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Joseph Interprets Pharaoh’s Dreams
After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile,
After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile,
Pharaoh’s Dreams
Two full years later, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing on the bank of the Nile River.
Two full years later, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing on the bank of the Nile River.
and behold, there came up out of the Nile seven cows, attractive and plump, and they fed in the reed grass.
In his dream he saw seven fat, healthy cows come up out of the river and begin grazing in the marsh grass.
And 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.
Then he saw seven more cows come up behind them from the Nile, but these were scrawny and thin. These cows stood beside the fat cows on the riverbank.
And the ugly, thin cows ate up the seven attractive, plump cows. And Pharaoh awoke.
Then the scrawny, thin cows ate the seven healthy, fat cows! At this point in the dream, Pharaoh woke up.
And he fell asleep and dreamed a second time. And behold, seven ears of grain, plump and good, were growing on one stalk.
But he fell asleep again and had a second dream. This time he saw seven heads of grain, plump and beautiful, growing on a single stalk.
And behold, after them sprouted seven ears, thin and blighted by the east wind.
Then seven more heads of grain appeared, but these were shriveled and withered by the east wind.
And the thin ears swallowed up the seven plump, full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.
And these thin heads swallowed up the seven plump, well-formed heads! Then Pharaoh woke up again and realized it was a dream.
So 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.
The next morning Pharaoh was very disturbed by the dreams. So he called for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. When Pharaoh told them his dreams, not one of them could tell him what they meant.
Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “I remember my offenses today.
Finally, the king’s chief cup-bearer spoke up. “Today I have been reminded of my failure,” he told Pharaoh.
When Pharaoh was angry with his servants and put me and the chief baker in custody in the house of the captain of the guard,
“Some time ago, you were angry with the chief baker and me, and you imprisoned us in the palace of the captain of the guard.
we dreamed on the same night, he and I, each having a dream with its own interpretation.
One night the chief baker and I each had a dream, and each dream had its own meaning.
A 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.
There was a young Hebrew man with us in the prison who was a slave of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he told us what each of our dreams meant.
And as he interpreted to us, so it came about. I was restored to my office, and the baker was hanged.”
And everything happened just as he had predicted. I was restored to my position as cup-bearer, and the chief baker was executed and impaled on a pole.”
Then 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.
Pharaoh sent for Joseph at once, and he was quickly brought from the prison. After he shaved and changed his clothes, he went in and stood before Pharaoh.
And 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.”
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream last night, and no one here can tell me what it means. But I have heard that when you hear about a dream you can interpret it.”
“It is beyond my power to do this,” Joseph replied. “But God can tell you what it means and set you at ease.”
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Behold, in my dream I was standing on the banks of the Nile.
So Pharaoh told Joseph his dream. “In my dream,” he said, “I was standing on the bank of the Nile River,
Seven cows, plump and attractive, came up out of the Nile and fed in the reed grass.
and I saw seven fat, healthy cows come up out of the river and begin grazing in the marsh grass.
Seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and thin, such as I had never seen in all the land of Egypt.
But then I saw seven sick-looking cows, scrawny and thin, come up after them. I’ve never seen such sorry-looking animals in all the land of Egypt.
And the thin, ugly cows ate up the first seven plump cows,
These thin, scrawny cows ate the seven fat cows.
but 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.
But afterward you wouldn’t have known it, for they were still as thin and scrawny as before! Then I woke up.
I also saw in my dream seven ears growing on one stalk, full and good.
“In my dream I also saw seven heads of grain, full and beautiful, growing on a single stalk.
Seven ears, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprouted after them,
Then seven more heads of grain appeared, but these were blighted, shriveled, and withered by the east wind.
and 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.”
And the shriveled heads swallowed the seven healthy heads. I told these dreams to the magicians, but no one could tell me what they mean.”
Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.
Joseph responded, “Both of Pharaoh’s dreams mean the same thing. God is telling Pharaoh in advance what he is about to do.
The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one.
The seven healthy cows and the seven healthy heads of grain both represent seven years of prosperity.
The 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.
The seven thin, scrawny cows that came up later and the seven thin heads of grain, withered by the east wind, represent seven years of famine.
It is as I told Pharaoh; God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do.
“This will happen just as I have described it, for God has revealed to Pharaoh in advance what he is about to do.
There will come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt,
The next seven years will be a period of great prosperity throughout the land of Egypt.
but 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,
But afterward there will be seven years of famine so great that all the prosperity will be forgotten in Egypt. Famine will destroy the land.
and the plenty will be unknown in the land by reason of the famine that will follow, for it will be very severe.
This famine will be so severe that even the memory of the good years will be erased.
And the doubling of Pharaoh’s dream means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about.
As for having two similar dreams, it means that these events have been decreed by God, and he will soon make them happen.
Now therefore let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt.
“Therefore, Pharaoh should find an intelligent and wise man and put him in charge of the entire land of Egypt.
Then Pharaoh should appoint supervisors over the land and let them collect one-fifth of all the crops during the seven good years.
And 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.
Have them gather all the food produced in the good years that are just ahead and bring it to Pharaoh’s storehouses. Store it away, and guard it so there will be food in the cities.
That 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.”
That way there will be enough to eat when the seven years of famine come to the land of Egypt. Otherwise this famine will destroy the land.”
Joseph Rises to Power
This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants.
This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants.
Joseph Made Ruler of Egypt
Joseph’s suggestions were well received by Pharaoh and his officials.
So Pharaoh asked his officials, “Can we find anyone else like this man so obviously filled with the spirit of God?”
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are.
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has revealed the meaning of the dreams to you, clearly no one else is as intelligent or wise as you are.
You will be in charge of my court, and all my people will take orders from you. Only I, sitting on my throne, will have a rank higher than yours.”
And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.”
Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the entire land of Egypt.”
Then 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.
Then Pharaoh removed his signet ring from his hand and placed it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in fine linen clothing and hung a gold chain around his neck.
Then he had Joseph ride in the chariot reserved for his second-in-command. And wherever Joseph went, the command was shouted, “Kneel down!” So Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of all Egypt.
Moreover, 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.”
And Pharaoh said to him, “I am Pharaoh, but no one will lift a hand or foot in the entire land of Egypt without your approval.”
And 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.
Joseph 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.
He was thirty years old when he began serving in the court of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. And when Joseph left Pharaoh’s presence, he inspected the entire land of Egypt.
During the seven plentiful years the earth produced abundantly,
As predicted, for seven years the land produced bumper crops.
and 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.
During those years, Joseph gathered all the crops grown in Egypt and stored the grain from the surrounding fields in the cities.
And 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.
He piled up huge amounts of grain like sand on the seashore. Finally, he stopped keeping records because there was too much to measure.
Before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph. Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore them to him.
During this time, before the first of the famine years, two sons were born to Joseph and his wife, Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On.
The seven years of plenty that occurred in the land of Egypt came to an end,
At last the seven years of bumper crops throughout the land of Egypt came to an end.
and 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.
Then the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had predicted. The famine also struck all the surrounding countries, but throughout Egypt there was plenty of food.
When 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.”
Eventually, however, the famine spread throughout the land of Egypt as well. And when the people cried out to Pharaoh for food, he told them, “Go to Joseph, and do whatever he tells you.”
So with severe famine everywhere, Joseph opened up the storehouses and distributed grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout the land of Egypt.