Parallel Bible results for "Genesis 41:1-36"

Genesis 41:1-36

New Century Version NCV

1 Two years later the king dreamed he was standing on the bank of the Nile River.

2 He saw seven fat and beautiful cows come up out of the river, and they stood there, eating the grass.

3 Then seven more cows came up out of the river, but they were thin and ugly. They stood beside the seven beautiful cows on the bank of the Nile.

4 The seven thin and ugly cows ate the seven beautiful fat cows. Then the king woke up.

5 The king slept again and dreamed a second time. In his dream he saw seven full and good heads of grain growing on one stalk.

6 After that, seven more heads of grain sprang up, but they were thin and burned by the hot east wind.

7 The thin heads of grain ate the seven full and good heads. Then the king woke up again, and he realized it was only a dream.

8 The next morning the king was troubled about these dreams, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. The king told them his dreams, but no one could explain their meaning to him.

9 Then the chief officer who served wine to the king said to him, "Now I remember something I promised to do, but I forgot about it.

10 There was a time when you were angry with the baker and me, and you put us in prison in the house of the captain of the guard.

11 In prison we each had a dream on the same night, and each dream had a different meaning.

12 A young Hebrew man, a servant of the captain of the guard, was in the prison with us. When we told him our dreams, he explained their meanings to us. He told each man the meaning of his dream, and

13 things happened exactly as he said they would: I was given back my old position, and the baker was hanged."

14 So the king called for Joseph. The guards quickly brought him out of the prison, and he shaved, put on clean clothes, and went before the king.

15 The king said to Joseph, "I have had a dream, but no one can explain its meaning to me. I have heard that you can explain a dream when someone tells it to you."

16 Joseph answered the king, "I am not able to explain the meaning of dreams, but God will do this for the king."

17 Then the king said to Joseph, "In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile River.

18 I saw seven fat and beautiful cows that came up out of the river and ate the grass.

19 Then I saw seven more cows come out of the river that were thin and lean and ugly -- the worst looking cows I have seen in all the land of Egypt.

20 And these thin and ugly cows ate the first seven fat cows,

21 but after they had eaten the seven cows, no one could tell they had eaten them. They looked just as thin and ugly as they did in the beginning. Then I woke up.

22 "I had another dream. I saw seven full and good heads of grain growing on one stalk.

23 Then seven more heads of grain sprang up after them, but these heads were thin and ugly and were burned by the hot east wind.

24 Then the thin heads ate the seven good heads. I told this dream to the magicians, but no one could explain its meaning to me."

25 Then Joseph said to the king, "Both of these dreams mean the same thing. God is telling you what he is about to do.

26 The seven good cows stand for seven years, and the seven good heads of grain stand for seven years. Both dreams mean the same thing.

27 The seven thin and ugly cows stand for seven years, and the seven thin heads of grain burned by the hot east wind stand for seven years of hunger.

28 This will happen as I told you. God is showing the king what he is about to do.

29 You will have seven years of good crops and plenty to eat in all the land of Egypt.

30 But after those seven years, there will come seven years of hunger, and all the food that grew in the land of Egypt will be forgotten. The time of hunger will eat up the land.

31 People will forget what it was like to have plenty of food, because the hunger that follows will be so great.

32 You had two dreams which mean the same thing. This shows that God has firmly decided that this will happen, and he will make it happen soon.

33 "So let the king choose a man who is very wise and understanding and set him over the land of Egypt.

34 And let the king also appoint officers over the land, who should take one-fifth of all the food that is grown during the seven good years.

35 They should gather all the food that is produced during the good years that are coming, and under the king's authority they should store the grain in the cities and guard it.

36 That food should be saved to use during the seven years of hunger that will come on the land of Egypt. Then the people in Egypt will not die during the seven years of hunger."

New International Version NIV

1 When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile,

2 when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds.

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.

5 He fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain, 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.

7 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been a dream.

8 In the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.

9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I am reminded of my shortcomings.

10 Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard.

11 Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own.

12 Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream.

13 And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was impaled.”

14 So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh.

15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”

16 “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”

17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile,

18 when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds.

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.”

25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.

26 The seven good cows 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.

28 “It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do.

29 Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt,

30 but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land.

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 by God, and God will do it soon.

33 “And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt.

34 Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance.

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.

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, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.”