| Holman Christian Standard Bible | International Standard Version |
| 1Two years later Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing beside the Nile, | 1Two years later—to the day—Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile River, |
| 2when seven healthy-looking, well-fed cows came up from the Nile and began to graze among the reeds. | 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. |
| 3After them, seven other cows, sickly and thin, came up from the Nile and stood beside those cows along 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. |
| 4The sickly, thin cows ate the healthy, well-fed cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. | 4But all of a sudden they ate up the seven healthy, plump cows! Then Pharaoh woke up. |
| 5He fell asleep and dreamed a second time: Seven heads of grain, plump and ripe, came up 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. |
| 6After them, seven heads of grain, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up. | 6Suddenly seven thin ears of grain that had been scorched by an east wind sprouted up right after them |
| 7The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven plump, ripe ones. Then Pharaoh woke up, and it was only 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! |
| 8When morning came, he was troubled, so he summoned all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him. | 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, "Today I remember my faults. | 9Then Pharaoh's senior security advisor spoke up. "Maybe I should make a confession. |
| 10Pharaoh had been angry with his servants, and he put me and the chief baker in the custody 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. |
| 11He and I had dreams on the same night; each dream had its own meaning. | 11We each had a dream on the same night, and each dream had its own meaning. |
| 12Now a young Hebrew, a slave of the captain of the guards, was with us there. We told him our dreams, he interpreted our dreams for us, and each had its own interpretation. | 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. |
| 13It turned out just the way he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man 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 for Joseph, and they quickly brought him from the dungeon. He shaved, changed his clothes, and went to 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. |
| 15Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I have had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said about you that you can hear a dream and interpret it."" | 15"I've had a dream," Pharaoh told Joseph, "but nobody can interpret it. I've heard that you can interpret dreams." |
| 16I am not able to," Joseph answered Pharaoh. "It is God who will give Pharaoh a favorable answer." | 16"I can't do that," Joseph replied, "but God is concerned about Pharaoh's well-being." |
| 17So Pharaoh said to Joseph: "In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile, | 17So Pharaoh told Joseph, "In my dream, I was standing on the bank of the Nile River, |
| 18when seven well-fed, healthy-looking cows came up from the Nile and began to graze among the reeds. | 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. |
| 19After them, seven other cows--ugly, very sickly, and thin--came up. I've never seen such ugly ones as these 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! |
| 20Then the thin, ugly cows ate the first seven well-fed cows. | 20But those thin, gaunt cows gobbled up the first seven healthy cows! |
| 21When they had devoured them, you could not tell that they had devoured them; their appearance was as bad as it had been before. Then I woke up. | 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. |
| 22In my dream I had also seen seven heads of grain, plump and ripe, coming up on one stalk. | 22Later, I also dreamed about seven plump, fruit-filled ears of grain that grew up out of a single stalk. |
| 23After them, seven heads of grain--withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind--sprouted up. | 23All of a sudden, seven thin, withered ears of grain, scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them. |
| 24The thin heads of grain swallowed the seven plump ones. I told this to the magicians, but no one can tell me what it means." | 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, "Pharaoh's dreams mean the same thing. 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 ripe heads are seven years. The dreams mean the same thing. | 26The seven healthy cows represent seven years, as do the seven healthy ears. The dreams are identical. |
| 27The seven thin, ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven worthless, scorched heads of grain are 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 just as I told Pharaoh: God has shown 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. |
| 29Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt. | 29Be advised that seven years of phenomenal abundance are coming throughout all the land of Egypt, |
| 30After them, seven years of famine will take place, and all the abundance in the land of Egypt will be forgotten. The famine will devastate 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 |
| 31The abundance in the land will not be remembered because of the famine that follows it, for the famine will be very severe. | 31there will be no surplus in the land due to the coming famine, because it will be very severe. |
| 32Since the dream was given twice to Pharaoh, it means that the matter has been determined by God, and He will carry it out soon." | 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. |
| 33So now, let Pharaoh look for 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 do this: Let him appoint overseers over the land and take a fifth of the harvest of the land of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. | 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. |
| 35Let them gather all the excess food during these good years that are coming. Under Pharaoh's authority, store the grain in the cities, so they may preserve it as food. | 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. |
| 36The food will be a reserve for the land during the seven years of famine that will take place in the land of Egypt. Then the country will not be wiped out by 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." |
| 37The proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants. | 37What Joseph proposed pleased Pharaoh and all of his advisors, |
| 38Then Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find anyone like this, a man who has God's spirit in him?" | 38so Pharaoh asked his servants, "Can we find anyone else like this—someone in whom the Spirit of God lives? |
| 39So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one as intelligent 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 will be over my house, and all my people will obey your commands. Only with regard to 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." |
| 41Pharaoh also said to Joseph, "See, I am placing 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!" |
| 42Pharaoh removed his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, clothed him with fine linen garments, and placed a gold chain around 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. |
| 43He had Joseph ride in his second chariot, and servants called out before him, "Abrek!" So he placed 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. |
| 44Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, but no one will be able to raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt without your permission." | 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!" |
| 45Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-paneah and gave him a wife, Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest at On. And Joseph went throughout 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 30 years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph left Pharaoh's presence and traveled throughout 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 years of abundance the land produced outstanding harvests. | 47While bumper crops grew during the seven abundant years, |
| 48Joseph gathered all the excess food in the land of Egypt during the seven years and put it in the cities. He put the food in every city 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. |
| 49So Joseph stored up grain in such abundance--like the sand of the sea--that he stopped measuring it because it was beyond measure. | 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. |
| 50Two sons were born to Joseph before the years of famine arrived. Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest at 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 named the firstborn Manasseh, meaning, "God has made me forget all my hardship in 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." |
| 52And the second son he named Ephraim, meaning, "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." |
| 53Then the seven years of abundance 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, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in every country, but throughout the land of Egypt there was food. | 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. |
| 55Extreme hunger came to all the land of Egypt, and the people cried out to Pharaoh for food. Pharaoh told all Egypt, "Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you." | 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." |
| 56Because the famine had spread across the whole country, Joseph opened up all the storehouses and sold grain 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. |
| 57Every nation came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, for the famine was severe in every land. | 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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