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years later, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile, 2 when seven cows, sleek and fat, came up out of the river, and they grazed among the reeds. 3 After them seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and they stood beside the other cows on the bank of the river. 4 And the ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.
5 He fell asleep and dreamed a second time: Seven heads of grain, plump and ripe, were growing on one stalk. 6 Then seven heads of grain, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up. 7 The seven thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven plump, ripe heads. Then Pharaoh woke up, and it had been a dream.
8 In 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.
9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I am reminded of my faults. 10 Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he had me and the chief baker imprisoned in jail in the custody of the captain of the guard. 11 Each of us had a dream on the same night, and each dream had its own meaning. 12 Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted our dreams for us, and each had its own interpretation. 13 And things turned out just the way he interpreted them to us; I was restored to my position, and the other man was hanged.”
14 Then Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and they quickly brought him from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he went in before Pharaoh.
15 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 “I am not able to do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but it is God who will give Pharaoh a favourable answer.”
17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile, 18 when seven cows, fat and sleek, came up out of the river, and they grazed among the reeds. 19 After them, seven other cows, scrawny, very ugly, and gaunt came up. Never had I seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt. 20 Then the gaunt and ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first. 21 But after they had devoured them, no one would have known that they had done so; they were just as ugly and gaunt as before. Then I woke up.
22 “In my dreams I also saw seven heads of grain, full and good, growing on a single stalk. 23 Then after them, seven heads of grain, withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up. 24 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but no one could explain it to me.”
25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Pharaoh’s dreams are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what He is about to do. 26 The seven good cows are seven good years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; the dreams are one and the same. 27 The seven thin, ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind are seven years of famine.
28 “It is as just as I have said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do. 29 Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, 30 but after them seven years of famine will take place. Then all the abundance in the land of Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will devastate the land. 31 The abundance in the land will not be remembered because of the famine that follows it, for the famine will be very severe. 32 The reason that the dream was given twice to Pharaoh is because the thing is established by God, and God will do it soon.
33 “So let Pharaoh select a man who is discerning and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh appoint overseers over the land, and take the fifth part of the harvest of the land of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. 35 Let them collect all the food of these good years that are coming, and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. 36 The food will then be a reserve for the land during the seven years of famine that will come upon the land of Egypt, so that the country may not perish during the famine.
37 The proposal seemed good to Pharaoh and all his servants. 38 Then Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find anyone like this man, a man who has the Spirit of God in him?”
39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you are. 40 You shall in charge of my house, and all my people will submit to your commands. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.” 41 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I hereby appoint you in charge over all of the land of Egypt.”
42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from off his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. 43 He had him ride in his second chariot; and they called out before him, “Bow the knee!” Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt.
44 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no one will lift hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” 45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt.
46 Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and travelled throughout the land of Egypt. 47 During the seven plentiful years the land produced abundantly. 48 Joseph collected up all the excess food during those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city he stored the food produced in the fields surrounding it. 49 Joseph stored up grain in such great abundance that it became like the sand of the sea, and he stopped measuring it because it was beyond measure.
50 Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. 51 Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, “God has made me forget all my hardship in my father’s house.” 52 The second son he named Ephraim and said, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
53 Then 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 all the other lands, but throughout the land of Egypt there was food. 55 When all the land Egypt became beset by extreme hunger, the people cried out to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.”
56 When the famine had spread across the whole country, Joseph opened up all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. 57 And all the countries came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe in every country.