Joseph Interprets the King's Dreams
1 After two years had passed, the king of Egypt dreamed that he was standing by the Nile River, 2 when seven cows, fat and sleek, came up out of the river and began to feed on the grass. 3 Then seven other cows came up; they were thin and bony. They came and stood by the other cows on the riverbank, 4 and the thin cows ate up the fat cows. Then the king woke up. 5 He fell asleep again and had another dream. Seven heads of grain, full and ripe, were growing on one stalk. 6 Then seven other heads of grain sprouted, thin and scorched by the desert wind, 7 and the thin heads of grain swallowed the full ones. The king woke up and realized that he had been dreaming. 8 In the morning he was worried, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. He told them his dreams, but no one could explain them to him.
9 Then the wine steward said to the king, “I must confess today that I have done wrong. 10 You were angry with the chief baker and me, and you put us in prison in the house of the captain of the guard. 11 One night each of us had a dream, and the dreams had different meanings. 12 A young Hebrew was there with us, a slave of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us. 13 Things turned out just as he said: you restored me to my position, but you executed the baker.”
14 The king sent for Joseph, and he was immediately brought from the prison. After he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came into the king's presence. 15 The king said to him, “I have had a dream, and no one can explain it. I have been told that you can interpret dreams.”
16 Joseph answered, “I cannot, Your Majesty, but God will give a favorable interpretation.”
17 The king said, “I dreamed that I was standing on the bank of the Nile, 18 when seven cows, fat and sleek, came up out of the river and began feeding on the grass. 19 Then seven other cows came up which were thin and bony. They were the poorest cows I have ever seen anywhere in Egypt. 20 The thin cows ate up the fat ones, 21 but no one would have known it, because they looked just as bad as before. Then I woke up. 22 I also dreamed that I saw seven heads of grain which were full and ripe, growing on one stalk. 23 Then seven heads of grain sprouted, thin and scorched by the desert wind, 24 and the thin heads of grain swallowed the full ones. I told the dreams to the magicians, but none of them could explain them to me.”
25 Joseph said to the king, “The two dreams mean the same thing; God has told you what he is going to do. 26 The seven fat cows are seven years, and the seven full heads of grain are also seven years; they have the same meaning. 27 The seven thin cows which came up later and the seven thin heads of grain scorched by the desert wind are seven years of famine. 28 It is just as I told you—God has shown you what he is going to do. 29 There will be seven years of great plenty in all the land of Egypt. 30 After that, there will be seven years of famine, and all the good years will be forgotten, because the famine will ruin the country. 31 The time of plenty will be entirely forgotten, because the famine which follows will be so terrible. 32 The repetition of your dream means that the matter is fixed by God and that he will make it happen in the near future.
33 “Now you should choose some man with wisdom and insight and put him in charge of the country. 34 You must also appoint other officials and take a fifth of the crops during the seven years of plenty. 35 Order them to collect all the food during the good years that are coming, and give them authority to store up grain in the cities and guard it. 36 The food will be a reserve supply for the country during the seven years of famine which are going to come on Egypt. In this way the people will not starve.”
Joseph Is Made Governor over Egypt
37 The king and his officials approved this plan, 38 and he said to them, “We will never find a better man than Joseph, a man who has God's spirit in him.” 39 The king said to Joseph, “God has shown you all this, so it is obvious that you have greater wisdom and insight than anyone else. 40 I will put you in charge of my country, and all my people will obey your orders. Your authority will be second only to mine. 41 I now appoint you governor over all Egypt.” 42 The king removed from his finger the ring engraved with the royal seal and put it on Joseph's finger. He put a fine linen robe on him, and placed a gold chain around his neck. 43 He gave him the second royal chariot to ride in, and his guard of honor went ahead of him and cried out, “Make way! Make way!” And so Joseph was appointed governor over all Egypt. 44 The king said to him, “I am the king—and no one in all Egypt shall so much as lift a hand or a foot without your permission.” 45-46 He gave Joseph the Egyptian name Zaphenath Paneah, and he gave him a wife, Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, a priest in the city of Heliopolis.
