1 And it came to pass after two full years that Pharao had a dream. He thought he stood upon [the bank of] the river. 2 And lo, there came up as it were out of the river seven cows, fair in appearance, and choice of flesh, and they fed on the sedge. 3 And other seven cows came up after these out of the river, ill-favoured and lean-fleshed, and fed by the [other] cows on the bank of the river. 4 And the seven ill-favoured and lean cows devoured the seven well-favoured and choice-fleshed cows; and Pharao awoke. 5 And he dreamed again. And, behold, seven ears came up on one stalk, choice and good. 6 And, behold, seven ears thin and blasted with the wind, grew up after them. 7 And the seven thin ears and blasted with the wind devoured the seven choice and full ears; and Pharao awoke, and it was a dream. 8 And it was morning, and his soul was troubled; and he sent and called all the interpreters of Egypt, and all her wise men; and Pharao related to them his dream, and there was no one to interpret it to Pharao. 9 And the chief cupbearer spoke to Pharao, saying, I this day remember my fault: 10 Pharao was angry with his servants, and put us in prison in the house of the captain of the guard, both me and the chief baker. 11 And we had a dream both in one night, I and he; we saw, each according to his dream. 12 And there was there with us a young man, a Hebrew servant of the captain of the guard; and we related to him [our dreams], and he interpreted [them] to us. 13 And it came to pass, as he interpreted them to us, so also it happened, both that I was restored to my office, and that he was hanged. 14 And Pharao having sent, called Joseph; and they brought him out from the prison, and shaved him, and changed his dress, and he came to Pharao. 15 And Pharao said to Joseph, I have seen a vision, and there is no one to interpret it; but I have heard say concerning thee that thou didst hear dreams and interpret them. 16 And Joseph answered Pharao and said, Without God an answer of safety shall not be given to Pharao. 17 And Pharao spoke to Joseph, saying, In my dream methought I stood by the bank of the river; 18 and there came up as it were out of the river, seven cows well-favoured and choice-fleshed, and they fed on the sedge. 19 And behold seven other cows came up after them out of the river, evil and ill-favoured and lean-fleshed, such that I never saw worse in all the land of Egypt. 20 And the seven ill-favoured and thin cows ate up the seven first good and choice cows. 21 And they went into their bellies; and it was not perceptible that they had gone into their bellies, and their appearance was ill-favoured, as also at the beginning; and after I awoke I slept, 22 and saw again in my sleep, and as it were seven ears came up on one stem, full and good. 23 And other seven ears, thin and blasted with the wind, sprang up close to them. 24 And the seven thin and blasted ears devoured the seven fine and full ears: so I spoke to the interpreters, and there was no one to explain it to me. 25 And Joseph said to Pharao, The dream of Pharao is one; whatever God does, he has shewn to Pharao. 26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the dream of Pharao is one. 27 And the seven thin kine that came up after them are seven years; and the seven thin and blasted ears are seven years; there shall be seven years of famine. 28 And as for the word which I have told Pharao, whatsoever God intends to do, he has shewn to Pharao: 29 behold, for seven years there is coming great plenty in all the land of Egypt. 30 But there shall come seven years of famine after these, and they shall forget the plenty that shall be in all Egypt, and the famine shall consume the land. 31 And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of the famine that shall be after this, for it shall be very grievous. 