International Standard Version

King James Bible

1Two years later—to the day—Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile River,

1And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river.

2when all of a sudden seven healthy, plump cows emerged from the Nile to graze in the grass that grew in the reeds that lined the bank.

2And, behold, there came up out of the river seven well favoured kine and fatfleshed; and they fed in a meadow.

3Right after that, seven more cows came up out of the Nile. Ugly and gaunt, they stood next to the other cows on the bank of the Nile River.

3And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill favoured and leanfleshed; and stood by the other kine upon the brink of the river.

4But all of a sudden they ate up the seven healthy, plump cows! Then Pharaoh woke up.

4And the ill favoured and leanfleshed kine did eat up the seven well favoured and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke.

5After he had fallen back to sleep, he had a second dream, in which seven ears of plump, fruit-filled grain grew up on a single stalk.

5And he slept and dreamed the second time: and, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good.

6Suddenly seven thin ears of grain that had been scorched by an east wind sprouted up right after them

6And, behold, seven thin ears and blasted with the east wind sprung up after them.

7and ate up the seven plump, fruit-filled ears. Then Pharaoh woke up a second time, and it had been a very vivid dream!

7And the seven thin ears devoured the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream.

8The very next morning, he was frustrated about the dream, so he sent word to summon all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them what he had dreamed, but no one could interpret them.

8And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.

9Then Pharaoh's senior security advisor spoke up. "Maybe I should make a confession.

9Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults this day:

10When Pharaoh was angry with some of his servants, he incarcerated me in custody of the captain of the bodyguard, along with Pharaoh's head chef.

10Pharaoh was wroth with his servants, and put me in ward in the captain of the guard's house, both me and the chief baker:

11We each had a dream on the same night, and each dream had its own meaning.

11And we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream.

12There was a Hebrew young man incarcerated with us, who was also working as a servant to the captain of the bodyguard. "We each related our dreams, and then he interpreted them for us. He provided specific meanings for each of our dreams.

12And there was there with us a young man, an Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard; and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each man according to his dream he did interpret.

13And what he interpreted for each of us came true! Pharaoh restored me to my responsibilities, but he executed the other man."

13And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was; me he restored unto mine office, and him he hanged.

14Pharoah sent word to summon Joseph quickly from the dungeon, so they shaved his beard, changed his clothes, and then sent him straight to Pharaoh.

14Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.

15"I've had a dream," Pharaoh told Joseph, "but nobody can interpret it. I've heard that you can interpret dreams."

15And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it.

16"I can't do that," Joseph replied, "but God is concerned about Pharaoh's well-being."

16And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.

17So Pharaoh told Joseph, "In my dream, I was standing on the bank of the Nile River,

17And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river:

18and all of a sudden seven healthy, plump, beautiful cows emerged from the Nile and began to graze among the reeds that line the bank.

18And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fatfleshed and well favoured; and they fed in a meadow:

19Just then, seven other cows emerged after them, poor, ugly, and appearing very gaunt in their flesh. I've never seen anything as ugly as those cows anywhere in the entire land of Egypt!

19And, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and leanfleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness:

20But those thin, gaunt cows gobbled up the first seven healthy cows!

20And the lean and the ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine:

21Not only that," Pharaoh continued, "after they had finished devouring the cows, nobody could tell that they had gobbled them up, because they were just as ugly as before. Then I woke up.

21And when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still ill favoured, as at the beginning. So I awoke.

22Later, I also dreamed about seven plump, fruit-filled ears of grain that grew up out of a single stalk.

22And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good:

23All of a sudden, seven thin, withered ears of grain, scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them.

23And, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them:

24But the thin ears gobbled up the seven good ears. I told all this to my advisors, but nobody was able to explain it to me."

24And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears: and I told this unto the magicians; but there was none that could declare it to me.

25"Pharaoh's dreams are identical," Joseph replied. "God has told Pharaoh what he is getting ready to do.

25And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.

26The seven healthy cows represent seven years, as do the seven healthy ears. The dreams are identical.

26The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one.

27The seven gaunt cows that arose after the healthy cows are seven years, as are the seven gaunt ears scorched by the east wind. There will be seven years of famine.

