Chapter 41
Drafted by Grok 4.7 on 8 October 2026. First draft. Not independently reviewed. Leningrad Codex, through the Open Scriptures Westminster Leningrad Codex. The written consonants are printed. A Masoretic reading is footnoted when it differs. No Dead Sea reading was substituted unless it was read from a fragment. The Samaritan Pentateuch and the Greek, Syriac, and Latin versions are witnesses, not the default.
1At the end of two full years Pharaoh dreamed, and he was standing by the Nile.
2From the Nile seven cows came up, fine-looking and fat, and they grazed in the reed grass.
3Then seven other cows came up after them from the Nile, ugly-looking and thin, and they stood beside the other cows on the bank of the Nile.
4The ugly thin cows ate the seven fine fat cows, and Pharaoh woke.
5He fell asleep and dreamed a second time, and seven ears of grain came up on one stalk, plump and good.
6Then seven ears, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted after them.
7The thin ears swallowed the seven plump full ears, and Pharaoh woke, and it was a dream.
8In the morning his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dream, but no one could interpret them for Pharaoh.
9Then the chief cupbearer spoke to Pharaoh. “I remember my offenses today.
10Pharaoh was angry with his servants and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, me and the chief baker.
11We dreamed a dream on the same night, he and I. Each of us dreamed with its own interpretation.
12A Hebrew young man was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him, and he interpreted our dreams for us. To each he gave the interpretation of his dream.
13And as he interpreted to us, so it happened. I was restored to my place, and he was hanged.”
14Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the pit. He shaved, changed his clothes, and came in to Pharaoh.
15Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have dreamed a dream, and there is no one to interpret it. I have heard it said of you that you hear a dream and interpret it.”
16Joseph answered Pharaoh, “Not I. God will answer about Pharaoh’s welfare.”
17Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile.
18From the Nile seven cows came up, fat and fine-looking, and they grazed in the reed grass.
19Then seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and thin. I have never seen such ugly ones in all the land of Egypt.
20The thin ugly cows ate the first seven fat cows,
21and when they had eaten them you could not tell they were inside them. They looked as ugly as at the start. Then I woke.
22I saw in my dream seven ears coming up on one stalk, full and good,
23and seven ears, withered, thin, scorched by the east wind, sprouting after them.
24The thin ears swallowed the seven good ears. I told the magicians, and there was no one who could explain it to me.”
25Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Pharaoh’s dream is one. God has told Pharaoh what he is about to do.
26The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years. The dream is one.
27The seven thin and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears scorched by the east wind will be seven years of famine.
28It is as I said to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do.
29Seven years of great plenty are coming in all the land of Egypt.
30After them seven years of famine will rise, and all the plenty in the land of Egypt will be forgotten. The famine will consume the land.
31The plenty in the land will not be remembered, because of the famine after it, for it will be very severe.
32The dream came to Pharaoh twice because the thing is fixed with God, and God will do it soon.
33Now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and set him over the land of Egypt.
34Let Pharaoh act and appoint overseers over the land, and take a fifth of the land of Egypt in the seven years of plenty.
35Let them gather all the food of these coming good years and store grain under Pharaoh’s hand, food in the cities, and keep it.
36The food will be a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine that will be in the land of Egypt, so that the land is not cut off by the famine.”
37The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his servants.
38Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is the spirit of God?”
39Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one as discerning and wise as you.
40You will be over my house, and all my people will obey your word. Only in the throne will I be greater than you.”
41Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.”
42Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand. He clothed him in linen garments and put a gold chain on his neck.
43He had him ride in the second chariot that he had, and they called out before him, “Abrek.” So he set him over all the land of Egypt.
Notes (1)Hide notes
- Translation
Abrek is the shout. The codex does not translate it. “Bow the knee” is a later guess, and it is not printed.
44Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without you no one will lift a hand or a foot in all the land of Egypt.”
45Pharaoh named Joseph Zaphenath-paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, as a wife. Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.
Notes (1)Hide notes
- Translation
Zaphenath-paneah is the name as the Hebrew spells it. The codex does not give its meaning, and none is invented.
46Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph went out from Pharaoh’s presence and traveled through all the land of Egypt.
47In the seven years of plenty the land produced by the handful.
48He gathered all the food of the seven years that came on the land of Egypt and stored the food in the cities. The food of the fields around each city he stored in that city.
49Joseph stored grain like the sand of the sea, a very great amount, until he stopped measuring, because it could not be measured.
50Before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph, whom Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, bore to him.
51Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, “for God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s house.”
Notes (1)Hide notes
- Translation
Manasseh is explained by “made me forget.”
52The second he named Ephraim, “for God has made me fruitful in the land of my misery.”
Notes (1)Hide notes
- Translation
Ephraim is explained by “made me fruitful.”
53The seven years of plenty in the land of Egypt came to an end,
54and the seven years of famine began, as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.
55When all the land of Egypt was hungry, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread, and Pharaoh said to all Egypt, “Go to Joseph. Do what he tells you.”
56The famine was over the whole face of the land. Joseph opened all that was in them and sold grain to Egypt, and the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.
57All the earth came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the earth.