Genesis 41

¹After two years, Pharaoh saw a dream. He thought himself to be standing above a river

²from which ascended seven cows, exceedingly beautiful and stout. And they pastured in marshy places

³Likewise, another seven emerged from the river, filthy and thoroughly emaciated. And they pastured on the same bank of the river, in green places

⁴And they devoured those whose appearance and condition of body was so wonderful. Pharaoh, having been awakened

⁵slept again, and he saw another dream. Seven ears of grain sprung up on one stalk, full and well-formed

⁶Likewise, other ears of grain, of the same number, rose up, thin and struck with blight

⁷devouring all the beauty of the first. Pharaoh, when he awakened after his rest

⁸and when morning arrived, being terrified with fear, sent to all the interpreters of Egypt and to all of the wise men. And when they were summoned, he explained to them his dream; but there was no one who could interpret it

⁹Then at last the chief cupbearer, remembering, said, “I confess my sin

¹⁰The king, being angry with his servants, ordered me and the chief miller of grain to be forced into the prison of the leader of the military

¹¹There, in one night, both of us saw a dream presaging the future

¹²In that place, there was a Hebrew, a servant of the same commander of the military, to whom we explained our dreams

¹³Whatever we heard was proven afterwards by the event of the matter. For I was restored to my office, and he was suspended on a cross.

¹⁴Immediately, by the king’s authority, Joseph was led out of prison, and they shaved him. And changing his apparel, they presented him to him

¹⁵And he said to him, “I have seen dreams, and there is no one who can unfold them. I have heard that you are very wise at interpreting these.

¹⁶Joseph responded, “Apart from me, God will respond favorably to Pharaoh.

¹⁷Therefore, Pharaoh explained what he had seen: “I thought myself to be standing on the bank of a river

¹⁸and seven cows climbed up from the river, exceedingly beautiful and full of flesh. And they grazed in a pasture of a marshy greenery

¹⁹And behold, there followed after these, another seven cows, with such deformity and emaciation as I had never seen in the land of Egypt

²⁰These devoured and consumed the first

²¹giving no indication of being full. But they remained in the same state of emaciation and squalor. Awakening, but being weighed down into sleep again

²²I saw a dream. Seven ears of grain sprang up on one stalk, full and very beautiful

²³Likewise, another seven, thin and struck with blight, rose up from the stalk

²⁴And they devoured the beauty of the first. I explained this dream to the interpreters, and there is no one who can unfold it.

²⁵Joseph responded: “The dream of the king is one. What God will do, he has revealed to Pharaoh

²⁶The seven beautiful cows, and the seven full ears of grain, are seven years of abundance. And so the force of the dreams is understood to be the same

²⁷Likewise, the seven thin and emaciated cows, which ascended after them, and the seven thin ears of grain, which were struck with the burning wind, are seven approaching years of famine

²⁸These will be fulfilled in this order

²⁹Behold, there will arrive seven years of great fertility throughout the entire land of Egypt

³⁰After this, there will follow another seven years, of such great barrenness that all the former abundance will be delivered into oblivion. For the famine will consume all the land

³¹and the greatness of this destitution will cause the greatness of the abundance to be lost

³²Now, as to what you saw the second time, it is a dream pertaining to the same thing. It is an indication of its firmness, because the word of God shall be done, and it shall be completed swiftly

³³Now therefore, let the king provide a wise and industrious man, and place him over the land of Egypt

³⁴so that he may appoint overseers throughout all the regions. And let a fifth part of the fruits, throughout the seven fertile year

³⁵that now have already begun to occur, be gathered into storehouses. And let all the grain be stored away, under the power of Pharaoh, and let it be kept in the cities

³⁶And let it be prepared for the future famine of seven years, which will oppress Egypt, and then the land will not be consumed by destitution.

³⁷The counsel pleased Pharaoh and all his ministers

³⁸And he said to them, “Would we be able to find another such man, who is full of the Spirit of God?

³⁹Therefore, he said to Joseph: “Because God has revealed to you all that you have said, would I be able to find anyone wiser and as much like you

⁴⁰You will be over my house, and to the authority of your mouth, all the people will show obedience. Only in one way, in the throne of the kingdom, will I go before you.

⁴¹And again, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Behold, I have appointed you over the entire land of Egypt.

⁴²And he took the ring from his own hand, and he gave it into his hand. And he clothed him with a robe of fine linen, and he placed a necklace of gold around his neck

⁴³And he caused him to ascend upon his second swift chariot, with the herald proclaiming that everyone should bend their knee before him, and that they should know that he was governor over the entire land of Egypt

⁴⁴Likewise, the king said to Joseph: “I am Pharaoh: apart from your authority, no one will move hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.

⁴⁵And he changed his name and called him, in the Egyptian tongue: ‘Savior of the world.’ And he gave him as a wife, Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of Heliopolis. And so Joseph went out into the land of Egypt

⁴⁶(Now he was thirty years old when he stood in the sight of king Pharaoh.) And he traveled throughout the regions of Egypt

⁴⁷And the fertility of the seven years arrived. And when the grain fields were reduced to sheaves, these were gathered into the storehouses of Egypt

⁴⁸And now all the abundance of grain was stored away in every city

⁴⁹And there was such a great abundance of wheat that it was comparable to the sands of the sea, and its bounty exceeded all measure

⁵⁰Then, before the famine arrived, Joseph had two sons born, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of Heliopolis, bore for him

⁵¹And he called the name of the firstborn Manasseh, saying, “God has caused me to forget all my labors and the house of my father.

⁵²Likewise, he named the second Ephraim, saying, “God has caused me to increase in the land of my poverty.

⁵³And so, when the seven years of fertility that occurred in Egypt had passed

⁵⁴the seven years of destitution, which Joseph had predicted, began to arrive. And the famine prevailed throughout the whole world, but there was bread in all the land of Egypt

⁵⁵And being hungry, the people cried out to Pharaoh, asking for provisions. And he said to them: “Go to Joseph. And do whatever he will tell you.

⁵⁶Then the famine increased daily in all the land. And Joseph opened all of the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. For the famine had oppressed them also

⁵⁷And all the provinces came to Egypt, to buy food and to temper the misfortune of their destitution