27And the seven thin and ill favoured kine that came up after them are seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine.

28So the message that I have for Pharaoh is that God is telling Pharaoh what he is getting ready to do.

28This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh.

29Be advised that seven years of phenomenal abundance are coming throughout all the land of Egypt,

29Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt:

30but after them seven years of famine are ahead, during which all of the abundance will be forgotten throughout the land of Egypt. The famine will ravage the land so severely that

30And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land;

31there will be no surplus in the land due to the coming famine, because it will be very severe.

31And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous.

32"Now since Pharaoh had that dream twice, it means that this event has been scheduled by God, and God will bring it to pass very soon.

32And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

33Therefore let Pharaoh select a wise, discerning person to place in charge over the land of Egypt.

33Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt.

34Also, let Pharaoh immediately proceed to appoint supervisors over the land of Egypt, who will collect one fifth of its agricultural production during the coming seven years of abundance.

34Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years.

35Let them collect all the food during the coming fruitful years, store up the grain in cities governed by Pharaoh's authority, and place it under guard.

35And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities.

36Let the food be kept in reserve to feed the land for the seven years of famine that will occur throughout Egypt, so the people don't die during the famine."

36And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine.

37What Joseph proposed pleased Pharaoh and all of his advisors,

37And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.

38so Pharaoh asked his servants, "Can we find anyone else like this—someone in whom the Spirit of God lives?

38And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?

39Since God has revealed all of this to you," Pharaoh told Joseph, "there is no one so wise and discerning as you.

39And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art:

40So you are to be appointed in charge over my palace, and all of my people are to do whatever you command them to do. Only the throne will have greater authority than you."

40Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.

41"Look!" Pharaoh confirmed to Joseph, "I've put you in charge of the entire land of Egypt!"

41And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.

42Then Pharaoh removed his signet ring from his hand, placed it on Joseph's hand, had him clothed in fine linen garments, and placed a gold chain around his neck.

42And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck;

43Then he provided him with a chariot as his second-in-command, outfitted with a group of people who shouted out in front of him, "Bow your knees!" And that's how Pharaoh set Joseph over the entire land of Egypt.

43And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.

44Pharaoh also told Joseph, "I'm still Pharaoh, but without your permission nobody in all of the land of Egypt will so much as lift up their hands or take a step!"

44And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.

45Pharaoh also changed Joseph's name to Zaphenath-paneah and gave Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On, to him as his wife. And that's how Joseph gained authority over the land of Egypt.

45And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnathpaaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.

46Joseph was 30 years old when he began to serve Pharaoh, king of Egypt, by traveling throughout the land of Egypt, independent from Pharaoh's oversight.

46And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.

47While bumper crops grew during the seven abundant years,

47And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls.

48Joseph collected the surplus food throughout the land of Egypt, storing food in cities; that is, he gathered the food from fields that surrounded every city and stored it there.

48And he gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same.

49Joseph stored up so much grain—like sand on the seashore in so much abundance!—that he stopped keeping records because it was proving to be impossible to measure how much they were gathering.

49And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number.

50Before the years of famine arrived, Joseph fathered two sons with Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On.

50And unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, which Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On bare unto him.

51Joseph named his firstborn son Manasseh because, he said, "God has made me forget all of my hard life and my father's house."

51And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house.

52He named his second son Ephraim because, he said, "God has made me fruitful in the land of my troubles."

52And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.

53As soon as the seven years of abundance throughout the land of Egypt ended,

53And the seven years of plenteousness, that was in the land of Egypt, were ended.

54the seven years of famine started, just as Joseph had predicted. It was an international famine, but there was food everywhere throughout the land of Egypt.

54And the seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.

55Eventually, the land of Egypt began to feel the effects of the famine, so the people cried out to Pharaoh for food. "Go see Joseph," Pharaoh announced to all the Egyptians, "and do whatever he tells you to do."

55And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do.

56Joseph opened all of the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, because the famine was beginning to be severe throughout the land of Egypt.

56And the famine was over all the face of the earth: And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt.

57In addition, all of the surrounding nations came to Joseph to buy grain from Egypt, because the famine had become severe throughout the world.

57And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands.

The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY.

King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.