto thy mouth shall all my people order themselves; only with respect to the kisse will I be greater than thou.

⁴¹ And Pharaoh said unto Yosef, See, I have set thee over kol Eretz Mitzrayim.

⁴² And Pharaoh took off his taba’at (signet ring) from his yad, and put it upon yad Yosef, and arrayed him in garments of fine linen, and put a chain of zahav around his neck;

⁴³ And he made him to ride in the second merkavah which he had; and they cried before him, Avrech! And he put him over kol Eretz Mitzrayim.

⁴⁴ And Pharaoh said unto Yosef, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his yad or regel in kol Eretz Mitzrayim.

⁴⁵ And Pharaoh called shem Yosef Zaphnat Pa’neach; and he gave him as isha Asenat Bat Poti Phera kohen of On. And Yosef went out over all Eretz Mitzrayim.

⁴⁶ And Yosef was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh Melech Mitzrayim. And Yosef went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout kol Eretz Mitzrayim.

⁴⁷ And in the sheva shnei hasava the land brought forth by handfuls.

⁴⁸ And he gathered up kol ochel of the sheva shanim, which were in Eretz Mitzrayim, and laid up the ochel in the cities; the ochel of the sadeh, which surrounded every city, laid he up in the same.

⁴⁹ And Yosef gathered grain as the chol (sand) of the yam, very much, until he stopped counting; for it was without mispar (number).

⁵⁰ And unto Yosef were born two banim before the shnat ra’av came, which Asenat Bat Poti Phera kohen of On bore unto him.

⁵¹ And Yosef called the shem of the bechor Menasheh: For Elohim, said he nashani, (hath made me forget) all my amal, and kol bais Avi.

⁵² And the shem of the second called he Ephrayim: For Elohim hifrani (hath caused me to be fruitful) in the eretz of my oni (suffering).

⁵³ And the sheva shnei hasava that was in Eretz Mitzrayim were ended.

⁵⁴ And the sheva shnei hara’av began to come, just as Yosef had said; and the ra’av was in all lands; but in kol Eretz Mitzrayim there was lechem.

⁵⁵ And when kol Eretz Mitzrayim was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for lechem; and Pharaoh said unto kol Mitzrayim, Go unto Yosef; what he saith to you, do.

⁵⁶ And the ra’av (famine) was over kol pnei ha’aretz; and Yosef opened all that was in them, and sold unto the Mitzrayim; and the ra’av (famine) became severe in Eretz Mitzrayim.

⁵⁷ And kol HaAretz (all the world) came into Mitzrayim to Yosef to buy grain; because that the ra’av (famine) was so chazak in kol HaAretz.

42 Now when Ya’akov saw that there was shever (grain) in Mitzrayim, Ya’akov said unto his banim, Why do ye look one upon another?

² And he said, Hinei, I have heard that there is shever (grain) in Mitzrayim; get you down to there, and buy for us from there; that we may live, and not die.

³ Achei Yosef asarah (Yosef’s ten brothers) then went down to buy grain in Mitzrayim.

⁴ But Binyamin, achi Yosef, Ya’akov sent not with his achim; for he said, Lest ason (evil, harm) befall him.

⁵ And the Bnei Yisroel came to make purchase among those that were coming; for the ra’av (famine) was in Eretz Kena’an.

⁶ And Yosef was the Shalit Al HaAretz, and he it was that sold to kol Am HaAretz: and Achei Yosef came, and prostrated themselves before him with their faces to the ground.

⁷ And Yosef saw his achim, and he recognized them, but made himself a stranger unto them, and spoke roughly unto them; and he said unto them, From where come ye? And they said, From Eretz Kena’an to buy ochel.

⁸ And Yosef recognized his achim, but they recognized not him.

⁹ And Yosef remembered the chalomot which he dreamed about them, and said unto them, Ye are meragelim (spies); to see the ervat ha’aretz (nakedness of the land) ye came.

¹⁰ And they said unto him, Lo, adoni, but to buy okhel are thy avadim come.

¹¹ We are all bnei ish echad; we are truthful ones, thy avadim are no meragelim.

¹² And he said unto them, Lo, but to see the ervat ha’aretz ye came.

¹³ And they said, Thy avadim are Shneym Asar Achim, the bnei ish echad in Eretz Kena’an; and, hinei, the katon is today with Avinu, and one is not.

¹⁴ And Yosef said unto them, That is it just as I spoke unto you, Ye are meragelim;

¹⁵ Hereby ye shall be tested: by the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth from here, except achichem hakaton (your youngest brother) come here.

¹⁶ Send one of you, and let him bring back achichem, and ye shall be kept prisoner, that your words may be tested, whether there be any emes in you; or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are meragelim (spies).

¹⁷ And he put them all together el-mishmar (in custody) shloshet yamim.

¹⁸ And Yosef said unto them on the Yom HaShlishi [see 1C 15:4 OJBC], This do, and live; for I fear HaElohim:

¹⁹ If ye be truthful ones, let one of your achim be bound in your bais mishmar; go ye, carry grain for the ra’avon (famine of) bateichem (your house);

²⁰ But bring achichem hakaton unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so.

²¹ And they said one to another, Surely we are ashemim (guilty ones) because of achinu (our brother), in that we saw the tzoros of his nefesh, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this tzoros come upon us.

²² And Reuven answered them, saying, Spoke I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the yeled; and ye would not hear? Therefore, hinei, the accounting for his dahm is required [of us (see Mt 27:25 OJBC)].

²³ And they had no da’as that Yosef understood them; for he spoke unto them by the melitz (go-between, interpreter).

²⁴ And he turned himself away from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and spoke with them, and took from them Shimon, and bound him before their eyes.

²⁵ Then Yosef commanded to fill their kelim with grain, and to restore every man’s kesef into his sack, and to give them provision for the derech; and thus did he unto them.

²⁶ And they loaded their chamorim with the grain, and departed from there.

²⁷ And as one of them opened his sack to get feed for his chamor in the malon (inn), he saw his kesef; for, hinei, it was in the mouth of his sack.

²⁸ And he said unto his achim, My kesef is restored; and, hinei, it is even in my sack; and their lev failed them, and they shook with fear, saying one to another, What is this that Elohim hath done unto us?

²⁹ And they came unto Ya’akov Avihem in Eretz Kena’an, and told him all that befell unto them; saying,

³⁰ The ish, who is adonei HaAretz, spoke roughly to us, and took us for meragelim HaAretz.

³¹ And we said unto him, We are truthful ones; we are no meragelim;

³² We are Shneym Asar Achim, Bnei Avinu; one is not, and the katon is today with Avinu in Eretz Kena’an.

³³ And the ish, adonei HaAretz, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are truthful ones; leave one of your achim here with me, and that which is needful for the ra’avon bateichem (famine of your houses), take and be gone;

³⁴ And bring achichem hakaton unto me; then shall I know that ye are not meragelim, but that ye are truthful ones: so will I restore you achichem, and ye shall freely trade in the land.

³⁵ And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, hinei, every man’s pouch of kesef was in his sack; and when both they and Avihem saw the pouches of kesef, they were afraid.

³⁶ And Ya’akov Avihem said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children; Yosef is not, and Shimon is not, and ye will take Binyamin away; all these things are against me.

³⁷ And Reuven spoke unto Aviv, saying, Slay my two banim, if I bring him not to thee; entrust him into my yad, and I will bring him to thee again.

³⁸ And he said, Beni (my son) shall not go down with you; for achiv is dead, and he is left alone; if ason (harm, evil) befall him on the derech in which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hair in yagon (sorrow) to Sheol.