32 And concerning the repetition of the dream to Pharao twice, [it is] because the saying which is from God shall be true, and God will hasten to accomplish it. 33 Now then, look out a wise and prudent man, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 And let Pharao make and appoint local governors over the land; and let them take up a fifth part of all the produce of the land of Egypt for the seven years of the plenty. 35 And let them gather all the food of these seven good years that are coming, and let the corn be gathered under the hand of Pharao; let food be kept in the cities. 36 And the stored food shall be for the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; and the land shall not be utterly destroyed by the famine. 37 And the word was pleasing in the sight of Pharao, and in the sight of all his servants. 38 And Pharao said to all his servants, Shall we find such a man as this, who has the Spirit of God in him? 39 And Pharao said to Joseph, Since God has shewed thee all these things, there is not a wiser or more prudent man than thou. 40 Thou shalt be over my house, and all my people shall be obedient to thy word; only in the throne will I excel thee. 41 And Pharao said to Joseph, Behold, I set thee this day over all the land of Egypt. 42 And Pharao took his ring off his hand, and put it on the hand of Joseph, and put on him a robe of fine linen, and put a necklace of gold about his neck. 43 And he mounted him on the second of his chariots, and a herald made proclamation before him; and he set him over all the land of Egypt. 44 And Pharao said to Joseph, I am Pharao; without thee no one shall lift up his hand on all the land of Egypt. 45 And Pharao called the name of Joseph, Psonthomphanech; and he gave him Aseneth, the daughter of Petephres, priest of Heliopolis, to wife. 46 And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharao, king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharao, and went through all the land of Egypt. 47 And the land produced, in the seven years of plenty, [whole] handfuls [of corn]. 48 And he gathered all the food of the seven years, in which was the plenty in the land of Egypt; and he laid up the food in the cities; the food of the fields of a city round about it he laid up in it. 49 And Joseph gathered very much corn as the sand of the sea, until it could not be numbered, for there was no number [of it]. 50 And to Joseph were born two sons, before the seven years of famine came, which Aseneth, the daughter of Petephres, priest of Heliopolis, bore to him. 51 And Joseph called the name of the first-born, Manasse; for God, [said he], has made me forget all my toils, and all my father's house. 52 And he called the name of the second, Ephraim; for God, [said he], has increased me in the land of my humiliation. 53 And the seven years of plenty passed away, which were in the land of Egypt. 54 And the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph said; and there was a famine in all the land; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 55 And all the land of Egypt was hungry; and the people cried to Pharao for bread. And Pharao said to all the Egyptians, Go to Joseph, and do whatsoever he shall tell you. 56 And the famine was on the face of all the earth; and Joseph opened all the granaries, and sold to all the Egyptians. 57 And all countries came to Egypt to buy of Joseph, for the famine prevailed in all the earth.
Genesis · Brenton's English Septuagint
Genesis 41 Brenton's English Septuagint
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (2)
- Square brackets mark words Brenton supplied for English sense.
- Old Testament only (no New Testament). First printed 1844; the 1851 edition added the deuterocanonical books.
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Ephraim
