Genesis 41:1-37

New American Standard Bible

Pharaoh’s Dream

41 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 seven cows came up, fine-looking and ^[a]fat; and they grazed in the ^(A)marsh grass. ³ Then behold, seven other cows came up after them from the Nile, ugly and ^[b]thin, and they stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile. ⁴ Then the ugly and ^[c]thin cows ate the seven fine-looking and fat cows. Then Pharaoh awoke. ⁵ But he fell asleep and dreamed a second time; and behold, seven ears of grain came up on a single stalk, plump and good. ⁶ Then behold, seven ears, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them. ⁷ And the thin ears swallowed the seven plump and full ears. Then Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream. ⁸ Now in the morning ^(B)his spirit was troubled, so he sent messengers and called for all the ^(C)soothsayer priests of Egypt, and all its ^(D)wise men. And Pharaoh told them his ^[d]dreams, but ^(E)there was no one who could interpret them for Pharaoh.

⁹ Then the chief cupbearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying, “I would make mention today of ^(F)my own ^[e]offenses. ¹⁰ Pharaoh was ^(G)furious with his servants, and ^(H)he put me in confinement in the house of the captain of the bodyguard, both me and the chief baker. ¹¹ Then ^(I)we had a dream one night, ^[f]he and I; each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream. ¹² Now a Hebrew youth was there with us, a ^(J)servant of the captain of the bodyguard, and we told him the dreams, and ^(K)he interpreted our dreams for us. For each man he interpreted according to his own dream. ¹³ And just ^(L)as he interpreted for us, so it happened; Pharaoh restored me in my office, but he hanged ^[g]the chief baker.”

Joseph Interprets

¹⁴ Then Pharaoh sent word and ^(M)called for Joseph, and they ^(N)hurriedly 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, ^(O)but no one can interpret it; and ^(P)I have heard ^[h]it said about you, that ^[i]when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” ¹⁶ Joseph then answered Pharaoh, saying, “^[j](Q)It has nothing to do with me; ^(R)God will ^[k]give Pharaoh an answer for his own good.” ¹⁷ So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream, there I was, standing on the bank of the Nile; ¹⁸ and behold, seven cows, ^[l]fat and fine-looking came up out of the Nile, and they grazed in the marsh grass. ¹⁹ Then behold, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ^[m]ugly and ^[n]thin, such as I had never seen for ^[o]ugliness in all the land of Egypt; ²⁰ and the thin and ugly cows ate the first seven fat cows. ²¹ Yet when they had ^[p]devoured them, it could not be ^[q]detected that they had ^[r]devoured them, ^[s]for they were just as ugly as ^[t]before. Then I awoke. ²² I saw also in my dream, and behold, seven ears of grain, 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. Then ^(S)I told it to the soothsayer priests, but there was no one who could explain it to me.”

²⁵ And Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Pharaoh’s ^[u]dreams are one and the same; ^(T)God 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 ^[v]dreams are one and the same. ²⁷ The seven thin and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven thin ears scorched by the east wind ^(U)will be seven years of famine. ^28 [w]It is as I have spoken to Pharaoh: ^(V)God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do. ²⁹ Behold, ^(W)seven years of great abundance are coming in all the land of Egypt; ³⁰ and after them ^(X)seven years of famine will ^[x]come, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine will ^[y]ravage 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 ^(Y)the matter is confirmed by God, and God will quickly bring it about. ³³ So now let Pharaoh look for a man ^(Z)discerning and wise, and appoint him over the land of Egypt. ³⁴ Let Pharaoh take action to appoint overseers ^[z]in charge of the land, and let him take a fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt as a tax in the seven years of abundance. ³⁵ Then have them ^(AA)collect 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 have them guard it. ³⁶ Let the food be used 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 ^[aa]proposal seemed good ^[ab]to Pharaoh and ^[ac]to all his servants.