Joseph was thirty years old when he began to serve the king of Egypt. He left the king's court and traveled all over the land. 47 During the seven years of plenty the land produced abundant crops, 48 all of which Joseph collected and stored in the cities. In each city he stored the food from the fields around it. 49 There was so much grain that Joseph stopped measuring it—it was like the sand of the sea.
50 Before the years of famine came, Joseph had two sons by Asenath. 51 He said, “God has made me forget all my sufferings and all my father's family”; so he named his first son Manasseh. 52 He also said, “God has given me children in the land of my trouble”; so he named his second son Ephraim.
53 The seven years of plenty that the land of Egypt had enjoyed came to an end, 54 and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in every other country, but there was food throughout Egypt. 55 When the Egyptians began to be hungry, they cried out to the king for food. So he ordered them to go to Joseph and do what he told them. 56 The famine grew worse and spread over the whole country, so Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians. 57 People came to Egypt from all over the world to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe everywhere.
Josef ma handjaura oturoto twa Farao
1 Ozombura mbari tji za kapita, Farao wa rota kutja wa kurama ponḓonḓu Nil. 2 Notji mwa pita ozongombe hambombari ozonḓenḓu ozombwa nḓa ṋuna monḓonḓu naze utu okurya ehozu. 3 Tjazumba ape piti ozongombe zarwe hambombari ozonḓenḓu monḓonḓu; ozo za rambukire nu za ri ozombi tjinene. Nozo ze ya naze kurama pozongwao pomukuro wonḓonḓu. 4 Nu ozongombe nḓa ozombi nozondambi za rya inḓa ozombwa nozonḓune hambombari. Nu Farao arire tja yanḓimuka. 5 Neye wa rara na roto rukwao. Nu tara, pa ri ovihweka hambombari vyovikokotwa mbya hapa komukono umwe; ovyo vya twako, navi horo. 6 Tjazumba pa hapa ovikwao hambombari ovirambi nu mbya nyosiwa i ombepo yokumuhuka. 7 Nu imbi ovihweka ovirambi vya ṋiṋa imbi ovihweka hambombari. Farao wa yanḓimuka na munu kutja aa roto. 8 Nomuhuka mbo oturoto twi twe mu kurungisa. Neye otja kaisana ozondjai nozonongo za Engipte ne ze raere oturoto twe. Nungwari kapa ri umwe, ngwaa sora okumuhandjaurira two.
9 Nu ingwi omutye omunane womavinu wa tja ku Farao: “Ami ndino me ṱokurihepura kutja mba tataiza. 10 Farao wa ṱire omazenge novakarere ve, na twa ami nomunane wovatereke vozomboroto motjovakamburwa mondjuwo yomunene wovatjevere. 11 Ouṱuku umwe twa rota; auhe wa rota oruroto rwe nomaheero warwo oruini. 12 Nu pa ri Omuheberi omutanda puna eṱe, nomukarere omunane wovatjevere; neṱe twe mu raera oturoto twetu, neye we tu handjaurira ama raere auhe omaheero woruroto rwe. 13 Nu pa kara otja indu tje tu handjaurira: Ami mba yarurwa motjinungura tjandje, nu ingwi omutereke wozomboroto wa turikwa.”
14 Farao arire tja hindi ovandu okukaeta Josef; nu tjimanga ve mu pitisa motjovakamburwa nu kombunda tjaza noku rikurura ozondjise, nokuzara ozombanda ozarwe ve mu twara komurungu wa Farao. 15 Farao arire tja tja ku Josef: “Ami mba roto oruroto, nu kape na umwe ngu ma sora okuruhandjaura. Ami mba raerwa kutja ove tji wa zuu oruroto u sora okuhandjaura.”
