Pharaoh’s Dreams
1Two full years later, Pharaoh had a dream: he was standing by the Nile, 2when out of the river came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. 3After them, seven other cows came up out of the river, gaunt and lean, and stood beside the first cows on the riverbank. 4The gaunt, lean cows ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. 5He fell asleep again and had a second dream: seven heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk. 6After them, seven more heads sprouted — thin and scorched by the east wind. 7The thin heads swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up, and it had been a dream. 8In the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him. 9Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I am reminded of my failure. 10Pharaoh was angry with his servants and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, both me and the chief baker. 11We each had a dream on the same night, I and he, and each dream had its own meaning. 12There was a young Hebrew with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, each according to his own dream. 13And it turned out just as he interpreted: I was restored to my position, and the other man was hanged.”
Joseph Before Pharaoh
14So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. After he shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh. 15Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I 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“I cannot do it,” Joseph answered Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” 17Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile, 18and out of the river came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds. 19After them, seven other cows came up — scrawny and very gaunt and lean. I have never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt. 20The lean, ugly cows ate up the first seven fat cows. 21But even after they had eaten them, no one could tell they had done so — they looked just as ugly as before. Then I woke up. 22In my dream I also saw seven heads of grain, full and good, growing on a single stalk, 23and after them, seven other heads sprouted up — withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind. 24The thin heads swallowed up the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but none of them could explain it to me.” 25Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The two dreams of Pharaoh mean the same thing. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years — it is the same dream. 27The seven lean, ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind — they are seven years of famine. 28It is just as I told Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29Seven years are coming with great abundance throughout the land of Egypt, 30but they will be followed by seven years of famine, and all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten. The famine will devastate the land. 31The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows will be so severe. 32The reason the dream came to Pharaoh twice is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will carry it out soon. 33Now then, let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. 34Let Pharaoh appoint overseers over the land to collect a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. 35Let them gather all the food during these good years that are coming, and store up grain under Pharaoh’s authority as food in the cities, keeping it under guard. 36This food will serve as a reserve for the land, for the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the land will not be devastated by the famine.” 37This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his officials, 38and Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?” 39Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. 40You will be in charge of my household, and all my people will submit to your command. Only in the throne will I be greater than you.” 41So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I am putting you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” 42Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, dressed him in fine linen garments, and put a gold chain around his neck. 43He had him ride in the chariot of his second-in-command, and men called out before him, “Bow the knee!” So he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt. 44Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and yet without your word no one will lift a hand or a foot in all the land of Egypt.” 45Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah, and gave him Asenath, daughter of Poti-Phera, priest of On, as his wife. And Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.
Years of Plenty and Famine
46Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. He left Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout the land of Egypt. 47During the seven years of abundance, the land produced bountiful harvests. 48Joseph collected all the excess food in the seven years the land of Egypt was enjoying and stored it in the cities, placing in each city the food from the fields around it. 49Joseph stored up grain in such abundance — like the sand of the sea — that he stopped keeping records, because it could no longer be measured. 50Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath, daughter of Poti-Phera, priest of On. 51Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, saying, “God has made me forget all my hardship and my father’s whole household.” 52The second son he named Ephraim, saying, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.” 53The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end, 54and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in every land, but throughout Egypt there was bread. 55When the famine spread over all of Egypt, the people cried out to Pharaoh for bread, and Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.” 56The famine had spread over the whole land, so Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt. 57And all the world came to Egypt, to Joseph, to buy grain, because the famine was severe everywhere.
