Genesis 41:14-44 (New American Standard)

Joseph Interprets

14 Then Pharaoh sent and ¹called for Joseph, and they ²hurriedly brought him out of the dungeon ; and when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came to Pharaoh. 15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I have had a dream, ³but no one can interpret it; and ⁴I have heard ^ait said about you, that ^bwhen you hear a dream you can interpret it." 16 Joseph then answered Pharaoh, saying, "^c5It is not in me; ⁶God will ^dgive Pharaoh a favorable answer." 17 So Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, "In my dream, behold, I was standing on the bank of the Nile ; 18 and behold, seven cows, ^efat and sleek came up out of the Nile, and they grazed in the marsh grass. 19 "Lo, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and ^fgaunt , such as I had never seen for ^gugliness in all the land of Egypt ; 20 and the lean and ^hugly cows ate up the first seven fat cows. 21 "Yet when they had ⁱdevoured them, it could not be ^jdetected that they had ^kdevoured them, ^lfor they were just as ugly as ^mbefore. Then I awoke. 22 "I saw also in my dream, and behold, seven ears, full and good, came up on a single stalk ; 23 and lo, seven ears, withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them; 24 and the thin ears swallowed the seven good ears. Then ⁷I told it to the ⁿmagicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me." 25 Now Joseph said to Pharaoh, "Pharaoh's ^odreams are one and the same; ⁸God has told to Pharaoh what He is about to do. 26 "The seven good cows are seven years ; and the seven good ears are seven years ; the ^pdreams are one and the same. 27 "The seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven thin ears scorched by the east wind ⁹will be seven years of famine. 28 "^qIt is as I have spoken to Pharaoh : ¹⁰God has shown to Pharaoh what He is about to do. 29 "Behold, ¹¹seven years of great abundance are coming in all the land of Egypt ; 30 and after them ¹²seven years of famine will ^rcome, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine will ^sravage the land. 31 "So the abundance will be unknown in the land because of that subsequent famine ; for it will be very severe. 32 "Now as for the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh twice, it means that ¹³the matter is determined by God, and God will quickly bring it about. 33 "Now let Pharaoh look for a man ¹⁴discerning and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 "Let Pharaoh take action to appoint overseers ^tin charge of the land, and let him exact a fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven years of abundance. 35 "Then let them ¹⁵gather 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 let them guard it. 36 "Let the food become 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." 37 Now the ^uproposal seemed good ^vto Pharaoh and ^wto all his servants.

Joseph Is Made a Ruler of Egypt

38 Then Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find a man like this, ¹⁶in whom is a divine spirit ?" 39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has informed you of all this, there is no one so ¹⁷discerning and wise as you are. 40 "¹⁸You shall be over my house, and according to your ^xcommand all my people shall ^ydo homage ; only in the throne I will be greater than you." 41 Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See, I have set you ¹⁹over all the land of Egypt." 42 Then Pharaoh ²⁰took off his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and ²¹put the gold necklace around his neck. 43 He had him ride in ^zhis second chariot ; and they proclaimed before him, "^aaBow the knee !" And he set him over all the land of Egypt. 44 Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Though I am Pharaoh, yet ²²without ^bbyour permission no one shall raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt."