English Standard Version

New Living Translation

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

1Two full years later, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing on the bank of the Nile River.

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

2In his dream he saw seven fat, healthy cows come up out of the river and begin grazing in the marsh grass.

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.

3Then 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.

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

4Then the scrawny, thin cows ate the seven healthy, fat cows! At this point in the dream, Pharaoh woke up.

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

5But 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.

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

6Then seven more heads of grain appeared, but these were shriveled and withered by the east wind.

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

7And these thin heads swallowed up the seven plump, well-formed heads! Then Pharaoh woke up again and realized it was a dream.

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.

8The 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.

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

9Finally, the king’s chief cup-bearer spoke up. “Today I have been reminded of my failure,” he told Pharaoh.

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,

10“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.

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

11One night the chief baker and I each had a dream, and each dream had its own meaning.

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.

12There 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.

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

13And 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.”

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.

14Pharaoh 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.

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.”

15Then 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.”

16Joseph answered Pharaoh, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”

16“It is beyond my power to do this,” Joseph replied. “But God can tell you what it means and set you at ease.”

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

17So Pharaoh told Joseph his dream. “In my dream,” he said, “I was standing on the bank of the Nile River,

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

18and I saw seven fat, healthy cows come up out of the river and begin grazing in the marsh grass.

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.

19But 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.

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

20These thin, scrawny cows ate the seven fat cows.

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.

21But afterward you wouldn’t have known it, for they were still as thin and scrawny as before! Then I woke up.

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

22“In my dream I also saw seven heads of grain, full and beautiful, growing on a single stalk.

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

23Then seven more heads of grain appeared, but these were blighted, shriveled, and withered by the east wind.

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.”

24And the shriveled heads swallowed the seven healthy heads. I told these dreams to the magicians, but no one could tell me what they mean.”

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

25Joseph responded, “Both of Pharaoh’s dreams mean the same thing. God is telling Pharaoh in advance what he is about to do.

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

26The seven healthy cows and the seven healthy heads of grain both represent seven years of prosperity.

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.

27The 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.

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

28“This will happen just as I have described it, for God has revealed to Pharaoh in advance what he is about to do.

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

29The next seven years will be a period of great prosperity throughout the land of Egypt.

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,

30But afterward there will be seven years of famine so great that all the prosperity will be forgotten in Egypt. Famine will destroy the land.

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

31This famine will be so severe that even the memory of the good years will be erased.

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

32As for having two similar dreams, it means that these events have been decreed by God, and he will soon make them happen.

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

33“Therefore, Pharaoh should find an intelligent and wise man and put him in charge of the entire land of Egypt.

34Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven plentiful years.

34Then Pharaoh should appoint supervisors over the land and let them collect one-fifth of all the crops during the seven good years.

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.

35Have 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.

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.”

36That 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 Made Ruler of Egypt

37This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants.

37Joseph’s suggestions were well received by Pharaoh and his officials.

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

38So Pharaoh asked his officials, “Can we find anyone else like this man so obviously filled with the spirit of God?”

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

39Then 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.

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.”

40You 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.”

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

41Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the entire land of Egypt.”

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.

42Then 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.

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

43Then 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.

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.”

44And 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.”

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.

45Then Pharaoh gave Joseph a new Egyptian name, Zaphenath-paneah. He also gave him a wife, whose name was Asenath. She was the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On. So Joseph took charge of the entire land of Egypt.

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.

46He 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.

47During the seven plentiful years the earth produced abundantly,

47As predicted, for seven years the land produced bumper crops.

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.

48During those years, Joseph gathered all the crops grown in Egypt and stored the grain from the surrounding fields in the cities.

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.

49He piled up huge amounts of grain like sand on the seashore. Finally, he stopped keeping records because there was too much to measure.

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

50During 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.

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.”

51Joseph named his older son Manasseh, for he said, “God has made me forget all my troubles and everyone in my father’s family.”

52The name of the second he called Ephraim, “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”

52Joseph named his second son Ephraim, for he said, “God has made me fruitful in this land of my grief.”

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

53At last the seven years of bumper crops throughout the land of Egypt came to an end.

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.

54Then 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.

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.”

55Eventually, 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.”

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.

56So 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.

57Moreover, all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth.

57And people from all around came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph because the famine was severe throughout the world.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.