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Genesis 41:17-42
New King James Version

17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph: “Behold, (A)in my dream I stood on the bank of the river. 18 Suddenly seven cows came up out of the river, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow. 19 Then behold, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and gaunt, such ugliness as I have never seen in all the land of Egypt. 20 And the gaunt and ugly cows ate up the first seven, the fat cows. 21 When they had eaten them up, no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were just as ugly as at the beginning. So I awoke. 22 Also I saw in my dream, and suddenly seven [a]heads came up on one stalk, full and good. 23 Then behold, seven heads, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them. 24 And the thin heads devoured the seven good heads. So (B)I told this to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.”

25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; (C)God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do: 26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good [b]heads are seven years; the dreams are one. 27 And the seven thin and ugly cows which came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty heads blighted by the east wind are (D)seven years of famine. 28 (E)This is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do. 29 Indeed (F)seven years of great plenty will come throughout all the land of Egypt; 30 but after them seven years of famine will (G)arise, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine (H)will deplete the land. 31 So the plenty will not be known in the land because of the famine following, for it will be very severe. 32 And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the (I)thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

33 “Now therefore, let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint [c]officers over the land, (J)to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years. 35 And (K)let them gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up grain under the [d]authority of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. 36 Then that food shall be as a [e]reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which shall be in the land of Egypt, that the land (L)may not [f]perish during the famine.”

Joseph’s Rise to Power

37 So (M)the advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants. 38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a one as this, a man (N)in whom is the Spirit of God?”

39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. 40 (O)You shall be [g]over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.” 41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have (P)set you over all the land of Egypt.”

42 Then Pharaoh (Q)took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand; and he (R)clothed him in garments of fine linen (S)and put a gold chain around his neck. 43 And he had him ride in the second (T)chariot which he had; (U)and they cried out before him, “Bow the knee!” So he set him (V)over all the land of Egypt. 44 Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” 45 And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name [h]Zaphnath-Paaneah. And he gave him as a wife (W)Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On. So Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.

46 Joseph was thirty years old when he (X)stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. 47 Now in the seven plentiful years the ground brought forth [i]abundantly. 48 So he gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities; he laid up in every city the food of the fields which surrounded them. 49 Joseph gathered very much grain, (Y)as the sand of the sea, until he stopped counting, for it was immeasurable.

50 (Z)And to Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him. 51 Joseph called the name of the firstborn [j]Manasseh: “For God has made me forget all my toil and all my (AA)father’s house.” 52 And the name of the second he called [k]Ephraim: “For God has caused me to be (AB)fruitful in the land of my affliction.”

53 Then the seven years of plenty which were in the land of Egypt ended, 54 (AC)and the seven years of famine began to come, (AD)as Joseph had said. The famine was in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 55 So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Then Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph; (AE)whatever he says to you, do.” 56 The famine was over all the face of the earth, and Joseph opened [l]all the storehouses and (AF)sold to the Egyptians. And the famine became severe in the land of Egypt. 57 (AG)So all countries came to Joseph in Egypt to (AH)buy grain, because the famine was severe in all lands.

Joseph’s Brothers Go to Egypt

42 When (AI)Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” 2 And he said, “Indeed I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down to that place and buy for us there, that we may (AJ)live and not die.”

3 So Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, (AK)“Lest some calamity befall him.” 5 And the sons of Israel went to buy grain among those who journeyed, for the famine was (AL)in the land of Canaan.

6 Now Joseph was governor (AM)over the land; and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and (AN)bowed down before him with their faces to the earth. 7 Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted as (AO)a stranger to them and spoke [m]roughly to them. Then he said to them, “Where do you come from?”

And they said, “From the land of Canaan to buy food.”

8 So Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. 9 Then Joseph (AP)remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them, and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see the [n]nakedness of the land!”

10 And they said to him, “No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food. 11 We are all one man’s sons; we are honest men; your servants are not spies.”

12 But he said to them, “No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land.”

13 And they said, “Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and in fact, the youngest is with our father today, and one (AQ)is no more.”

