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| 1Two years later—to the day—Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile River, | 1When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile, |
| 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. | 2when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. |
| 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. | 3After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. |
| 4But all of a sudden they ate up the seven healthy, plump cows! Then Pharaoh woke up. | 4And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. |
| 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. | 5He fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk. |
| 6Suddenly seven thin ears of grain that had been scorched by an east wind sprouted up right after them | 6After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted--thin and scorched by the east wind. |
| 7and ate up the seven plump, fruit-filled ears. Then Pharaoh woke up a second time, and it had been a very vivid dream! | 7The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been 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. | 8In the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him. |
| 9Then Pharaoh's senior security advisor spoke up. "Maybe I should make a confession. | 9Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, "Today I am reminded of my shortcomings. |
| 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 once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard. |
| 11We each had a dream on the same night, and each dream had its own meaning. | 11Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. |
| 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. | 12Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream. |
| 13And what he interpreted for each of us came true! Pharaoh restored me to my responsibilities, but he executed the other man." | 13And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was impaled." |
| 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. | 14So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh. |
| 15"I've had a dream," Pharaoh told Joseph, "but nobody can interpret it. I've heard that you can interpret dreams." | 15Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it." |
| 16"I can't do that," Joseph replied, "but God is concerned about Pharaoh's well-being." | 16"I cannot do it," Joseph replied to Pharaoh, "but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires." |
| 17So Pharaoh told Joseph, "In my dream, I was standing on the bank of the Nile River, | 17Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile, |
| 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. | 18when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds. |
| 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! | 19After them, seven other cows came up--scrawny and very ugly and lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt. |
| 20But those thin, gaunt cows gobbled up the first seven healthy cows! | 20The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first. |
| 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. | 21But even after they ate them, no one could tell that they had done so; they looked just as ugly as before. Then I woke up. |
| 22Later, I also dreamed about seven plump, fruit-filled ears of grain that grew up out of a single stalk. | 22"In my dream I saw seven heads of grain, full and good, growing on a single stalk. |
| 23All of a sudden, seven thin, withered ears of grain, scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them. | 23After them, seven other heads sprouted--withered and thin and scorched by the east wind. |
| 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." | 24The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but none of them could explain it to me." |
| 25"Pharaoh's dreams are identical," Joseph replied. "God has told Pharaoh what he is getting ready to do. | 25Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to 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 cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. |
| 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. | 27The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are 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. | 28"It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. |
| 29Be advised that seven years of phenomenal abundance are coming throughout all the land of Egypt, | 29Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout 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 | 30but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. |
| 31there will be no surplus in the land due to the coming famine, because it will be very severe. | 31The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. |
| 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. | 32The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon. |
| 33Therefore let Pharaoh select a wise, discerning person to place in charge over the land of Egypt. | 33"And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of 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 appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. |
| 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. | 35They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. |
| 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." | 36This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine." |
| 37What Joseph proposed pleased Pharaoh and all of his advisors, | 37The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. |
| 38so Pharaoh asked his servants, "Can we find anyone else like this—someone in whom the Spirit of God lives? | 38So Pharaoh asked them, "Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?" |
| 39Since God has revealed all of this to you," Pharaoh told Joseph, "there is no one so wise and discerning as you. | 39Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. |
| 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." | 40You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you." |
| 41"Look!" Pharaoh confirmed to Joseph, "I've put you in charge of the entire land of Egypt!" | 41So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I hereby put you in charge of the whole 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. | 42Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph's finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around 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. | 43He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and people shouted before him, "Make way!" Thus he put him in charge of the whole 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!" | 44Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all 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. | 45Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout 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. | 46Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh's presence and traveled throughout Egypt. |
| 47While bumper crops grew during the seven abundant years, | 47During the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully. |
| 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. | 48Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it. |
| 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. | 49Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure. |
| 50Before the years of famine arrived, Joseph fathered two sons with Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On. | 50Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. |
| 51Joseph named his firstborn son Manasseh because, he said, "God has made me forget all of my hard life and my father's house." | 51Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, "It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household." |
| 52He named his second son Ephraim because, he said, "God has made me fruitful in the land of my troubles." | 52The second son he named Ephraim and said, "It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering." |
| 53As soon as the seven years of abundance throughout the land of Egypt ended, | 53The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end, |
| 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 famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food. |
| 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." | 55When all Egypt began to feel the famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph and do what he tells you." |
| 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. | 56When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout 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 the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe everywhere. |
The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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