^41:33“So now Pharaoh should look⁵⁷ for a wise and discerning man⁵⁸ and give him authority⁵⁹ over all the land of Egypt. ^41:34Pharaoh should do⁶⁰ this—he should appoint⁶¹ officials⁶² throughout the land to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt⁶³ during the seven years of abundance. ^41:35They should gather all the excess food⁶⁴ during these good years that are coming. By Pharaoh’s authority⁶⁵ they should store up grain so the cities will have food,⁶⁶ and they should preserve it.⁶⁷^41:36This food should be held in storage for the land in preparation for the seven years of famine that will occur throughout the land of Egypt. In this way the land will survive the famine.”⁶⁸

^41:37This advice made sense to Pharaoh and all his officials.⁶⁹

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Footnotes

57 Heb “let Pharaoh look.” The jussive form expresses Joseph’s advice to Pharaoh.
58 Heb “a man discerning and wise.” The order of the terms is rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
59 Heb “and let him set him.”
60 The imperfect verbal form has an obligatory nuance here. The Samaritan Pentateuch has a jussive form here, “and let [Pharaoh] do.”
61 Heb “and let him appoint.” The jussive form expresses Joseph’s advice to Pharaoh.
62 Heb “appointees.” The noun is a cognate accusative of the preceding verb. Since “appoint appointees” would be redundant in English, the term “officials” was used in the translation instead.
63 Heb “and he shall collect a fifth of the land of Egypt.” The language is figurative (metonymy); it means what the land produces, i.e., the harvest.
64 Heb “all the food.”
65 Heb “under the hand of Pharaoh.”
66 Heb “[for] food in the cities.” The noun translated “food” is an adverbial accusative in the sentence.
67 The perfect with vav (ו) consecutive carries the same force as the sequence of jussives before it.
68 Heb “and the land will not be cut off in the famine.”
69 Heb “and the matter was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants.”

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Now therefore let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. Let 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. And 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. That 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.”

This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

“And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.”

The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

“So now, let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this: Let him appoint overseers over the land and take a fifth of the harvest of the land of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. Let them gather all the excess food during these good years that are coming. Under Pharaoh’s authority, store the grain in the cities, so they may preserve it as food. The food will be a reserve for the land during the seven years of famine that will take place in the land of Egypt. Then the country will not be wiped out by the famine.”

The proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants,

NLTNew Living Translation

“Therefore, Pharaoh should find an intelligent and wise man and put him in charge of the entire land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh should appoint supervisors over the land and let them collect one-fifth of all the crops during the seven good years. Have them gather all the food produced in the good years that are just ahead and bring it to Pharaoh’s storehouses. Store it away, and guard it so there will be food in the cities. That way there will be enough to eat when the seven years of famine come to the land of Egypt. Otherwise this famine will destroy the land.”

Joseph’s suggestions were well received by Pharaoh and his officials.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Now then, let Pharaoh select a man who is discerning and wise, and let him set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint supervisors over the land, and let him take one-fifth from the land of Egypt in the seven years of abundance. Then let them gather all the food of these coming good years and let them pile up grain under the hand of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. Then the food shall be as a deposit for the land for the seven years of the famine that will be in the land of Egypt, that the land will not perish on account of the famine.”

And the plan was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants.

KJV 1900King James Version

Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years. And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine.

And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.

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