1Now it happened at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream, and look, he was standing by the Nile. 2And look, there came up out of the Nile seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. 3And look, seven other cows came up after them out of the Nile, miserable-looking and thin, and stood by the other cows at the edge of the Nile. 4The miserable-looking and thin cows ate up the seven sleek and fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. 5And he slept and dreamed a second time. And look, seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, healthy and good. 6Then look, seven heads of grain, thin and blasted with the east wind, sprouted up after them. 7The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy and full ears. Pharaoh awoke, and look, it was a dream. 8It happened in the morning that his mind was troubled, so he summoned all of Egypt’s magicians and wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh.

9Then the chief cupbearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying, "I remember my faults today. 10Pharaoh was angry with his servants and put me in prison in the house of the captain of the guard, me and the chief baker. 11We had a dream on the same night, he and I, each having a dream with its own meaning. 12Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guards, and we told him, and he interpreted our dreams to us, to each man he interpreted according to his own dream. 13And it happened just the way he interpreted them to us, so it was: I was restored to my office, and he was hanged."

14Then Pharaoh summoned Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the pit. And he shaved himself, changed his clothes, and came in to Pharaoh. 15And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I had a dream, but there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said about you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it." 16And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, "Apart from God, the welfare of Pharaoh will receive no answer." 17Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "In my dream, look, I stood on the edge of the Nile. 18And look, there came up out of the river seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds. 19And look, seven other cows came up after them, scrawny and very miserable-looking and thin. I had never seen such bad-looking cows in all the land of Egypt. 20The thin and miserable-looking cows ate up the first seven fat cows. 21But when they had eaten them up, no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were still as miserable-looking as at the beginning. Then I woke up. 22And I fell asleep, and I saw in my dream, and look, seven heads of grain growing on one stalk, full and good. 23And look, seven heads of grain, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprouted up after them. 24And the seven thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads of grain. And I told it to the magicians, but no one could tell me its meaning."

25Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are one. God has told Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26The seven good cows represent seven years, and the seven good heads of grain represent seven years. The dreams are the same. 27And the seven thin and miserable-looking cows that came up after them represent seven years, and also the seven empty heads of grain blasted with the east wind. They are seven years of famine. 28It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29Look, seven years of great abundance will come throughout all the land of Egypt. 30But after them seven years of famine will come, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will devastate the land, 31and the abundance will not be remembered in the land because of the famine that follows it, for it will be very severe. 32Now the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the matter has been fixed by God, and God will carry it out soon. 33Now therefore Pharaoh should look for a discerning and wise man, and give him authority over the land of Egypt. 34Pharaoh should do this, and should appoint overseers over the land, and they should take a fifth of all the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. 35They should gather all the food during these good years that are coming and store the grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and they should preserve it. 36That food will be a reserve for the land during the seven years of famine that will come on the land of Egypt, so that the land will survive the famine."

37The proposal was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.

38Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?" 39So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Because God has shown you all of this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. 40You will be in charge of my house, and according to your word will all my people be ruled. Only with regard to the throne will I be greater than you." 41Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Look, I have put you in charge over all the land of Egypt." 42Then Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in robes of fine linen, and put a gold chain around his neck. 43And he had him ride in the second chariot which he had, and they called out before him, "Bow the knee. " So he put him in charge over the entire land of Egypt. 44Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, but without your permission no one will do anything or go anywhere in all the land of Egypt." 45Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphenath-Paneah. And he gave him Asenath the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, as a wife. So Joseph went out through the land of Egypt.

46Joseph was thirty years old when he began to serve Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph left the presence of Pharaoh and went throughout all the land of Egypt. 47During the seven years of abundance the land produced large harvests. 48And he collected all the food during the seven years when there was abundance in the land of Egypt, and put the food in the cities. He placed in every city the food from the fields surrounding it. 49Joseph stored up grain in great abundance, like the sand of the sea, until he stopped measuring it, because it could not be measured.

50To Joseph were born two sons before the year of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore to him. 51Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: "For God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household." 52And the name of the second he called Ephraim: "For God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering."

53And the seven years of abundance that occurred in the land of Egypt came to an end. 54Then the seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was food. 55When all the land of Egypt experienced the famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph. Whatever he says to you, do." 56So the famine was over all the surface of the land. Then Joseph opened all the storehouses of grain and sold to the Egyptians. And the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. 57And all the countries came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all the earth.