Genesis 41 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

Two full years passed, and then Pharaoh had a dream. He was standing beside the Nile,

and seven cows came up out of the Nile — beautiful and well-fed — and they grazed among the reeds.

Then seven other cows came up after them out of the Nile — ugly and thin — and they stood next to the other cows on the bank of the Nile.

The ugly, thin cows ate the seven beautiful, well-fed cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.

He fell asleep again and had a second dream. Seven heads of grain were growing on a single stalk — plump and good.

Then seven thin heads of grain, scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them.

The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven plump, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up — it had been a dream.

In 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.

Then the chief cupbearer spoke up to Pharaoh: "I need to come clean about something I did wrong today.

Pharaoh was angry with his servants — with me and with the chief baker — and he put us in custody in the house of the captain of the guard.

We both had dreams on the same night — he and I — each dream with its own meaning.

There was a young Hebrew man with us there, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted each one — he explained what each of our dreams meant.

And it turned out exactly as he told us — I was restored to my position, and the baker was hanged."

So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and they rushed him out of the pit. He shaved, changed his clothes, and came before Pharaoh.

Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I've heard it said about you that when you hear a dream, you can interpret it."

Joseph answered Pharaoh, "It's not me — Elohim will give Pharaoh the answer he needs."

Pharaoh said to Joseph, "In my dream, I was standing on the bank of the Nile,

and seven cows came up out of the Nile — well-fed and beautiful — and they grazed among the reeds.

Then seven other cows came up after them — sickly, very ugly, and thin. I've never seen cows that bad anywhere in Egypt.

The thin, ugly cows ate the first seven well-fed cows.

But even after they'd eaten them, you couldn't tell they had — they looked just as ugly as before. Then I woke up.

Then I had another dream: Seven heads of grain were growing on a single stalk — full and good.

Then seven heads — withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind — sprouted up after them.

The thin heads of grain swallowed the seven good ones. I told the magicians, but none of them could explain it to me."

Joseph said to Pharaoh, "Pharaoh's two dreams are really one and the same. Elohim is telling Pharaoh what he is about to do.

The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years — it's the same dream.

The seven thin, ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and so are the seven empty heads of grain scorched by the east wind — they mean seven years of famine.

It's just as I told Pharaoh — Elohim has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do.

Seven years of incredible abundance are coming throughout the whole land of Egypt.

But then seven years of famine will follow, and all that abundance in Egypt will be forgotten. The famine will devastate the land.

The abundance won't even be remembered in the land because of the famine that follows — it will be that severe.

The reason Pharaoh had the same dream twice is that the matter has been decided by Elohim, and Elohim will make it happen soon.

"So here's what Pharaoh should do: Find a man who is discerning and wise, and put him in charge of the land of Egypt.

Pharaoh should take action and appoint officials over the land. They should collect a fifth of Egypt's produce during the seven good years.

They should gather all the food from these good years that are coming and store up grain under Pharaoh's authority, keeping it in the cities for food.

This food will be a reserve for the land during the seven years of famine that will come on Egypt, so the land won't be destroyed by the famine."

The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials.

Pharaoh said to his officials, "Can we find anyone else like this — a man who has the spirit of Elohim in him?"

Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since Elohim has made all this known to you, there is no one as discerning and wise as you.

You will be in charge of my household, and all my people will obey your commands. Only with respect to the throne will I outrank you."

Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I'm putting you in charge of the entire land of Egypt."

Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his own hand and put it on Joseph's hand. He dressed him in fine linen robes and put a gold chain around his neck.

He had him ride in his second chariot, and they called out before him, "Kneel!" And so he was placed over the entire land of Egypt.

Pharaoh told Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, but without your permission, no one in all Egypt will lift a hand or a foot."

Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Tsaphenat-Pa'neach, and he gave him Asenath daughter of Poti-Phera, priest of On, as his wife. Then Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.

Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. He left Pharaoh's presence and traveled throughout the entire land of Egypt.

During the seven years of abundance, the land produced bumper crops.

Joseph collected all the food produced during those seven years in the land of Egypt, and he stored it in the cities. In each city, he stored the food from the surrounding fields.

Joseph stored up grain in huge quantities, like the sand of the sea — so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measuring.

Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph. Asenath, daughter of Poti-Phera priest of On, bore them for him.