Joseph's younger son, given the greater blessing by Jacob.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 41:52; 48
Joseph
Betrayed and enslaved, he rose to rule Egypt and saved his family from famine.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 37; 39–50
Cross references (53)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Genesis 20:3; Genesis 29:14; Ezekiel 29:3; Esther 6:1; Isaiah 19:5
- 2 Isaiah 19:6
- 3 Genesis 41:20–21; Genesis 41:4
- 4 1 Kings 3:15
- 5 Deuteronomy 32:14
- 6 Hosea 13:15; Ezekiel 19:12; Ezekiel 17:10
- 7 Genesis 20:3; Genesis 37:5
- 8 Daniel 4:7; Exodus 7:22; Matthew 2:1; Exodus 7:11; Isaiah 29:14
- 9 Genesis 40:14; Genesis 40:23; Genesis 40:1–3
- 10 Genesis 39:20; Genesis 40:2–3; Genesis 37:36
- 11 Genesis 40:5–8
- 12 Genesis 37:36; Genesis 40:12–19; Genesis 39:20; Genesis 39:1
- 13 Ezekiel 43:3; Jeremiah 1:10; Genesis 40:12; Genesis 40:20–22
- 14 Daniel 2:25; Psalm 113:7–8; Psalm 105:19–22; 1 Samuel 2:7–8; Isaiah 61:3
- 15 Daniel 5:16; Daniel 5:12; Psalm 25:14; Genesis 41:9–13
- 16 2 Corinthians 3:5; Genesis 40:8; Daniel 2:47; Acts 3:12; Numbers 12:6
- 18 Jeremiah 24:1–3; Jeremiah 24:5; Jeremiah 24:8
- 21 Revelation 10:9–10; Ezekiel 3:3; Isaiah 9:20; Psalm 37:19
- 23 2 Kings 19:26; Psalm 129:6–7; Hosea 9:16; Hosea 13:15; Genesis 41:6
- 24 Daniel 4:7; Genesis 41:8; Exodus 8:19
- 25 Daniel 2:45; Revelation 4:1; Daniel 2:28–29; Matthew 24:40; Daniel 2:47
- 26 Genesis 41:2; Genesis 41:47; Exodus 12:11; Genesis 41:5; Genesis 41:29
- 27 2 Kings 8:1; 2 Samuel 24:19
- 28 Genesis 41:25; Genesis 41:16
- 29 Genesis 41:46–47; Genesis 41:26; Genesis 41:49
- 30 Genesis 47:13; Genesis 41:54; James 5:17; Psalm 105:16; 1 Kings 17:1
- 31 Isaiah 24:20; 1 Samuel 5:6
- 32 Numbers 23:19; Isaiah 46:10–11; Isaiah 14:24–27; 2 Corinthians 13:1; Matthew 24:35
- 33 Genesis 41:39; Acts 6:3; Daniel 4:27; Deuteronomy 1:13; Exodus 18:19–22
- 34 Proverbs 6:6–8; Numbers 31:14; Job 5:20; Nehemiah 11:9; Proverbs 22:3
- 35 Genesis 41:48–49; Genesis 45:6–7; Genesis 41:56; Exodus 4:13
- 36 Genesis 47:13–25
- 37 Acts 7:10; Proverbs 25:11; Psalm 105:19; 1 Kings 21:2; Joshua 22:30
- 38 Job 32:8; Daniel 5:14; Numbers 27:18; Daniel 5:11; Daniel 4:18
- 39 Genesis 41:28; Genesis 41:33; Genesis 41:25; Genesis 41:16
- 40 Proverbs 22:29; Acts 7:10; Psalm 105:21–22; Daniel 5:29; Genesis 45:8–9
- 41 Matthew 28:18; Philippians 2:9–11; Genesis 42:6; Daniel 6:3; Daniel 4:2–3
- 42 Daniel 5:7; Daniel 5:29; Esther 3:10; Esther 8:2; Daniel 5:16
- 43 Genesis 45:8; Acts 7:10; Genesis 45:26; Genesis 42:33; Philippians 2:10
- 44 Psalm 105:22; Exodus 11:7
- 45 Genesis 46:20; Ezekiel 30:17; Exodus 2:16; Acts 11:28; Luke 2:1
- 46 Daniel 1:19; 1 Kings 12:6; 2 Samuel 5:4; 1 Samuel 16:21; Genesis 37:2
- 47 Genesis 26:12; Psalm 72:16
- 48 Genesis 41:34–36; Genesis 47:21
- 49 Psalm 78:27; 1 Samuel 13:5; Genesis 22:17; Judges 7:12; Judges 6:5
- 50 Genesis 48:5; Genesis 46:20; Genesis 41:45; 2 Samuel 8:18
- 51 Psalm 30:5; Proverbs 31:7; Psalm 30:11; Genesis 41:30; Deuteronomy 33:17
- 52 Genesis 49:22; Genesis 50:23; Genesis 17:6; Isaiah 40:1–2; Psalm 105:17–18
- 53 Psalm 73:20; Luke 16:25; Genesis 41:29–31
- 54 Acts 7:11; Psalm 105:16; Genesis 45:11; Genesis 41:30; Genesis 41:6–7
- 55 Matthew 17:5; Jeremiah 14:1–6; Matthew 3:17; Philippians 4:19; Genesis 41:40–41
- 56 Genesis 42:6; Acts 17:26; Genesis 47:14–24; Isaiah 23:17; Zechariah 5:3
- 57 Genesis 41:56; Genesis 41:54; Genesis 42:1; Genesis 42:5; Deuteronomy 9:28
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
He also came down upon all righteous men and Prophets; Enos, I mean, and Enoch, and Noah, and the rest; upon Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; for as regards Joseph, even Pharaoh perceived that he had the Spirit of God within him.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)