| New International Version | NET Bible |
| 1When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile, | 1At the end of two full years Pharaoh had a dream. As he was standing by the Nile, |
| 2when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. | 2seven fine-looking, fat cows were coming up out of the Nile, and they grazed in the reeds. |
| 3After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. | 3Then seven bad-looking, thin cows were coming up after them from the Nile, and they stood beside the other cows at the edge of the river. |
| 4And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. | 4The bad-looking, thin cows ate the seven fine-looking, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. |
| 5He fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk. | 5Then he fell asleep again and had a second dream: There were seven heads of grain growing on one stalk, healthy and good. |
| 6After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted--thin and scorched by the east wind. | 6Then seven heads of grain, thin and burned by the east wind, were sprouting up after them. |
| 7The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been a dream. | 7The thin heads swallowed up the seven healthy and full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up and realized it was a dream. |
| 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. | 8In the morning he was troubled, so he called for all the diviner-priests of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him. |
| 9Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, "Today I am reminded of my shortcomings. | 9Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, "Today I recall my failures. |
| 10Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard. | 10Pharaoh was enraged with his servants, and he put me in prison in the house of the captain of the guards--me and the chief baker. |
| 11Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. | 11We each had a dream one night; each of us had a dream with its own meaning. |
| 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. | 12Now a young man, a Hebrew, a servant of the captain of the guards, was with us there. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted the meaning of each of our respective dreams for us. |
| 13And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was impaled." | 13It happened just as he had said to us--Pharaoh restored me to my office, but he impaled the baker." |
| 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. | 14Then Pharaoh summoned Joseph. So they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; he shaved himself, changed his clothes, and came before Pharaoh. |
| 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." | 15Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard about you, that you can interpret dreams." |
| 16"I cannot do it," Joseph replied to Pharaoh, "but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires." | 16Joseph replied to Pharaoh, "It is not within my power, but God will speak concerning the welfare of Pharaoh." |
| 17Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile, | 17Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "In my dream I was standing by the edge of the Nile. |
| 18when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds. | 18Then seven fat and fine-looking cows were coming up out of the Nile, and they grazed in the reeds. |
| 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. | 19Then seven other cows came up after them; they were scrawny, very bad-looking, and lean. I had never seen such bad-looking cows as these in all the land of Egypt! |
| 20The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first. | 20The lean, bad-looking cows ate up the seven fat cows. |
| 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. | 21When they had eaten them, no one would have known that they had done so, for they were just as bad-looking as before. Then I woke up. |
| 22"In my dream I saw seven heads of grain, full and good, growing on a single stalk. | 22I also saw in my dream seven heads of grain growing on one stalk, full and good. |
| 23After them, seven other heads sprouted--withered and thin and scorched by the east wind. | 23Then seven heads of grain, withered and thin and burned with the east wind, were sprouting up after them. |
| 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." | 24The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads of grain. So I told all this to the diviner-priests, but no one could tell me its meaning." |
| 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. | 25Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "Both dreams of Pharaoh have the same meaning. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. |
| 26The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. | 26The seven good cows represent seven years, and the seven good heads of grain represent seven years. Both dreams have the same meaning. |
| 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. | 27The seven lean, bad-looking cows that came up after them represent seven years, as do the seven empty heads of grain burned with the east wind. They represent seven years of famine. |
| 28"It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. | 28This is just what I told Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. |
| 29Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, | 29Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the whole land of Egypt. |
| 30but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. | 30But seven years of famine will occur after them, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will devastate the land. |
| 31The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. | 31The previous abundance of the land will not be remembered because of the famine that follows, for the famine will be very severe. |
| 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. | 32The dream was repeated to Pharaoh because the matter has been decreed by God, and God will make it happen soon. |
| 33"And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. | 33"So now Pharaoh should look for a wise and discerning man and give him authority over all the land of Egypt. |
| 34Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. | 34Pharaoh should do this--he should appoint officials throughout the land to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. |
| 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. | 35They should gather all the excess food during these good years that are coming. By Pharaoh's authority they should store up grain so the cities will have food, and they should preserve it. |
| 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." | 36This food should be held in storage for the land in preparation for the seven years of famine that will occur throughout the land of Egypt. In this way the land will survive the famine." |
| 37The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. | 37This advice made sense to Pharaoh and all his officials. |
| 38So Pharaoh asked them, "Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?" | 38So Pharaoh asked his officials, "Can we find a man like Joseph, one in whom the Spirit of God is present?" |
| 39Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. | 39So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Because God has enabled you to know all this, there is no one as wise and discerning as you are! |
| 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." | 40You will oversee my household, and all my people will submit to your commands. Only I, the king, will be greater than you. |
| 41So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt." | 41"See here," Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I place you in authority over all the land of Egypt." |
| 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. | 42Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his own hand and put it on Joseph's. He clothed him with fine linen clothes and put a gold chain around his neck. |
| 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. | 43Pharaoh had him ride in the chariot used by his second-in-command, and they cried out before him, "Kneel down!" So he placed him over all the land of Egypt. |
| 44Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt." | 44Pharaoh also said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, but without your permission no one will move his hand or his foot in all 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. | 45Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah. He also gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. So Joseph took charge of all the land of Egypt. |
| 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. | 46Now Joseph was 30 years old when he began serving Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph was commissioned by Pharaoh and was in charge of all the land of Egypt. |
| 47During the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully. | 47During the seven years of abundance the land produced large, bountiful harvests. |
| 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. | 48Joseph collected all the excess food in the land of Egypt during the seven years and stored it in the cities. In every city he put the food gathered from the fields around it. |
| 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. | 49Joseph stored up a vast amount of grain, like the sand of the sea, until he stopped measuring it because it was impossible to measure. |
| 50Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. | 50Two sons were born to Joseph before the famine came. Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, was their mother. |
| 51Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, "It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household." | 51Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, saying, "Certainly God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's house." |
| 52The second son he named Ephraim and said, "It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering." | 52He named the second child Ephraim, saying, "Certainly God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering." |
| 53The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end, | 53The seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt came to an end. |
| 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. | 54Then the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had predicted. There was famine in all the other lands, but throughout the land of Egypt there was food. |
| 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." | 55When all the land of Egypt experienced the famine, the people cried out to Pharaoh for food. Pharaoh said to all the people of Egypt, "Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you." |
| 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. | 56While the famine was over all the earth, Joseph opened the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians. The famine was severe throughout the land of Egypt. |
| 57And all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe everywhere. | 57People from every country came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain because the famine was severe throughout the earth. |
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