Genesis 41

Pharaoh’s Dreams

1 Two years later, Pharaoh had a crazy dream. He was standing by the Nile River.

2 In the dream, seven fat cows came up out of the river and started grazing in the grass.

3 Then, seven skinny, sick-looking cows came up out of the river and stood next to the fat ones.

4 The skinny cows straight-up ate the fat cows, but they still looked skinny and sick. Pharaoh woke up, shook.

5 He fell back asleep and had another dream: seven healthy heads of grain were growing on a single stalk.

6 Then, seven thin and scorched heads of grain sprouted.

7 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the healthy ones. Pharaoh woke up again, freaked out, realizing it was a dream.

Pharaoh Calls for Help

8 The next morning, Pharaoh was stressed. He called for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt but nobody could figure out what his dreams meant.

9 The chief cupbearer said, ‘Listen, Pharaoh, I must confess something I messed up on.’

10 ‘When you were mad at me and the baker, you locked us up in the captain of the guard’s crib.’

11 ‘Both of us had dreams one night, and each dream had its own meaning.’

12 ‘There was this young Hebrew dude, a slave of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he broke them down for us.’

13 ‘And just like he said, it happened, I got my job back, and the baker got hanged.’

Joseph Interprets Pharaoh’s Dreams

14 Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and they brought him up from the dungeon. After a quick shave and a fresh fit, he went to see Pharaoh.

15 Pharaoh said, ‘Listen, I had these dreams, and nobody can figure them out. I heard you can break down dreams.’

16 Joseph said, ‘I cannot do it, but God can. He will give Pharaoh the answer he needs.’

17 Pharaoh said, ‘Alright, here is what I dreamed: I was standing by the Nile,’

18 ‘and these seven fat, healthy cows came up and started grazing.’

19 ‘Then, seven ugly, skinny cows came up. They were so bad they were the worst I have ever seen in Egypt.’

20 ‘The skinny cows ate the fat ones, but you could not even tell. They still looked just as bad.’

21 ‘Then I woke up.’

22 ‘In my second dream, I saw seven healthy heads of grain on one stalk.’

23 ‘Then seven thin and scorched heads sprouted and swallowed up the healthy ones.’

24 ‘I told my magicians, but none of them could explain it.’

25 Joseph said, ‘Pharaoh, both dreams mean the same thing. God’s showing you what is about to go down.’

26 ‘The seven fat cows and seven healthy heads of grain mean seven good years.’

27 ‘The seven skinny cows and seven scorched heads of grain mean seven years of famine.’

28 ‘God is letting Pharaoh know there will be seven years of abundance followed by seven years of extreme famine.’

29 ‘During the good years, Egypt is going to have food for days.’

30 ‘But then the famine will hit, and people will forget about the good times because the famine will be that bad.’

31 ‘The abundance will not even matter because the famine will wipe everything out.’

32 ‘The fact that you had the same dream twice means it is set in stone. God is making this happen ASAP.’

Joseph’s Plan

33 ‘Here is what you should do: Find a smart and wise man to take charge of Egypt.’

34 ‘Put him in charge of setting up officials to collect one-fifth of the food during the seven good years.’

35 ‘Stockpile all the food in storage cities, so there will be plenty when the famine hits.’

36 ‘That way, Egypt will not starve during the seven bad years.’

Joseph Becomes Second in Command

37 Pharaoh and his officials liked the plan.

38 Pharaoh said, ‘Can we find anyone else like this dude, God’s clearly with him.’

39 He told Joseph, ‘Since God showed you all this, there is nobody wiser than you.’

40 ‘You are in charge of my palace, and everyone in Egypt will do what you say. Only I will be higher than you.’

41 Pharaoh said, ‘I am putting you in charge of the whole country.’

42 He gave Joseph his signet ring, dressed him in royal robes, and put a gold chain around his neck.

43 Pharaoh had Joseph ride in his second chariot, and people shouted, ‘Bow down!’ as he rolled by.

44 Pharaoh told him, ‘Nobody in Egypt will lift a hand or foot without your say-so.’

Joseph Prepares for the Famine

45 Pharaoh gave Joseph an Egyptian name, Zaphenath-Paneah, and married him to Asenath, the daughter of a priest. Joseph was 30 when this happened.

46 Joseph went out and started organizing the land of Egypt.

47 During the seven good years, the crops were off the charts.

48 Joseph collected all the surplus and stored it in cities across Egypt.

49 He stockpiled so much grain it was like the sand of the sea, he stopped keeping count.

Joseph’s Family Grows

50 Before the famine hit, Joseph had two sons with Asenath.

51 He named the firstborn Manasseh, saying, ‘God made me forget my struggles and my father’s house.’

52 He named the second Ephraim, saying, ‘God made me fruitful in this land of suffering.’

The Famine Hits

53 After the seven good years, the famine hit, just like Joseph said.

54 There was famine everywhere, but Egypt had plenty of food because of Joseph’s plan.

55 When Egyptians got hungry, they cried to Pharaoh, and he told them, ‘Go see Joseph and do what he says.’

56 Joseph opened the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians because the famine was severe.

57 People from all over the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine hit everywhere.