16 Josef wa zira a tja: “Kawami! Nungwari Ndjambi ongu ma yandja ku Farao eziriro enanyuṋe.”
17 Farao arire tja tja ku Josef: “Ami mba roto kutja mba kurama pomukuro wOnil, 18 notji pe ya ozongombe hambombari ozonḓenḓu ozombwa okuza monḓonḓu naze utu okurya ehozu. 19 Nu tjazumba otji pe ya ozongombe zarwe hambombari ozonḓenḓu ozondambi nozombi tjinene nḓu mbi hi na mba mwine mehi arihe ra Engipte. 20 Nozongombe nḓa ozondambi nozombi za rya inḓa ozondenga ozonḓune hambombari. 21 Nungwari tji za zu nokuzerya, ape ha ningi ngu ma tjiwa kutja za ri ozongwao; orondu aaze munika navi tjimuna rutenga. Tjazumba ami e yanḓimuka. 22 Ami wina mba roto kutja mba munu ovihweka vyovikokotwa hambombari mbya hapa komukono umwe nu mbya hora. 23 Tjazumba e munu ovihweka hambombari mbya kukuta novirambi nu mbya nyosiwa i ombepo yokumuhuka. 24 Ovihweka vyovikokotwa hambombari imbi ovirambi vya ṋiṋa imbi ovihweka hambombari mbya twako nawa. Ami otji mba raera oturoto twandje kozondjai, nungwari kapa ri imwe ndja sora okutuhandjaura.”
25 Josef arire tja tja ku Farao: “Oturoto twi atuyevari matu hee otjiṋa tjimwe. Ndjambi wa raere ku Farao imbi mbi ma tjiti. 26 Ozongombe nḓa ozonḓune hambombari okutja ozombura hambombari, novihweka vyovikokotwa hambombari mbya twako nawa, wina ozombura hambombari; oto matu hee otjiṋa tjimwe. 27 Nozongombe nḓa hambombari ozondambi nozombi nḓe ya kombunda yainḓena, novihweka imbi hambombari vyovikokotwa ovirambi nu mbya nyosiwa i ombepo yokomuhuka, okutja ozombura hambombari zourumbu. 28 Pe ri otja indu tji mba raere ku Farao: Ndjambi wa raisire Farao imbi eye mbi ma tjiti. 29 Maku kara ozombura hambombari zondjoura mOengipte. 30 Kombunda yanai maku kara ozombura hambombari zourumbu, nozombura inḓa ozombwa maze zembwa mOengipte. Nu imbwi ourumbu mau nyono ehi. 31 Oruveze rwondjoura maru zembwa oparukaze; orondu imbwi ourumbu mbu mau kongorere mau rire ouzeu tjinene. 32 Nu indwi oruroto pu rwa zu okuya tuvari ku Farao, mape hee otjiṋa hi kutja tja zikamisiwa i Ndjambi, nokutja eye me tji tjiti tjimanga.
33 “Nambano Farao nga toorore omurumendu omunazondunge nonongo, ne mu twe po okutjevera ehi ra Engipte. 34 Nu Farao wina nga zike ovatjevere vehi kutja ve kambure okarukondwa oketjatano kovihape moure wozombura hambombari nḓa zondjoura. 35 Owo ngave wonge ovikurya ngamwa avihe moure wozombura nḓa ozombwa nḓu maze ya; nu ngave ungure kehi yondyero ya Farao, nu ve pwike ovikokotwa movihuro nokuvitjevera. 36 Ovikurya mbi mavi pwikirwa ourumbu wozombura hambombari mbu mau ya mOegipte kutja ovandu va Engipte ave ha ṱondjara moruveze rwourumbu.”
