1To år senere drømte Farao en nat, at han stod på Nilens bred.2Pludselig kom der syv smukke og fede køer op af floden og gav sig til at græsse på flodbredden.3Derefter kom der endnu syv køer op af floden, men de var grimme og magre. De stillede sig ved siden af de syv første køer på flodbredden,4og de syv grimme og magre køer åd de syv smukke og fede køer. I samme øjeblik vågnede Farao.5Lidt efter faldt han igen i søvn og havde en anden drøm. Denne gang så han syv fulde og modne aks vokse frem på et og samme strå.6Pludselig voksede der syv aks mere frem på strået, men de var tynde og helt indtørrede af østenvinden.7De visne aks opslugte de fulde aks. Da vågnede Farao og blev klar over, at han havde drømt noget betydningsfuldt.8Drømmene bekymrede ham, så om morgenen sendte han bud efter alle Egyptens vise mænd og drømmetydere og fortalte dem, hvad han havde drømt. Men ingen af dem kunne tyde drømmene for ham.9Da tog mundskænken ordet: „Jeg er kommet i tanker om noget, der skete for længe siden,” sagde han til Farao.10„Dengang du var vred på hofbageren og mig og kastede os i fængsel,11da skete det en nat, at både bageren og jeg havde en drøm, og begge drømme havde en betydning.12I fængslet var der en ung hebræisk slave, som arbejdede for livvagtens øverstbefalende. Ham fortalte vi vores drømme, og han tydede dem for os.13Og det gik nøjagtig, som han sagde: Jeg fik mit gamle job tilbage, og hofbageren blev henrettet.”14Farao sendte straks bud efter Josef. Han blev hurtigt taget ud af fængslet, blev barberet og fik pænt tøj på. Så blev han ført frem for Farao.15„I nat havde jeg en drøm,” begyndte Farao. „Ingen af de her mænd kan tyde den, men jeg har hørt, at du kun behøver at høre en drøm, så kan du tyde den.”16„Jeg kan ikke tyde drømme,” svarede Josef, „men Gud vil åbenbare for Farao, hvad drømmen betyder.”17Så fortalte Farao ham sin drøm. „Jeg stod ved Nilens bred,” sagde han.18„Pludselig så jeg syv fede og velplejede køer stige op af floden, og de begyndte straks at græsse på bredden.19Bagefter steg der syv magre og forsømte køer op af floden, de var så radmagre, at jeg aldrig har set noget lignende i hele Egypten.20Og de magre og grimme køer åd de syv fede køer,21men da de havde ædt dem, var de stadig lige magre. Så vågnede jeg.”22„Lidt senere havde jeg endnu en drøm,” fortsatte Farao. „Denne gang så jeg syv fulde og modne aks på et og samme strå.23Men lidt efter skød der syv tynde og visne aks frem på strået, helt udtørrede af østenvinden.24Og de visne aks opslugte de fulde aks. Jeg har fortalt de to drømme til drømmetyderne, men ingen af dem kunne tyde dem for mig.”25„Begge drømme betyder det samme,” sagde Josef. „Gennem dem har Gud ladet Farao vide, hvad der vil ske i den nærmeste fremtid.26De syv fede køer og de syv fulde aks svarer til hinanden. De betyder syv gode år.27De syv magre køer og de syv visne aks svarer ligeledes til hinanden. De betyder syv år med hungersnød.28Som jeg sagde før, har Gud med disse drømme afsløret for Farao, hvad han vil gøre i den nærmeste fremtid:29I de næste syv år vil hele Egypten opleve stor overflod,30men bagefter kommer der en syvårig periode med hungersnød, og man vil glemme, at der var overflod i Egypten. Hungersnøden vil hærge hele jorden.31Man vil glemme overfloden, fordi hungersnøden bliver så hård.32At Farao drømte to gange, betyder, at Guds beslutning står fast og at det, han har vist Farao, snart vil ske.33Derfor vil jeg foreslå, at Farao finder en klog og dygtig mand og lader ham administrere et landsomfattende projekt.34Udnævn derefter embedsmænd i alle distrikter med ansvar for at indsamle en femtedel af alt høstudbyttet i de syv gode år.35Lad dem indsamle høstudbyttet og oplagre det i de aflåste kongelige kornmagasiner i byerne.36På den måde vil der være nok at spise, når de syv års hungersnød kommer over Egypten, og en sultkatastrofe kan afværges.”