14 But Joseph said to them, “It is as I spoke to you, saying, ‘You are spies!’ 15 In this manner you shall be tested: (AR)By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 16 Send one of you, and let him bring your brother; and you shall be [o]kept in prison, that your words may be tested to see whether there is any truth in you; or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies!” 17 So he [p]put them all together in prison (AS)three days.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 41:22 Heads of grain
  2. Genesis 41:26 Heads of grain
  3. Genesis 41:34 overseers
  4. Genesis 41:35 Lit. hand
  5. Genesis 41:36 Lit. supply
  6. Genesis 41:36 be cut off
  7. Genesis 41:40 In charge of
  8. Genesis 41:45 Probably Egyptian for God Speaks and He Lives
  9. Genesis 41:47 Lit. by handfuls
  10. Genesis 41:51 Lit. Making Forgetful
  11. Genesis 41:52 Lit. Fruitfulness
  12. Genesis 41:56 Lit. all that was in them
  13. Genesis 42:7 harshly
  14. Genesis 42:9 Exposed parts
  15. Genesis 42:16 Lit. bound
  16. Genesis 42:17 Lit. gathered
Listen to Genesis 41:17-42
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Genesis 41:17-42
New International Version

17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile,(A) 18 when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds.(B) 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.(C)”

25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same.(D) God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.(E) 26 The seven good cows(F) 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.(G)

28 “It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do.(H) 29 Seven years of great abundance(I) are coming throughout the land of Egypt, 30 but seven years of famine(J) will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land.(K) 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(L) by God, and God will do it soon.(M)

33 “And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man(N) and put him in charge of the land of Egypt.(O) 34 Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners(P) over the land to take a fifth(Q) of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance.(R) 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.(S) 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,(T) so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.”

37 The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials.(U) 38 So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God[a]?”(V)

39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you,(W) there is no one so discerning and wise as you.(X) 40 You shall be in charge of my palace,(Y) and all my people are to submit to your orders.(Z) Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.(AA)”

Joseph in Charge of Egypt

41 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.”(AB) 42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring(AC) from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes(AD) of fine linen(AE) and put a gold chain around his neck.(AF) 43 He had him ride in a chariot(AG) as his second-in-command,[b](AH) and people shouted before him, “Make way[c]!”(AI) Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.(AJ)

44 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.”(AK) 45 Pharaoh gave Joseph(AL) the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest(AM) of On,[d](AN) to be his wife.(AO) And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt.

46 Joseph was thirty years old(AP) when he entered the service(AQ) of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout Egypt. 47 During the seven years of abundance(AR) 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.(AS) 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;(AT) 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.(AU) 51 Joseph named his firstborn(AV) Manasseh[e](AW) 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](AX) and said, “It is because God has made me fruitful(AY) 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(AZ) began,(BA) 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,(BB) the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.”(BC)

56 When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians,(BD) for the famine(BE) was severe throughout Egypt.(BF) 57 And all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph,(BG) because the famine was severe everywhere.(BH)

Joseph’s Brothers Go to Egypt

42 When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt,(BI) 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,(BJ) so that we may live and not die.”(BK)

3 Then ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain(BL) from Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin,(BM) Joseph’s brother, with the others, because he was afraid that harm might come to him.(BN) 5 So Israel’s sons were among those who went to buy grain,(BO) for there was famine in the land of Canaan(BP) also.(BQ)

6 Now Joseph was the governor of the land,(BR) the person who sold grain to all its people.(BS) So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.(BT) 7 As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them.(BU) “Where do you come from?”(BV) he asked.

“From the land of Canaan,” they replied, “to buy food.”

8 Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him.(BW) 9 Then he remembered his dreams(BX) about them and said to them, “You are spies!(BY) You have come to see where our land is unprotected.”(BZ)

10 “No, my lord,(CA)” they answered. “Your servants have come to buy food.(CB) 11 We are all the sons of one man. Your servants(CC) are honest men,(CD) not spies.(CE)”

12 “No!” he said to them. “You have come to see where our land is unprotected.”(CF)

13 But they replied, “Your servants(CG) were twelve brothers, the sons of one man, who lives in the land of Canaan.(CH) The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.”(CI)

14 Joseph said to them, “It is just as I told you: You are spies!(CJ) 15 And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives,(CK) you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.(CL) 16 Send one of your number to get your brother;(CM) the rest of you will be kept in prison,(CN) so that your words may be tested to see if you are telling the truth.(CO) If you are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!(CP)” 17 And he put them all in custody(CQ) for three days.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 41:38 Or of the gods
  2. Genesis 41:43 Or in the chariot of his second-in-command; or in his second chariot
  3. Genesis 41:43 Or Bow down
  4. Genesis 41:45 That is, Heliopolis; also in verse 50
  5. Genesis 41:51 Manasseh sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for forget.
  6. Genesis 41:52 Ephraim sounds like the Hebrew for twice fruitful.
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