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Genesis 41 :: English Standard Version (ESV)

Joseph Interprets Pharaoh’s Dreams

Gen 41:1

Gen 41:1After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile,

Gen 41:2

Gen 41:2and behold, there came up out of the Nile seven cows, attractive and plump, and they fed in the reed grass.

Gen 41:3

Gen 41:3And behold, seven other cows, ugly and thin, came up out of the Nile after them, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile.

Gen 41:4

Gen 41:4And the ugly, thin cows ate up the seven attractive, plump cows. And Pharaoh awoke.

Gen 41:5

Gen 41:5And he fell asleep and dreamed a second time. And behold, seven ears of grain, plump and good, were growing on one stalk.

Gen 41:6

Gen 41:6And behold, after them sprouted seven ears, thin and blighted by the east wind.

Gen 41:7

Gen 41:7And the thin ears swallowed up the seven plump, full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.

Gen 41:8

Gen 41:8So in the morning his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was none who could interpret them to Pharaoh.

Gen 41:9

Gen 41:9Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “I remember my offenses today.

Gen 41:10

Gen 41:10When Pharaoh was angry with his servants and put me and the chief baker in custody in the house of the captain of the guard,

Gen 41:11

Gen 41:11we dreamed on the same night, he and I, each having a dream with its own interpretation.

Gen 41:12

Gen 41:12A young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. When we told him, he interpreted our dreams to us, giving an interpretation to each man according to his dream.

Gen 41:13

Gen 41:13And as he interpreted to us, so it came about. I was restored to my office, and the baker was hanged.”

Gen 41:14

Gen 41:14Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they quickly brought him out of the pit. And when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came in before Pharaoh.

Gen 41:15

Gen 41:15And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”

Gen 41:16

Gen 41:16Joseph answered Pharaoh, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”[fn]

Gen 41:17

Gen 41:17Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Behold, in my dream I was standing on the banks of the Nile.

Gen 41:18

Gen 41:18Seven cows, plump and attractive, came up out of the Nile and fed in the reed grass.

Gen 41:19

Gen 41:19Seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and thin, such as I had never seen in all the land of Egypt.

Gen 41:20

Gen 41:20And the thin, ugly cows ate up the first seven plump cows,

Gen 41:21

Gen 41:21but when they had eaten them no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were still as ugly as at the beginning. Then I awoke.

Gen 41:22

Gen 41:22I also saw in my dream seven ears growing on one stalk, full and good.

Gen 41:23

Gen 41:23Seven ears, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprouted after them,

Gen 41:24

Gen 41:24and the thin ears swallowed up the seven good ears. And I told it to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.”

Gen 41:25

Gen 41:25Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.

Gen 41:26

Gen 41:26The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one.

Gen 41:27

Gen 41:27The seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears blighted by the east wind are also seven years of famine.

Gen 41:28

Gen 41:28It is as I told Pharaoh; God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do.

Gen 41:29

Gen 41:29There will come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt,

Gen 41:30

Gen 41:30but after them there will arise seven years of famine, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will consume the land,

Gen 41:31

Gen 41:31and the plenty will be unknown in the land by reason of the famine that will follow, for it will be very severe.

Gen 41:32

Gen 41:32And the doubling of Pharaoh’s dream means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about.

Gen 41:33

Gen 41:33Now therefore let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt.

Gen 41:34

Gen 41:34Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take one-fifth of the produce of the land[fn] of Egypt during the seven plentiful years.

Gen 41:35

Gen 41:35And let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it.

Gen 41:36

Gen 41:36That food shall be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine that are to occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish through the famine.”

Joseph Rises to Power

Gen 41:37

Gen 41:37This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants.

Gen 41:38

Gen 41:38And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?”[fn]

Gen 41:39

Gen 41:39Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are.

Gen 41:40

Gen 41:40You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command.[fn] Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you.”

Gen 41:41

Gen 41:41And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.”

Gen 41:42

Gen 41:42Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck.

Gen 41:43

Gen 41:43And he made him ride in his second chariot. And they called out before him, “Bow the knee!”[fn] Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt.

Gen 41:44

Gen 41:44Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no one shall lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.”

Gen 41:45

Gen 41:45And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphenath-paneah. And he gave him in marriage Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On. So Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.

Gen 41:46

Gen 41:46Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt.

Gen 41:47

Gen 41:47During the seven plentiful years the earth produced abundantly,

Gen 41:48

Gen 41:48and he gathered up all the food of these seven years, which occurred in the land of Egypt, and put the food in the cities. He put in every city the food from the fields around it.

Gen 41:49

Gen 41:49And Joseph stored up grain in great abundance, like the sand of the sea, until he ceased to measure it, for it could not be measured.

Gen 41:50

Gen 41:50Before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph. Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore them to him.

Gen 41:51

Gen 41:51Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh. “For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s house.”[fn]

Gen 41:52

Gen 41:52The name of the second he called Ephraim, “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”[fn]

Gen 41:53

Gen 41:53The seven years of plenty that occurred in the land of Egypt came to an end,

Gen 41:54

Gen 41:54and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.

Gen 41:55

Gen 41:55When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph. What he says to you, do.”

Gen 41:56

Gen 41:56So when the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses[fn] and sold to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.

Gen 41:57

Gen 41:57Moreover, all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth.
See the ESV Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).
ESV Footnotes
Or (compare Samaritan, Septuagint) Without God it is not possible to give Pharaoh an answer about his welfare
Or over the land and organize the land
Or of the gods
Hebrew and according to your command all my people shall kiss the ground
Abrek, probably an Egyptian word, similar in sound to the Hebrew word meaning to kneel
Manasseh sounds like the Hebrew for making to forget
Ephraim sounds like the Hebrew for making fruitful
Hebrew all that was in them
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Genesis Chapter 41 — Additional Translations:

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