Genesis 41

Thomson^{(i) 1} But it happened that at the end of two years Pharao had a dream. He thought he was standing by the river; ² and lo! there came up out of the river seven cows of a beautiful figure and very fat; and they fed on the sedge. ³ And seven other cows came up after them out of the river, ill favoured and lean; and they fed near the other cows on the bank of the river; ⁴ and the seven ill favoured and lean cows devoured the seven cows which were of a beautiful figure and full of flesh. And Pharao awoke. ⁵ Again he dreamed a second time; and lo! seven ears of corn sprang upon one stalk, choice and good: ⁶ and lo! seven ears thin and blasted sprang up after them. ⁷ And the seven thin and blasted ears devoured the seven ears which were choice and full. And Pharao awoke; and it was a dream. ⁸ And in the morning his spirit was troubled, and he sent for all the interpreters of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof, and told them his dream, but there was none who could interpret it to Pharao. ⁹ Upon this the chief butler spoke to Pharao, saying, I this day acknowledge my fault. ¹⁰ Pharao was angry with his servants, and ordered us to be confined in the house of the captain of the guards; both me and the chief baker. ¹¹ And both I and he had a dream the same night, each had a dream regarding himself. ¹² And there was there with us a youth, a Hebrew servant of the captain of the guard, and we told him, and he interpreted to us. ¹³ And it fell out as he interpreted to us: I was restored to my office; but he was hanged. ¹⁴ Upon this Pharao sent for Joseph, and they brought him out of the prison. And when they had shaved him and changed his raiment, he came to Pharao. ¹⁵ And Pharao said to Joseph, I have had a dream and there is none who can interpret it. But I have heard people say of thee, that upon hearing dreams thou canst interpret them. ¹⁶ In reply to which, Joseph said to Pharao, Without God no answer of peace can be given to Pharao. ¹⁷ Then Pharao spoke to Joseph saying, In my sleep I thought I was standing near the edge of the river; ¹⁸ and there came up as it were out of the river, seven cows of a beautiful figure, and very fat; and they fed on the sedge. ¹⁹ And lo! seven other cows came up after them, out of the river, ugly and ill favoured and lean of flesh; such that I never saw worse in all the land of Egypt. ²⁰ And the seven ill favoured and lean cows devoured the first seven cows which were choice and good. ²¹ But though they devoured them, they gave no sign of fulnes. Their appearance was as ugly as before. Then I awoke and again went to sleep, ²² and in my sleep I again saw as if seven ears of corn sprang up, on one stalk, full and good; ²³ and adjoining them seven other ears sprang up, thin and blasted. ²⁴ And the seven thin and blasted ears devoured the seven ears which were full and good. Now I have told the interpreters; but there is not one who can interpret this to me. ²⁵ Then Joseph said to Pharao, The dream of Pharao is one. God hath shewn Pharao what he is about to do. ²⁶ The seven beautiful cows are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years. The dream of Pharao is one. ²⁷ The seven lean cows also which came up after them are seven years; and the seven thin and blasted ears are seven years. There shall be seven years of famine. ²⁸ This is the thing which I have said to Pharao, God hath shewn Pharao what he is about to do. ²⁹ Behold seven years are coming of great plenty in all the land of Egypt. ³⁰ But after these there will come seven years of famine. And they will cause the coming plenty to be forgotten in all Egypt. And the famine will consume the land, ³¹ so that the plenty will not be known in the land, by reason of the famine which will come after it: for it will be very great. ³² And in as much as the dream of Pharao was doubled, the thing which God had determined will surely come to pass; and God is hasting to do it. ³³ Now therefore look out for a man of prudence and understanding, and set him over the land of Egypt. ³⁴ And let Pharao appoint and set governors of districts over the whole land, and let them send in a fifth of all the products of the land of Egypt, during the seven years of plenty, ³⁵ and collect all the eatables of those seven good years which are coming. And let food be collected under the care of Pharao, and eatables stored in the cities. ³⁶ So shall food be kept in the country, against the seven years of famine which will be in the land of Egypt, and the country will not be wasted with the famine. ³⁷ And the advice was agreeable in the view of Pharao and in the view of all his servants. ³⁸ And Pharao said to all his servants, Can we find such a man as this who hath in him the spirit of God? ³⁹ Then Pharao said to Joseph, Seeing God hath shewn thee all these things, there is none more prudent and wise than thou thyself. ⁴⁰ Thou shalt be over my household and to thy command all my people shall pay obedience. Only on the throne will I be greater than thou. ⁴¹ Moreover Pharao said to Joseph, Behold I have set thee this day over all the land of Egypt, ⁴² And Pharao took off the ring from his own hand and put it on Joseph's hand, and clothed him with a cotton robe, and put a chain of gold about his neck; ⁴³ and caused him to mount a chariot next to that of his own. And a herald made proclamation before him. And when he had set him over all the land of Egypt, ⁴⁴ Pharao said to Joseph, I am Pharao. Without thee no man shall lift up his hand in all the land of Egypt. ⁴⁵ And Pharao called Joseph's name Psonthomphanech and gave him Aseneth a daughter of Petephres the priest of Heliopolis to be his wife. ⁴⁶ Now Joseph was thirty years old, when he stood before Pharao king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharao and went through all the land of Egypt. ⁴⁷ And in the seven years of plenty the land produced in vast abundance ⁴⁸ and he collected all the varieties of food of those seven years, in which there was plenty in the land of Egypt and stored it in the cities. In every city he stored the eatable productions of the fields around. ⁴⁹ So Joseph collected food like the sand of the sea in great abundance until it could not be numbered, for it was innumerable. ⁵⁰ Now before the seven years of famine Joseph had two sons, whom Aseneth the daughter of Petephres the priest of Heliopolis bore to him. ⁵¹ And Joseph called the name of his first born Manasses, because God hath made me forget all my troubles and all my father's family. And the name of his second son he called Ephraim, because God hath made me fruitful in the land of my affliction. ⁵³ And when the seven years of plenty which had been in the land of Egypt were past, ⁵⁴ the seven years of famine began to come as Joseph said. And there was a famine in the whole earth, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. ⁵⁵ And when all the land of Egypt began to be in want and the people cried to Pharao for bread, Pharao said to all the Egyptians, Go to Joseph and do whatever he saith to you. ⁵⁶ As the famine was over the face of the whole earth, when Joseph opened all his granaries and sold to all the Egyptians, ⁵⁷ all the countries came to Egypt to buy of Joseph, for the famine was great in the whole earth.