English Standard Version

International Standard Version

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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,

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.

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

11We each had a dream on the same night, 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 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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.”

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

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

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

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

17So Pharaoh told Joseph, "In my dream, 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 all of a sudden seven healthy, plump, beautiful cows emerged from the Nile and began to graze among the reeds that line the bank.

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.

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!

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.”

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."

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

25"Pharaoh's dreams are identical," Joseph replied. "God has told Pharaoh what he is getting ready 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 represent seven years, as do the seven healthy ears. The dreams are identical.

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 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.

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

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

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

29Be advised that seven years of phenomenal abundance are coming throughout all 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 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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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."

37This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants.

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

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

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

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

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

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.”

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."

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

41"Look!" Pharaoh confirmed to Joseph, "I've 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, placed it on Joseph's hand, had him clothed in fine linen garments, and placed 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 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.

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.”

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!"

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.

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.

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.

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.

47During the seven plentiful years the earth produced abundantly,

47While bumper crops grew during the seven abundant years,

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

50Before the years of famine arrived, Joseph fathered two sons with 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 firstborn son Manasseh because, he said, "God has made me forget all of my hard life and my father's house."

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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, 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."

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.

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.

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

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

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