1 Now at the end of two full years, Pharaoh had a dream, and look, he stood by the river! 2 And look, seven cows came up out of the river. They were good looking and plump, and they fed in the marsh grass. 3 And look, seven other cows came up after them out of the river, bad looking and thin, and stood beside the other cows on the river bank. 4 And the bad looking and thin cows ate up the seven good looking and plump cows. Then Pharaoh awoke.
5 Then he slept and dreamed a second time, and look, seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, plump and good. 6 And look, seven heads of grain, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprang up after them. 7 And the thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven plump and full heads. Then Pharaoh awoke, and look, it was a dream!
8 And in the morning, his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all of the magicians and wise men of Egypt. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them for Pharaoh.
9 Then the chief cupbearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying, “I remember my faults today. 10 Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me under guard in the house of the captain of the guard, with the chief baker. 11 And we each had a dream on the same night, he and I. Each of us had a dream with its own meaning. 12 And there was a young Hebrew man with us there, a servant of the captain of the guard. And we told him, and he interpreted our dreams for us. For each man he interpreted according to his dream. 13 And it was, just as he interpreted to us, so it happened. He restored me to my position, and he hanged him.”
14 So Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they quickly brought him out of the dungeon. And he shaved himself, and changed his clothes, and came in to Pharaoh. 15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and no one can interpret it! But I have heard it said of you, that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”
16 Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “Not me! God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”
17 So Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, “In my dream, look, I stood on the bank of the Nile River. 18 And look, there came up out of the river seven cows, plump and good looking. And they fed in the marsh grass. 19 And look, seven other cows came up after them, scrawny and very bad looking with thin flesh. I have never seen such bad cows as these in all the land of Egypt. 20 And the thin and bad looking cows ate up the first seven plump cows. 21 And when they had gone into their bellies, no one would have known they had gone into their bellies, and they were as bad looking as at first. Then I woke up. 22 Then I saw in my dream, and look, seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, full and good. 23 And look, seven heads of grain, withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind, sprang up after them. 24 And the thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads of grain. Now I have told it to the magicians, but there is no one who can explain it to me.”
25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Pharaoh’s dreams are the same. God has informed Pharaoh what He is about to do. 26 Now the seven good cows are seven years; and the seven good heads of grain are seven years. The dreams are the same. 27 And the seven thin and bad looking cows that came up after them are seven years, and also the seven empty heads of grain scorched by the east wind. They will be seven years of famine. 28 This is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29 Look, seven years of great abundance throughout all the land of Egypt are coming. 30 And seven years of famine will arise after them, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will wear out the land. 31 And the abundance will not be known in the land because of that famine afterwards, for it will be very severe. 32 The reason the dream was repeated twice to Pharaoh is because the matter is established by God, and God will do it soon.
33 “So now Pharaoh should look for an intelligent and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 Pharaoh should do this, and he should appoint overseers over the land, and collect a fifth of* the land of Egypt in the seven years of abundance. 35 Let them gather all the food of these good years that come, and store grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the towns, and let them keep it. 36 The food will be as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine, which will be in the land of Egypt; so that the land will not be cut off during the famine.”
37 Now the advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants. 38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Could we find another man like this, who has God’s spirit in him?” 39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Because God has shown you all of this, there isn’t anyone as intelligent and wise as you. 40 You will be over my house, and all my people will be ruled according to your word. Only in the throne I will be greater than you.” 41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Look, I have set you over all the land of Egypt!” 42 And Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand, and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in fine linen robes, and put a gold chain around his neck. 43 And he had him ride in his second chariot. And they shouted out ahead of him, “Bow down!” So he set him over all the land of Egypt. 44 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without you no one may lift up his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt.” 45 And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Tzafenat Pane’ah*. And he gave him Asenat, the daughter of Poti Fera, priest of On, as a wife. And Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.
46 Now Joseph was 30 years old when he stood in the presence of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. 47 Now during the seven abundant years the earth produced armfuls. 48 And he gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and put the food in the towns, the food of the fields of the towns which surrounded them, he put inside. 49 And Joseph stockpiled grain as the sand of the sea, very much, until he stopped counting, for it was beyond measure. 50 And two sons were born to Joseph before the year of famine came, whom Asenat, the daughter of Poti Fera, priest of On, gave birth to for him. 51 And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh (which means He Who Causes to Forget), “Because God has caused me to forget all my trouble, and all my father’s house.” 52 And the name of the second, he called Ephraim (which means Double Fruit), “Because God has made me produce fruit in the land of my oppression.”
53 Now the seven years of plenty, that were in the land of Egypt, came to an end. 54 And the seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said. And there was famine in all the lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was food. 55 So when all the land of Egypt was hungry, the people cried to Pharaoh for food, and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph. What he says to you, do.” 56 And the famine was over all the face of the earth. And Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. And the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. 57 And all the earth came into Egypt, to Joseph, to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all the earth.