Genesis 41 - LSB Bible Online

Genesis 41

Joseph Interprets Pharaoh’s Dream

Now it happened at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream, and behold, he was standing by the Nile. 2 And behold, from the Nile there came up seven cows, sleek and ¹fat; and they grazed in the ^areeds. 3 Then behold, seven other cows came up after them from the Nile, ¹ugly and ²thin, and they stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile. 4 And the ugly and ¹thin cows ate up the seven sleek and fat cows. Then Pharaoh awoke. 5 He again fell asleep and dreamed a second time; and behold, seven ears of grain came up on a single stalk, plump and good. 6 And behold, seven ears, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them. 7 And the thin ears swallowed up the seven plump and full ears. Then Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream. 8 Now it happened that in the morning ^ahis spirit was troubled, so he sent and called for all the ¹^bmagicians of Egypt and all its ^cwise men. And Pharaoh recounted to them his dream, but ^dthere was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh.
9 Then the chief cupbearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying, “I would bring to remembrance today ^amy own ¹offenses. 10 Pharaoh was ^afurious with his servants, and ^bhe put me in confinement in the house of the captain of the bodyguard, both me and the chief baker. 11 ^aAnd we had a dream ¹on the same night, ²he and I; each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream. 12 Now there was with us a Hebrew youth, a ^aslave of the captain of the bodyguard, and we recounted them to him, and ^bhe interpreted our dreams for us. To each one he interpreted according to his own dream. 13 And just ^aas he interpreted for us, so it happened; he restored me in my ¹office, but he hanged him.”
14 Then Pharaoh sent and ^acalled for Joseph, and they ^brushed him out of the pit; and he shaved himself and changed his clothes, and he came to Pharaoh. 15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, ^abut no one can interpret it; yet ^bI have heard ¹it said about you, that ²you hear a dream and that you can interpret it.” 16 Joseph then answered Pharaoh, saying, “¹^aIt is not in me; ^bGod will ²answer concerning the welfare of Pharaoh.” 17 So Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, “In my dream, behold, I was standing on the bank of the Nile; 18 and behold, seven cows, ¹fat and sleek came up out of the Nile, and they grazed in the reeds. 19 And behold, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and lean, such as I had never seen in all the land of Egypt, in regard to ¹ugliness; 20 and the lean and ugly cows ate up the first seven fat cows. 21 But they ¹devoured them, and yet it could not be known that they had ¹devoured them. ²For they were just as ugly as ³before. Then I awoke. 22 Then I saw also in my dream, and behold, seven ears, full and good, came up on a single stalk; 23 and behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them; 24 and the thin ears swallowed the seven good ears. So ^aI told it to the ¹magicians, but there was no one who could declare it to me.”
25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Pharaoh’s ¹dreams are one and the same; ^aGod has declared 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 ¹dreams are one and the same. 27 And the seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven lean ears scorched by the east wind ^awill be seven years of famine. 28 ¹It is as I have spoken to Pharaoh: ^aGod has shown to Pharaoh what He is about to do. 29 Behold, ^aseven years of great abundance are coming in all the land of Egypt; 30 and after them ^aseven years of famine will arise, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine will ¹ravage the land, 31 so that the abundance will be unknown in the land because of that subsequent famine; for it will be very heavy. 32 Now as for the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh twice, it means that ^athe matter is confirmed by God, and God will quickly bring it about. 33 So now let Pharaoh look for a man ^aunderstanding and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh take action and appoint overseers over 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 ^agather all the food of these good years that are coming, and let them store up the grain for food in the cities under Pharaoh’s authority, and let them keep watch over it. 36 And let the food be appointed for the land for the seven years of famine which will happen in the land of Egypt, so that the land will not be cut off during the famine.”

Joseph Is Set over Egypt

37 And the ¹proposal seemed good ²to Pharaoh and ²to all his servants. 38 Then Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, ^ain whom is a divine spirit?” 39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made you know all of this, there is no one so ^aunderstanding and wise as you are. 40 ^aYou shall be over my house, and according to your ¹command all my people shall ²do homage; only in the throne I will be greater than you.” 41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you ^aover all the land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh ^aremoved his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand and clothed him in garments of fine linen and ^bput the gold necklace around his neck. 43 And he had him ride in ¹his second chariot; and they called out before him, “²Bow the knee!” And he set him over all the land of Egypt. 44 Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Though I am Pharaoh, yet ^awithout ¹your permission no one shall raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” 45 Then Pharaoh named Joseph ¹Zaphenath-paneah; and he gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of ²^aOn, as a wife. And Joseph went forth over the land of Egypt.
46 Now Joseph was ^athirty years old when he ¹stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and passed through all the land of Egypt. 47 And during the seven years of plenty the land brought forth ¹abundantly. 48 So he gathered all the food of these seven years which happened in the land of Egypt and placed the food in the cities; he placed in every city the food from its own surrounding fields. 49 Thus Joseph stored up grain ¹in great abundance like the sand of the sea, until he stopped ²measuring it, for it was ³beyond measure.

The Sons of Joseph

50 Now before the year of famine came, ^atwo sons were born to Joseph, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of ¹On, bore to him. 51 And Joseph named the firstborn ¹Manasseh, “For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” 52 And he named the second ¹Ephraim, “For,” he said, “^aGod has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
53 Then the seven years of plenty which had been in the land of Egypt came to an end, 54 and ^athe seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said. So there was famine in all the lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 55 Then all the land of Egypt was famished, and the people cried out to Pharaoh for bread; and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph; ^awhatever he says to you, you shall do.” 56 Now the famine was over all the face of the land. And Joseph opened all ¹the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians; and the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. 57 Now all the earth also came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph because ^athe famine was severe in all the earth.

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