King James Version KJV
Good News Translation GNT
1 And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river.
1
After two years had passed, the king of Egypt dreamed that he was standing by the Nile River,
2 And, behold, there came up out of the river seven well favoured kine and fatfleshed; and they fed in a meadow.
2
when seven cows, fat and sleek, came up out of the river and began to feed on the grass.
3 And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill favoured and leanfleshed; and stood by the other kine upon the brink of the river.
3
Then seven other cows came up; they were thin and bony. They came and stood by the other cows on the riverbank,
4 And the ill favoured and leanfleshed kine did eat up the seven well favoured and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke.
4
and the thin cows ate up the fat cows. Then the king woke up.
5 And he slept and dreamed the second time: and, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good.
5
He fell asleep again and had another dream. Seven heads of grain, full and ripe, were growing on one stalk.
6 And, behold, seven thin ears and blasted with the east wind sprung up after them.
6
Then seven other heads of grain sprouted, thin and scorched by the desert wind,
7 And the seven thin ears devoured the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream.
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and the thin heads of grain swallowed the full ones. The king woke up and realized that he had been dreaming.
8 And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.
8
In the morning he was worried, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. He told them his dreams, but no one could explain them to him.
9 Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults this day:
9
Then the wine steward said to the king, "I must confess today that I have done wrong.
10 Pharaoh was wroth with his servants, and put me in ward in the captain of the guard's house, both me and the chief baker:
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You were angry with the chief baker and me, and you put us in prison in the house of the captain of the guard.
11 And we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream.
11
One night each of us had a dream, and the dreams had different meanings.
12 And there was there with us a young man, an Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard; and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each man according to his dream he did interpret.
12
A young Hebrew was there with us, a slave of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us.
13 And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was; me he restored unto mine office, and him he hanged.
13
Things turned out just as he said: you restored me to my position, but you executed the baker."
14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.
14
The king sent for Joseph, and he was immediately brought from the prison. After he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came into the king's presence.
15 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it.
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The king said to him, "I have had a dream, and no one can explain it. I have been told that you can interpret dreams."
16 And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.
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Joseph answered, "I cannot, Your Majesty, but God will give a favorable interpretation."
17 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river:
17
The king said, "I dreamed that I was standing on the bank of the Nile,
18 And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fatfleshed and well favoured; and they fed in a meadow:
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when seven cows, fat and sleek, came up out of the river and began feeding on the grass.
19 And, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and leanfleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness:
19
Then seven other cows came up which were thin and bony. They were the poorest cows I have ever seen anywhere in Egypt.
20 And the lean and the ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine:
20
The thin cows ate up the fat ones,
21 And when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still ill favoured, as at the beginning. So I awoke.
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but no one would have known it, because they looked just as bad as before. Then I woke up.
22 And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good:
22
I also dreamed that I saw seven heads of grain which were full and ripe, growing on one stalk.
23 And, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them:
23
Then seven heads of grain sprouted, thin and scorched by the desert wind,
24 And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears: and I told this unto the magicians; but there was none that could declare it to me.
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and the thin heads of grain swallowed the full ones. I told the dreams to the magicians, but none of them could explain them to me."
25 And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.
25
Joseph said to the king, "The two dreams mean the same thing; God has told you what he is going to do.
26 The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one.
26
The seven fat cows are seven years, and the seven full heads of grain are also seven years; they have the same meaning.
27 And the seven thin and ill favoured kine that came up after them are seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine.
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The seven thin cows which came up later and the seven thin heads of grain scorched by the desert wind are seven years of famine.
28 This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh.
28
It is just as I told you - God has shown you what he is going to do.
29 Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt:
29
There will be seven years of great plenty in all the land of Egypt.
30 And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land;
30
After that, there will be seven years of famine, and all the good years will be forgotten, because the famine will ruin the country.
31 And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous.
31
The time of plenty will be entirely forgotten, because the famine which follows will be so terrible.
32 And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.
32
The repetition of your dream means that the matter is fixed by God and that he will make it happen in the near future.
33 Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt.
33
"Now you should choose some man with wisdom and insight and put him in charge of the country.
34 Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years.
34
You must also appoint other officials and take a fifth of the crops during the seven years of plenty.
35 And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities.
35
Order them to collect all the food during the good years that are coming, and give them authority to store up grain in the cities and guard it.
36 And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine.
36
The food will be a reserve supply for the country during the seven years of famine which are going to come on Egypt. In this way the people will not starve."
37 And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.
37
The king and his officials approved this plan,
38 And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?
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and he said to them, "We will never find a better man than Joseph, a man who has God's spirit in him."
39 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art:
39
The king said to Joseph, "God has shown you all this, so it is obvious that you have greater wisdom and insight than anyone else.
40 Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.
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I will put you in charge of my country, and all my people will obey your orders. Your authority will be second only to mine.
41 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.
41
I now appoint you governor over all Egypt."
42 And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck;
42
The king removed from his finger the ring engraved with the royal seal and put it on Joseph's finger. He put a fine linen robe on him, and placed a gold chain around his neck.
43 And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.
43
He gave him the second royal chariot to ride in, and his guard of honor went ahead of him and cried out, "Make way! Make way!" And so Joseph was appointed governor over all Egypt.
44 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.
44
The king said to him, "I am the king - and no one in all Egypt shall so much as lift a hand or a foot without your permission."
45 And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnathpaaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.
45
He gave Joseph the Egyptian name Zaphenath Paneah, and he gave him a wife, Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, a priest in the city of Heliopolis. Joseph was thirty years old when he began to serve the king of Egypt. He left the king's court and traveled all over the land.
46 And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.
47 And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls.
47
During the seven years of plenty the land produced abundant crops,
48 And 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: the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same.
48
all of which Joseph collected and stored in the cities. In each city he stored the food from the fields around it.
49 And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number.
49
There was so much grain that Joseph stopped measuring it - it was like the sand of the sea.
50 And unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, which Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On bare unto him.
50
Before the years of famine came, Joseph had two sons by Asenath.
51 And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house.
51
He said, "God has made me forget all my sufferings and all my father's family"; so he named his first son Manasseh.
52 And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.
52
He also said, "God has given me children in the land of my trouble"; so he named his second son Ephraim.
53 And the seven years of plenteousness, that was in the land of Egypt, were ended.
53
The seven years of plenty that the land of Egypt had enjoyed came to an end,
54 And the seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.
54
and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in every other country, but there was food throughout Egypt.
55 And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do.
55
When the Egyptians began to be hungry, they cried out to the king for food. So he ordered them to go to Joseph and do what he told them.
56 And the famine was over all the face of the earth: And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt.
56
The famine grew worse and spread over the whole country, so Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians.
57 And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands.
57
People came to Egypt from all over the world to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe everywhere.
The King James Version is in the public domain.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.