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Genesis 41:10-32
New English Translation

10 Pharaoh 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. 11 We each had a dream one night; each of us had a dream with its own meaning.[a] 12 Now a young man, a Hebrew, a servant[b] of the captain of the guards,[c] was with us there. We told him our dreams,[d] and he interpreted the meaning of each of our respective dreams for us.[e] 13 It happened just as he had said[f] to us—Pharaoh[g] restored me to my office, but he impaled the baker.”[h]

14 Then Pharaoh summoned[i] Joseph. So they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; he shaved himself, changed his clothes, and came before Pharaoh. 15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream,[j] and there is no one who can interpret[k] it. But I have heard about you, that[l] you can interpret dreams.”[m] 16 Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “It is not within my power,[n] but God will speak concerning[o] the welfare of Pharaoh.”[p]

17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing[q] by the edge of the Nile. 18 Then seven fat and fine-looking cows were coming up out of the Nile, and they grazed in the reeds.[r] 19 Then[s] seven other cows came up after them; they were scrawny, very bad looking, and lean. I had never seen such bad-looking cows[t] as these in all the land of Egypt! 20 The lean, bad-looking cows ate up the seven[u] fat cows. 21 When they had eaten them,[v] no one would have known[w] that they had done so, for they were just as bad-looking as before. Then I woke up. 22 I also saw in my dream[x] seven heads of grain growing on one stalk, full and good. 23 Then[y] seven heads of grain, withered and thin and burned with the east wind, were sprouting up after them. 24 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads of grain. So I told all this[z] to the diviner-priests, but no one could tell me its meaning.”[aa]

25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Both dreams of Pharaoh have the same meaning.[ab] God has revealed[ac] to Pharaoh what he is about to do.[ad] 26 The seven good cows represent seven years, and the seven good heads of grain represent seven years. Both dreams have the same meaning.[ae] 27 The 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[af] seven years of famine. 28 This is just what I told[ag] Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29 Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the whole land of Egypt. 30 But seven years of famine will occur[ah] after them, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will devastate[ai] the land. 31 The previous abundance of the land will not be remembered[aj] because of the famine that follows, for the famine will be very severe.[ak] 32 The dream was repeated to Pharaoh[al] because the matter has been decreed[am] by God, and God will make it happen soon.[an]

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 41:11 tn Heb “and we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he, each according to the interpretation of his dream we dreamed.”
  2. Genesis 41:12 tn Or “slave.”
  3. Genesis 41:12 tn Heb “a servant to the captain of the guards.” On this construction see GKC 419-20 §129.c.
  4. Genesis 41:12 tn The words “our dreams” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  5. Genesis 41:12 tn Heb “and he interpreted for us our dreams, each according to his dream he interpreted.”
  6. Genesis 41:13 tn Heb “interpreted.”
  7. Genesis 41:13 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Pharaoh) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  8. Genesis 41:13 tn Heb “him”; the referent (the baker) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  9. Genesis 41:14 tn Heb “and Pharaoh sent and called,” indicating a summons to the royal court.
  10. Genesis 41:15 tn Heb “dreamed a dream.”
  11. Genesis 41:15 tn Heb “there is no one interpreting.”
  12. Genesis 41:15 tn Heb “saying.”
  13. Genesis 41:15 tn Heb “you hear a dream to interpret it,” which may mean, “you only have to hear a dream to be able to interpret it.”
  14. Genesis 41:16 tn Heb “not within me.”
  15. Genesis 41:16 tn Heb “God will answer.”
  16. Genesis 41:16 tn The expression שְׁלוֹם פַּרְעֹה (shelom parʿoh) is here rendered “the welfare of Pharaoh” because the dream will be about life in his land. Some interpret it to mean an answer of “peace”—one that will calm his heart, or give him the answer that he desires (cf. NIV, NRSV, NLT).
  17. Genesis 41:17 tn Heb “In my dream look, I was standing.” The use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) here (and also in vv. 18, 19, 22, 23) invites the hearer (within the context of the narrative, Joseph, but in the broader sense the reader or hearer of the Book of Genesis) to observe the scene through Pharaoh’s eyes.
  18. Genesis 41:18 tn Heb “and look, from the Nile seven cows were coming up, fat of flesh and attractive of appearance, and they grazed in the reeds.”
  19. Genesis 41:19 tn Heb “And look.”
  20. Genesis 41:19 tn The word “cows” is supplied here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  21. Genesis 41:20 tn Heb “the seven first fat cows.”
  22. Genesis 41:21 tn Heb “when they went inside them.”
  23. Genesis 41:21 tn Heb “it was not known.”
  24. Genesis 41:22 tn Heb “and I saw in my dream and look.”
  25. Genesis 41:23 tn Heb “And look.”
  26. Genesis 41:24 tn The words “all this” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  27. Genesis 41:24 tn Heb “and there was no one telling me.”
  28. Genesis 41:25 tn Heb “the dream of Pharaoh is one.”
  29. Genesis 41:25 tn Heb “declared.”
  30. Genesis 41:25 tn The active participle here indicates what is imminent.
  31. Genesis 41:26 tn Heb “one dream it is.”
  32. Genesis 41:27 tn Heb “are.” Another option is to translate, “There will be seven years of famine.”
  33. Genesis 41:28 tn Heb “it is the word that I spoke.”
  34. Genesis 41:30 tn The perfect with the vav consecutive continues the time frame of the preceding participle, which has an imminent future nuance here.
  35. Genesis 41:30 tn The Hebrew verb כָּלָה (kalah) in the Piel stem means “to finish, to destroy, to bring an end to.” The severity of the famine will ruin the land of Egypt.
  36. Genesis 41:31 tn Heb “known.”
  37. Genesis 41:31 tn Or “heavy.”
  38. Genesis 41:32 tn Heb “and concerning the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh two times.” The Niphal infinitive here is the object of the preposition; it is followed by the subjective genitive “of the dream.”
  39. Genesis 41:32 tn Heb “established.”
  40. Genesis 41:32 tn The clause combines a participle and an infinitive construct: God “is hurrying…to do it,” meaning he is going to do it soon.
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Genesis 40
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