1 Two whole years later Pharaoh had a dream: he was standing beside the Nile,
2 when up out of the Nile came seven cows, sleek and fat, and they began grazing among the reeds.
3 After them seven other cows came up out of the Nile, ugly and gaunt, and stood beside the first cows on the bank of the Nile.
4 Then the ugly, gaunt cows devoured the seven sleek, fat cows. And Pharaoh woke up.
5 He went back to sleep and dreamed a second time: seven heads of grain, plump and good, were growing on a single stalk.
6 After them seven other heads sprouted, thin and blighted by the east wind.
7 The thin heads swallowed up the seven plump, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up, and it had been a dream.
8 In the morning he was deeply disturbed, so he summoned all the magicians and all the wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh related his dreams to them, but no one could interpret them for him.
9 Then the chief cupbearer spoke up and said to Pharaoh, "Today I must call to mind my failings.
10 Once Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and he put me and the chief baker in custody in the house of the captain of the guard.
11 One night he and I both had dreams, and each dream had its own meaning.
12 A young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each of us the meaning of his own dream.
13 Things turned out just as he had interpreted them for us: I was restored to my post, and the other man was hanged."
14 So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and they hurried him out of the dungeon. After he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh.
15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that you need only hear a dream to interpret it."
16 Joseph answered Pharaoh, "It is not in me. It is God who will give Pharaoh an answer for his welfare."
17 Then Pharaoh told Joseph, "In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile,
18 when up out of the Nile came seven cows, fat and sleek, and they began grazing among the reeds.
19 After them seven other cows came up, scrawny, very ugly, and lean; I have never seen such ugly cows anywhere in Egypt.
20 The lean, ugly cows devoured the first seven fat cows.
21 Yet after they had eaten them, no one could have told that they had eaten them, for they looked just as ugly as before. Then I woke up.
22 I also saw in my dream seven heads of grain, full and good, growing on a single stalk.
23 After them seven other heads sprouted, shriveled, thin, and blighted by the east wind.
24 The thin heads swallowed up the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but none of them could explain it to me."
25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "Pharaoh's dreams are one and the same. God has made known to Pharaoh what he is about to do.
26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is a single dream.
27 The seven lean, ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and so are the seven empty heads of grain blighted by the east wind: they will be seven years of famine.
28 It is just as I told Pharaoh: God has let Pharaoh see what he is about to do.
29 Seven years of great abundance are about to come throughout the land of Egypt,
30 but after them seven years of famine will follow, and all the abundance in the land of Egypt will be forgotten. The famine will ravage the land,
31 and the abundance in the land will leave no trace because of the famine that comes after it, so very severe will it be.
32 As for the dream being given to Pharaoh twice, it means that the matter has been firmly settled by God, and God will soon make it happen.
33 So now Pharaoh should seek out a man of understanding and wisdom and put him in charge of the land of Egypt.
34 Let Pharaoh act and appoint officials over the land, and collect a fifth of the land of Egypt's produce during the seven years of abundance.
35 Let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming, and pile up grain under Pharaoh's authority, to be kept as food in the cities.
36 This food will serve the land as a reserve for the seven years of famine that are coming on the land of Egypt, so that the land will not be ruined by the famine."
37 The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his servants.
38 Pharaoh asked his servants, "Could we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the Spirit of God?"
39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one with understanding and wisdom like yours.
40 You will be in charge of my house, and by your word all my people shall be ruled. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you."
41 Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt."
42 Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph's hand. He had him dressed in robes of fine linen and placed a gold chain around his neck.
43 He had him ride in the second chariot he owned, and they called out ahead of him, "Abrek!" So he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.
44 Pharaoh also said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, but apart from you no one will raise hand or foot anywhere in the land of Egypt."
45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-paneah, and he gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.
46 Joseph was thirty years old when he took his stand before Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph left Pharaoh's presence and traveled throughout the land of Egypt.
47 In the seven years of abundance the land produced in handfuls.
48 Joseph collected all the food of the seven years that came on the land of Egypt and stored the food in the cities, placing in each city the food from the fields surrounding it.
49 Joseph piled up grain in great quantity, like the sand of the sea, until he gave up keeping count, because it was past measuring.
50 Before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.
51 Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, "Because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's house."
52 The second he named Ephraim, "Because God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction."
53 The seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt came to an end,
54 and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in every land, but throughout the land of Egypt there was bread.
55 When the whole land of Egypt began to feel the famine, the people cried out to Pharaoh for bread, and Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you."
56 The famine spread over the whole face of the earth, and Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine grew severe in the land of Egypt.
57 People from all the earth came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe over all the earth.