| NET Bible | International Standard Version |
| 1At the end of two full years Pharaoh had a dream. As he was standing by the Nile, | 1Two years later—to the day—Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile River, |
| 2seven fine-looking, fat cows were coming up out of the Nile, and they grazed in 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. |
| 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. | 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 bad-looking, thin cows ate the seven fine-looking, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. | 4But all of a sudden they ate up the seven healthy, plump cows! Then Pharaoh woke up. |
| 5Then he fell asleep again and had a second dream: There were seven heads of grain growing on one stalk, healthy and good. | 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. |
| 6Then seven heads of grain, thin and burned by the east wind, were sprouting up after them. | 6Suddenly seven thin ears of grain that had been scorched by an east wind sprouted up right after them |
| 7The thin heads swallowed up the seven healthy and full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up and realized it was 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! |
| 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. | 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 recall my failures. | 9Then Pharaoh's senior security advisor spoke up. "Maybe I should make a confession. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 11We each had a dream one night; each of us had a dream with its own meaning. | 11We each had a dream on the same night, and each dream had its own meaning. |
| 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. | 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 happened just as he had said to us--Pharaoh restored me to my office, but he impaled the baker." | 13And what he interpreted for each of us came true! Pharaoh restored me to my responsibilities, but he executed the other man." |
| 14Then Pharaoh summoned Joseph. So they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; he shaved himself, changed his clothes, and came before 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 had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard about you, that you can interpret dreams." | 15"I've had a dream," Pharaoh told Joseph, "but nobody can interpret it. I've heard that you can interpret dreams." |
| 16Joseph replied to Pharaoh, "It is not within my power, but God will speak concerning the welfare of Pharaoh." | 16"I can't do that," Joseph replied, "but God is concerned about Pharaoh's well-being." |
| 17Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "In my dream I was standing by the edge of the Nile. | 17So Pharaoh told Joseph, "In my dream, I was standing on the bank of the Nile River, |
| 18Then seven fat and fine-looking cows were coming up out of the Nile, and they grazed in 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. |
| 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! | 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! |
| 20The lean, bad-looking cows ate up the seven fat cows. | 20But those thin, gaunt cows gobbled up the first seven healthy cows! |
| 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. | 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. |
| 22I also saw in my dream seven heads of grain growing on one stalk, full and good. | 22Later, I also dreamed about seven plump, fruit-filled ears of grain that grew up out of a single stalk. |
| 23Then seven heads of grain, withered and thin and burned with the east wind, were sprouting up after them. | 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 up the seven good heads of grain. So I told all this to the diviner-priests, but no one could tell me its meaning." | 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, "Both dreams of Pharaoh have the same meaning. 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 represent seven years, and the seven good heads of grain represent seven years. Both dreams have the same meaning. | 26The seven healthy cows represent seven years, as do the seven healthy ears. The dreams are identical. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 28This is just what 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 whole land of Egypt. | 29Be advised that seven years of phenomenal abundance are coming throughout all the land of Egypt, |
| 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. | 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 previous abundance of the land will not be remembered because of the famine that follows, 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. |
| 32The dream was repeated to Pharaoh because the matter has been decreed by God, and God will make it happen 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. |
| 33"So now Pharaoh should look for a wise and discerning man and give him authority over all the land of Egypt. | 33Therefore let Pharaoh select a wise, discerning person to place in charge over the land of Egypt. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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." | 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." |
| 37This advice made sense to Pharaoh and all his officials. | 37What Joseph proposed pleased Pharaoh and all of his advisors, |
| 38So Pharaoh asked his officials, "Can we find a man like Joseph, one in whom the Spirit of God is present?" | 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, "Because God has enabled you to know all this, there is no one as wise and discerning 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 oversee my household, and all my people will submit to your commands. Only I, the king, will 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." |
| 41"See here," Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I place you in authority over all the land of Egypt." | 41"Look!" Pharaoh confirmed to Joseph, "I've put you in charge of the entire land of Egypt!" |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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 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." | 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. 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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 large, bountiful harvests. | 47While bumper crops grew during the seven abundant years, |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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 famine came. Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, was their mother. | 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, saying, "Certainly God has made me forget all my trouble and all 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." |
| 52He named the second child Ephraim, saying, "Certainly God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering." | 52He named his second son Ephraim because, he said, "God has made me fruitful in the land of my troubles." |
| 53The 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, |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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." | 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." |
| 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. | 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. |
| 57People from every country came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain because the famine was severe throughout the earth. | 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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