Genesis 41:46–57

Joseph’s Administration

⁴⁶Joseph was 30 years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph left Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout the land of Egypt.

⁴⁷During the seven years of abundance the land produced outstanding harvests. ⁴⁸Joseph gathered all the excess food in the land of Egypt during the seven years and put it in the cities. He put the food in every city from the fields around it. ⁴⁹So Joseph stored up grain in such abundance—like the sand of the sea—that he stopped measuring it because it was beyond measure.

⁵⁰Two sons were born to Joseph before the years of famine arrived. ^wAsenath daughter of Potiphera, priest at On, ^xbore them to him. ⁵¹Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, meaning, “God has made me forget all my hardship in my father’s house.” ⁵²And the second son he named Ephraim, meaning, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”

⁵³Then the seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt came to an end, ⁵⁴and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in every country, but throughout the land of Egypt there was food. ⁵⁵Extreme hunger came to all the land of Egypt, and the people cried out to Pharaoh for food. Pharaoh told all Egypt, “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.” ⁵⁶Because the famine had spread across the whole country, Joseph opened up all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. ⁵⁷Every nation came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, for the famine was severe in every land. ^y