Joseph Interprets Pharaoh's Dreams
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After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile,
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and behold, there came up out of the Nile seven cows attractive and plump, and they fed in the reed grass.
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And 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.
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And the ugly, thin cows ate up the seven attractive, plump cows. And Pharaoh awoke.
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And he fell asleep and dreamed a second time. And behold, seven ears of grain, plump and good, were growing on one stalk.
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And behold, after them sprouted seven ears, thin and 1blighted by the east wind.
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And the thin ears swallowed up the seven plump, full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.
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So in the morning 2his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the 3magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was none who could interpret them to Pharaoh.
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Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, "I remember my offenses today.
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When Pharaoh was 4angry with his servants 5and put me and the chief baker in custody in the house of the captain of the guard,
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6we dreamed on the same night, he and I, each having a dream with its own interpretation.
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A young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. When we told him, 7he interpreted our dreams to us, giving an interpretation to each man according to his dream.
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And 8as he interpreted to us, so it came about. I was restored to my office, and the baker was hanged."
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9Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they 10quickly brought him 11out of the pit. And when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came in before Pharaoh.
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And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. 12I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it."
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Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Behold, 15in my dream I was standing on the banks of the Nile.
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Seven cows, plump and attractive, came up out of the Nile and fed in the reed grass.
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Seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and thin, such as I had never seen in all the land of Egypt.
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And the thin, ugly cows ate up the first seven plump cows,
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but 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.
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I also saw in my dream seven ears growing on one stalk, full and good.
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Seven ears, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprouted after them,
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and the thin ears swallowed up the seven good ears. And 16I told it to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me."
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Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are one; 17God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.
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The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one.
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The 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 18seven years of famine.
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It is as I told Pharaoh; 19God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do.
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There will come 20seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt,
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but after them there will arise 21seven years of famine, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. 22The famine will consume the land,
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and the plenty will be unknown in the land by reason of the famine that will follow, for it will be very severe.
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And the doubling of Pharaoh's dream means that the 23thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about.
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Now therefore let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt.
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Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take one-fifth of the produce of the landb of Egypt during the seven plentiful years.
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And 24let 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.
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That 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."
Joseph Rises to Power
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This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants.
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And Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find a man like this, 25in whom is the Spirit of God?"c
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Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are.
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26You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command.d Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you."
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And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See, 27I have set you over all the land of Egypt."
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Then Pharaoh 28took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, and 29clothed him in garments of fine linen 30and put a gold chain about his neck.
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And he made him ride in his second chariot. 31And they called out before him, "Bow the knee!"e Thus he set him 32over all the land of Egypt.
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Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, and 33without your consent no one shall lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt."
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And 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.
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Joseph was thirty years old when he 34entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt.
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During the seven plentiful years the earth produced abundantly,
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and 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.
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And Joseph stored up grain in great abundance, 35like the sand of the sea, until he ceased to measure it, for it could not be measured.
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Before the year of famine came, 36two sons were born to Joseph. Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore them to him.
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Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh. "For," he said, "God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father's house."f
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The name of the second he called Ephraim, "For God has 37made me fruitful in the land of my affliction."g
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The seven years of plenty that occurred in the land of Egypt came to an end,
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and 38the seven years of famine began to come, 39as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.
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When 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."
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So when the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehousesh and 40sold to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.
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Moreover, all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe 41over all the earth.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)