Josef bliver guvernør i Egypten
37Farao og hans embedsmænd syntes godt om Josefs forslag,38og Farao udbrød: „Hvem er vel bedre egnet til opgaven end Josef? Han er jo fyldt med Guds Ånd!”39Så vendte Farao sig mod Josef og sagde: „Siden Gud har åbenbaret drømmenes betydning for dig, må du være den klogeste mand i landet.40Derfor giver jeg dig ansvar for mit palads og udnævner dig til at lede det store projekt. Dit ord skal være lov i Egypten. Kun jeg selv skal stå over dig.41Jeg gør dig hermed til guvernør og øverste leder for hele Egypten.”42Så tog Farao sin signetring af og satte den på Josefs finger som et tegn på hans autoritet. Han gav ham også smukke klæder og hængte den kongelige guldkæde om hans hals.43Farao gav ham tilmed sin næstbedste vogn at køre i. Hvor som helst Josef kom frem, blev der råbt: „Giv plads!”* Således gjorde Farao Josef til øverste leder i Egypten,44og han sagde til ham: „Jeg, Farao, konge af Egypten, sværger herved, at ingen i hele Egypten må foretage sig noget som helst uden din tilladelse.”45Farao gav ham også et egyptisk navn: Safenat-Panea, og han gav ham Asenat til kone. Hun var en datter af Potifera, der var præst for solguden Ra i Heliopolis. Josef fik således ansvar for hele Egypten.46Han var 30 år gammel, da han kom i kong Faraos tjeneste, og han rejste omkring i hele Egypten for at inspicere landet.47De følgende syv år var der ganske rigtigt rekordhøst over alt i Egypten.48I løbet af de syv år tog Josef en del af alt, hvad der blev høstet i Egypten, og oplagrede det i de kongelige kornmagasiner i byerne.49Som årene gik, fyldtes kornmagasinerne til overflod. Der var så meget korn, som der er sand på stranden, så til sidst opgav man helt at holde regnskab med, hvor meget der var.50I den periode—altså inden hungersnøden kom—fik Josef og Asenat, præsten Potiferas datter, to sønner.51Josef kaldte sin ældste søn Manasse,* for han sagde: „Gud har ladet mig glemme min familie og al min ulykke.”52Sin anden søn kaldte han Efraim,* for han sagde: „Gud har gjort mig rig her i det land, hvor jeg har lidt så meget.”53Så endte de syv overflodsår,54og hungersnødens syv år begyndte, nøjagtig som Josef havde forudsagt. Hungersnøden ramte alle lande, men i Egypten var der masser af korn i reservelagrene.55Da nu egypterne begyndte at sulte, bad de Farao om mad. Men Farao sagde: „Henvend jer til Josef, og gør som han siger.”56Så da hungersnøden blev rigtig alvorlig, åbnede Josef for kornmagasinerne og solgte korn til egypterne.57Også folk fra de omliggende lande kom til Egypten for at købe korn af Josef, for der var streng hungersnød i hele verden.
English Standard Version
Joseph Interprets Pharaoh’s Dreams
1After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile,2and behold, there came up out of the Nile seven cows, attractive and plump, and they fed in the reed grass.3And behold, seven other cows, ugly and thin, came up out of the Nile after them, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile.4And the ugly, thin cows ate up the seven attractive, plump cows. And Pharaoh awoke.5And he fell asleep and dreamed a second time. And behold, seven ears of grain, plump and good, were growing on one stalk.6And behold, after them sprouted seven ears, thin and blighted by the east wind.7And the thin ears swallowed up the seven plump, full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.8So in the morning his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was none who could interpret them to Pharaoh.9Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “I remember my offenses today.10When Pharaoh was angry with his servants and put me and the chief baker in custody in the house of the captain of the guard,11we dreamed on the same night, he and I, each having a dream with its own interpretation.12A young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. When we told him, he interpreted our dreams to us, giving an interpretation to each man according to his dream.13And as he interpreted to us, so it came about. I was restored to my office, and the baker was hanged.”14Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they quickly brought him out of the pit. And when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came in before Pharaoh.15And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”16Joseph answered Pharaoh, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”*17Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Behold, in my dream I was standing on the banks of the Nile.18Seven cows, plump and attractive, came up out of the Nile and fed in the reed grass.19Seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and thin, such as I had never seen in all the land of Egypt.20And the thin, ugly cows ate up the first seven plump cows,21but when they had eaten them no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were still as ugly as at the beginning. Then I awoke.22I also saw in my dream seven ears growing on one stalk, full and good.23Seven ears, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprouted after them,24and the thin ears swallowed up the seven good ears. And I told it to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.”25Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.26The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one.27The seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears blighted by the east wind are also seven years of famine.28It is as I told Pharaoh; God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do.29There will come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt,30but after them there will arise seven years of famine, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will consume the land,31and the plenty will be unknown in the land by reason of the famine that will follow, for it will be very severe.32And the doubling of Pharaoh’s dream means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about.33Now therefore let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt.34Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take one-fifth of the produce of the land* of Egypt during the seven plentiful years.35And let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it.36That food shall be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine that are to occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish through the famine.”
Joseph Rises to Power
37This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants.38And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?”*39Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are.40You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command.* Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you.”41And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.”42Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck.43And he made him ride in his second chariot. And they called out before him, “Bow the knee!”* Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt.44Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no one shall lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.”45And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphenath-paneah. And he gave him in marriage Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On. So Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.46Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt.47During the seven plentiful years the earth produced abundantly,48and he gathered up all the food of these seven years, which occurred in the land of Egypt, and put the food in the cities. He put in every city the food from the fields around it.49And Joseph stored up grain in great abundance, like the sand of the sea, until he ceased to measure it, for it could not be measured.50Before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph. Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore them to him.51Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh. “For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s house.”*52The name of the second he called Ephraim, “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”*53The seven years of plenty that occurred in the land of Egypt came to an end,54and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.55When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph. What he says to you, do.”56So when the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses* and sold to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.57Moreover, all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth.
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