Genesis 41:37–57

³⁷Pharaoh and all his servants liked the idea. ³⁸So Pharaoh asked his servants, “Can we find anyone like this—a man who has God’s Spirit in him?” 

³⁹Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Because God has let you know all this, there is no one as wise and intelligent as you. ⁴⁰You will be in charge of my palace, and all my people will dowhat you say. I will be more important than you, only because I’m Pharaoh.” 

⁴¹Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I now put you in charge of Egypt.” ⁴²Then Pharaoh took off his signet ring and put it on Joseph’s finger. He had Joseph dressed in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. ⁴³He had him ride in the chariot of the second-in-command. Men ran ahead of him and shouted, “Make way!”Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of Egypt. 

⁴⁴He also said to Joseph, “Even though I am Pharaoh, no one anywhere in Egypt will do anything without your permission.” ⁴⁵Pharaoh named Joseph Zaphenathpaneah and gave him Asenath as his wife. She was the daughter of Potiphera, priest from the city of On. Joseph traveled around Egypt. 

Joseph Serves Pharaoh

⁴⁶Joseph was 30 years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh (the king of Egypt). He left Pharaoh and traveled all around Egypt. ⁴⁷During the seven good years the land produced large harvests. ⁴⁸Joseph collected all the food grown in Egypt during those seven years and put this food in the cities. In each city he put the food from the fields around it. ⁴⁹Joseph stored up grain in huge quantities like the sand on the seashore. He had so much that he finally gave up keeping any records because he couldn’t measure it all. 

⁵⁰Before the years of famine came, Joseph had two sons by Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, priest from the city of On. ⁵¹Joseph named his firstborn son Manasseh ^[He Helps Me Forget^[, because God helped him forget all his troubles and all about his father’s family. ⁵²He named the second son Ephraim ^[Blessed Twice With Children^[, because God gave him children in the land where he had suffered. 

⁵³The seven years when there was plenty of food in Egypt came to an end. ⁵⁴Then the seven years of famine began as Joseph had said they would. All the other countries were experiencing famine. Yet, there was food in Egypt. ⁵⁵When everyone in Egypt began to feel the effects of the famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. But Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph! Do what he tells you!” 

⁵⁶When the famine had spread all over the country, Joseph opened all the storehouses^eand sold grain to the Egyptians. He did this because the famine was severe in Egypt. ⁵⁷The whole world came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, since the famine was so severe all over the world.