31. It will be so bad that people will forget what it was like to have plenty of food.
32. “Pharaoh, you had two dreams about the same thing. That means God wanted to show you that he really will make this happen, and he will make it happen soon!
33. So, Pharaoh, you should choose a wise, intelligent man and put him in charge of Egypt.
34. Then you should choose other men to collect food from the people. During the seven good years, the people must give them one-fifth of all the food they grow.
35. In this way these men will collect all the food during the seven good years and store it in the cities until it is needed. Pharaoh, this food will be under your control.
36. Then during the seven years of hunger, there will be food for the country of Egypt. And Egypt will not be destroyed by the famine.”
37. This seemed like a very good idea to Pharaoh, and all his officials agreed.
38. Then Pharaoh told them, “I don’t think we can find anyone better than Joseph to take this job! God’s Spirit is in him, making him very wise!”
39. So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “God showed these things to you, so you must be the wisest man.
40. I will put you in charge of my country, and the people will obey all your commands. I will be the only one more powerful than you.”
41. Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I now make you governor over all of Egypt.”
42. Then Pharaoh gave his special ring to Joseph. The royal seal was on this ring. Pharaoh also gave Joseph a fine linen robe and put a gold chain around his neck.
43. Then he told Joseph to ride in his second chariot. Pharaoh’s officials said, “Let him be the governor over the whole land of Egypt!”
44. Then Pharaoh said to him, “I am Pharaoh, the king over everyone in Egypt, but no one else in Egypt can lift a hand or move a foot unless you say he can.”
45. Then Pharaoh gave Joseph another name, Zaphenath Paneah. He also gave Joseph a wife named Asenath. She was the daughter of Potiphera, a priest in the city of On. So Joseph became the governor over the whole country of Egypt.
46. Joseph was 30 years old when he began serving the king of Egypt. He traveled throughout the country of Egypt.
47. During the seven good years, the crops in Egypt grew very well.
48. Joseph saved the food in Egypt during those seven years and stored the food in the cities. In every city he stored grain that grew in the fields around the city.
49. Joseph stored so much grain that it was like the sands of the sea. He stored so much grain that it could not be measured.
50. Joseph’s wife, Asenath, was the daughter of Potiphera, the priest in the city of On. Before the first year of hunger came, Joseph and Asenath had two sons.
51. Joseph named the first son Manasseh. He was given this name because Joseph said, “God made me forget all my hard work and everything back home in my father’s house.”