Josef ma zikwa otja Omunane omunene wokehi yombara mOengipte
37 Farao novandu ve arire tji va yakura ondunge ndji. 38 Neye wa tja ku wo: “Matu munu pi omundu warwe ngwa sana ku ingwi, ngu nOmbepo ya Ndjambi?” 39 Farao arire tja tja ku Josef: “Ndjambi tjinga e ku raisira avihe mbi, kape na warwe ngu nozondunge poo ounongo komurungu woye. 40 Ami otji me ku twa po okurira omutjevere wouini wandje, novandu vandje avehe mave kara nonḓuviro komambo woye. Ami me kara omunene pove motjiṋa tjimwe hi tjokutja owami ombara.” 41 Farao wa tja ku Josef: “Tara, ami mbe ku ziki otja ongooneya mehi arihe ra Engipte.” 42 Farao arire tja isa ko ongoho ye yokomunwe yotjihako tjouhongore ne i twa pomunwe wa Josef; neye we mu zarisa ozombanda norupera oruheze ne mu twa otjingongo tjongoldo mosengo ye. 43 Neye we mu ryangisa metemba re oritjavari rouhona, novatjevere ve va ravaera komurungu we amave tja: “Virukeye!” Komuhingo mbwi Josef otja zikwa otja ongooneya mehi arihe ra Engipte. 44 Farao arire tja tja ku ye: “Ami owami ombara; nungwari nokuhinousemba woye kape na umwe mOengipte arihe ngu ma yere eke poo ombaze ye.” 45 Neye wa ruka Josef ena Safenat-Paneak, okutja Omukoramuinyo, ne mu pe Asenat, omusuko wa Potifar, omupristeri wotjihuro On, a rire omukazendu we. Nu Josef wa ryanga okutuurunga ehi arihe ra Engipte.
46 Josef wa ri nozombura omirongo vitatu tja uta okuungurira Farao, ombara ya Engipte. Nu eye wa zapo pu Farao na tuurunga ehi arihe Engipte. 47 Moure wozombura nḓa hambombari zondjoura ehi ra eta ovihape ovingi. 48 Nu Josef wa wonga ovikurya avihe moure wozombura nḓa hambombari zondjoura, ne vi tutire movihuro; motjihuro atjihe eye wa pwika mo ovikurya vyovikunino mbya kondoroka tjo. 49 Komuhingo mbwi Josef otja pwika ovikokotwa ovingi tjinene tjimuna eheke rokuvare. Mwa ri ovikokotwa ovingi nga eye tja isa okuvisaneka, orondu kaavi sora okusanekwa.
50 Nu ngunda ozombura zourumbu aze hiye ya, Josef wa kwata ovazandu vevari mu Asenat, omusuko wa Potifar, omupristeri wa On. 51 Josef wa tja: “Ndjambi we ndji tjita kutja mbi zembe omihihamo vyandje, nomuhoko wa tate auhe wina”, neye otja ruka omuzandu we everi ena Manasse, okutja “Muzembise”. 52 Nu ingwi omuzandu outjavari we mu ruka Efraim, okutja “Rukwato”, orondu eye tja tja: “Ndjambi we ndji pa ovanatje mehi romauzeu wandje.”
53 Nozombura hambombari nḓa zondjoura mehi ra Engipte tji za kapita, 54 inḓa hambombari zourumbu za uta okuya otja Josef pa heya. Nu mwa ri ondjara momahi aehe warwe, nungwari mOengipte arihe mwa ri ovikurya. 55 Nu ehi arihe ra Engipte ra uta okumuna ondjara, novandu aave utuka ku Farao okuningira ovikurya. Neye wa rakiza kOvaengipte avehe na tja: “Twendeye ku Josef, nu mu tjite otja tji me hee!” 56 Imbwi ourumbu tji wa tandavara kombanda yehi arihe, Josef arire tja paturura ozondjuwo azehe zomapwikiro wovikokotwa na randisa imbi ovikokotwa kOvaengipte, ondjara nambano tjinga aya rira onḓeu mehi ra Engipte. 57 Ovandu ve ya kOengipte okuza komahi aehe okuyekuranda ovikokotwa ku Josef, ondjara tjinga aya ri onḓeu momahi aehe.
