Joseph Becomes the Governor over the Country of Egypt and Stores Up Food

41:37-57

37 What Joseph proposed seemed like a good plan to Pharaoh and all his officials. 38 So Pharaoh exclaimed to them, “Certainly we cannot find anyone else more qualified than this man whom God’s Spirit guides!” 39 Then he said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, no one else is as intelligent as you are or knows what to do in this situation. 40 So I am putting you in charge of my household and my kingdom, so that all the people in my country must obey whatever you command. Only I who am king will have higher authority than you.” 41 Then Pharaoh said, “Listen, I hereby put you in charge of the whole country of Egypt.” 42 Then he took off his official identification ring and put it on Joseph’s finger to show that he had appointed him. He also gave Joseph expensive linen clothes to wear and put a chain made of gold around his neck. 43 Then Pharaoh had Joseph ride around in the chariot that showed he was the second highest ruler in the country. As he rode, messengers walked in the road ahead of him calling out to everyone, “Make way!” In that way, Pharaoh officially appointed Joseph to be in charge of the whole country of Egypt.

44 Pharaoh also told Joseph, “I, Pharaoh, hereby command that throughout the whole country of Egypt, everyone must only do what you tell them to do!” 45 Then Pharaoh gave Joseph the Egyptian name Zaphenath-Paneah, which means “the one who explains/reveals secrets,” and he gave him a woman named Asenath to be his wife. She was the daughter of Potiphera, who was a priest at the temple in the city of On. Then Joseph started his duties and traveled throughout the country of Egypt.

46 Joseph was thirty years old when he started serving Pharaoh, the king over Egypt. After Pharaoh appointed him, Joseph left him and traveled throughout the whole country of Egypt doing his work. 47 During the seven years when food was plentiful, the land produced huge amounts of grain. 48 So Joseph had his helpers collect all the surplus grain that people harvested during those seven years in the country of Egypt, and he had them stockpile that grain in the cities. In each city he had them store the grain that people harvested from the surrounding fields. 49 In that way, Joseph stockpiled so much grain that it was as plentiful as the grains of sand on the seashore. In fact, it was so plentiful that he stopped keeping records of it because it was too much to keep track of.

50 Before the seven famine years started, Joseph had two sons with his wife Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, who was a priest in the city of On. 51 Joseph named his oldest son Manasseh, which means “forget,” and he explained, “It is because God has helped me to forget about all my troubles and about how much I have missed my father and the rest of my family back home.” 52 And he named his second son Ephraim, which means “twice prosperous,” and he explained, “It is because God has helped me to prosper in the country where I have suffered so much.”

53 Finally the seven years were over when food was plentiful in the country of Egypt. 54 Then the seven years began when there was a severe lack of food, which is exactly what Joseph had predicted would happen. The famine spread to every country, but throughout the whole country of Egypt there was still food in the storehouses. 55 When everyone in Egypt became very hungry because of the famine, they begged King Pharaoh for food. So he commanded them, “Go ask Joseph for help, and do whatever he commands you to do.” 56 Since the severe food shortage was affecting the whole country, Joseph had his helpers open up all the storehouses full of grain, and he started selling the grain to the people of Egypt. Then the famine became worse and worse throughout the country of Egypt. 57 In fact, people from all over the world started coming to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the food shortage was so terrible throughout the whole world.