Genesis 41 :: Revised Standard Version (RSV)

Pharaoh's Dream

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

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

Gen 41:3And behold, seven other cows, gaunt 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 gaunt and thin cows ate up the seven sleek and fat 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 and 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; and Pharaoh told them his dream, but there was none who could interpret it to Pharaoh.

Gen 41:9

Gen 41:9Then the chief butler said to Pharaoh, "I remember my faults 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 meaning.

Gen 41:12

Gen 41:12A young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard; and 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 to pass; I was restored to my office, and the baker was hanged."

Joseph Interprets

Gen 41:14

Gen 41:14Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon; 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; and 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."

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 41:18and seven cows, fat and sleek, came up out of the Nile and fed in the reed grass;

Gen 41:19

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

Gen 41:20

Gen 41:20And the thin and gaunt cows ate up the first seven fat 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 gaunt 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 41:23and seven 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 dream of Pharaoh is 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 dream is one.

Gen 41:27

Gen 41:27The seven lean and gaunt 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 that famine which will follow, for it will be very grievous.

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 to pass.

Gen 41:33

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

Gen 41:34

Gen 41:34Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land, and take the fifth part of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven plenteous years.

Gen 41:35

Gen 41:35And let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming, and lay 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 which are to befall the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish through the famine."

Gen 41:37

Gen 41:37This proposal seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his servants.

Joseph Is Made a Ruler of Egypt

Gen 41:38

Gen 41:38And Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find such a man as this, in whom is the Spirit of God?"

Gen 41:39

Gen 41:39So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discreet 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; only as regards the throne will I be greater than you."

Gen 41:41

Gen 41:41And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Behold, 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 arrayed him in garments of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck;

Gen 41:43

Gen 41:43and he made him to ride in his second chariot; and they cried before him, "Bow the knee!" 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 man shall lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt."

Gen 41:45

Gen 41:45And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaph'enath-pane'ah; and he gave him in marriage As'enath, the daughter of Poti'phera 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 plenteous years the earth brought forth abundantly,

Gen 41:48

Gen 41:48and he gathered up all the food of the seven years when there was plenty in the land of Egypt, and stored up food in the cities; he stored up 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.

The Sons of Joseph

Gen 41:50

Gen 41:50Before the year of famine came, Joseph had two sons, whom As'enath, the daughter of Poti'phera priest of On, bore to him.

Gen 41:51

Gen 41:51Joseph called the name of the first-born Manas'seh, "For," he said, "God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father's house."

Gen 41:52

Gen 41:52The name of the second he called E'phraim, "For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction."

Gen 41:53

Gen 41:53The seven years of plenty that prevailed 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; and 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, 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.

Downloaded from the Oxford Text Archive and used with permission. The following header is required to be posted:

Source: Transcribed from: The Holy Bible: Revised Standard Version containing the Old and New Testaments, translated from the original tongues: being the version set forth A.D. 1611, revised A.D. 1881-1885 and A.D. 1901: compared with the most ancient authorities and revised A.D. 1946-52. — 2nd ed. of New Testament A.D. 1971. There should be enough in the rest of the description to identify the text.

Language: English

Availability: Freely available for non-commercial use provided that this header is included in its entirety with any copy distributed.

Pericope

Genesis Chapter 41 — Additional Translations:

King James Version New King James Version New Living Translation New International Version English Standard Version Christian Standard Bible New American Standard Bible 2020 New American Standard Bible 1995 Legacy Standard Bible Amplified Bible New English Translation American Standard Version Young's Literal Translation Darby Translation Webster's Bible Hebrew Names Version Latin Vulgate Westminster Leningrad Codex Septuagint Smith Van Dyck Arabic Bible Open New Arabic Version Brenton's English Septuagint Reina Valera 1909 Reina-Valera 1960 Bible in Basic English Chinese Traditional Union Espanol Moderno Korean Holy Bible Louis Segond German Luther Russian Synodal Translation Sagradas Escrituras