1 A full two years later, Pharaoh had a dream that he was standing beside the River Nile. 2 He saw seven cows coming up from the river. They looked well-fed and healthy as they grazed among the reeds. 3 Then he saw another seven cows that came up behind them. They looked ugly and skinny as they stood beside the other cows on the bank of the Nile. 4 Then the ugly, skinny cows ate the well-fed, healthy cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.

5 Pharaoh fell asleep again and had a second dream. Seven heads of grain were growing on one stalk, ripe and healthy. 6 Then seven heads of grain grew up after them, thin and dried by the east wind. 7 The seven thin and dried heads of grain swallowed up the ripe and healthy ones. Then Pharaoh woke up and realized he'd been dreaming.

8 The next morning Pharaoh was worried by his dreams,* “By his dreams”: supplied for clarity. so he sent for all the magicians and wise men in Egypt. Pharaoh told them about his dreams, but no one could interpret their meaning for him.

9 But then the chief cupbearer spoke up. “Today I've just remembered a bad mistake I've made,” he explained. 10 “Your Majesty was angry with some of your officials and you imprisoned me in the house of the commander of the guard, along with the chief baker. 11 We each had a dream. They were different dreams, each with its own meaning. 12 A young Hebrew was there with us, a slave of the commander of the guard. When we told him our dreams, he interpreted for us the meaning of our different dreams. 13 Everything happened just as he said it would—I was given back my job and the baker was hanged.”

14 Pharaoh summoned Joseph, and they quickly brought him from the prison. After he'd shaved and changed his clothes, he was presented to Pharaoh.

15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, but no one can interpret its meaning. But I've heard that when someone tells you a dream you know how to interpret it.”

16 “It's not me who can do this,” Joseph replied. “But God will explain its meaning to set Your Majesty's mind at rest.”

17 Pharaoh explained to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile. 18 I saw seven cows coming up from the river. They looked well-fed and healthy as they grazed among the reeds. 19 Then I saw another seven cows that came up behind them. They looked sickly and ugly and skinny—I've never seen such ugly cows in the whole of Egypt! 20 These skinny, ugly cows ate the first seven healthy-looking cows. 21 But afterwards you couldn't tell they'd eaten them because they looked just as skinny and ugly as before. Then I woke up.

22 Then I fell asleep again. In my second dream I saw seven heads of grain growing on one stalk, ripe and healthy. 23 Then seven heads of grain grew up after them, withered and thin and dried by the east wind. 24 The seven thin heads of grain swallowed up the healthy ones. I told all this to the magicians, but none of them could explain its meaning to me.”

25 “Pharaoh's dreams mean the same thing,” Joseph responded. “God is telling Pharaoh what he is going to do. 26 The seven good cows and the seven good heads of grain represent seven good years of harvest.† “Of harvest”: supplied for clarity. The dreams mean the same thing. 27 The seven skinny and ugly cows that came after them and the seven thin heads of grain dried by the east wind represent seven years of famine. 28 It's just as I told Your Majesty—God has shown Pharaoh what he is going to do. 29 There are going to be seven years with plenty of food produced throughout the whole country of Egypt. 30 But after them will come seven years of famine. People will forget the time when there was plenty of food throughout Egypt. Famine will ruin the country. 31 The time of plenty will be completely forgotten because the famine that follows it will be so terrible. 32 The fact that the dream was repeated twice means that it has definitely been decided by God, and that God is going to do this soon.

33 So Your Majesty should choose a man with insight and wisdom, and put him in charge of the whole country of Egypt. 34 Your Majesty should also appoint officials to be in charge of the land, and have them collect one-fifth of the produce of the country during the seven years of plenty. 35 They should collect all the food during the good years that are soon coming, and store the grain under Pharaoh's authority, keeping it under guard to provide food for the towns. 36 This will be a food reserve for the country during the seven years of famine so that the people won't die of starvation.”

37 Pharaoh and all his officials thought Joseph's proposal was a good idea. 38 So Pharaoh asked them, “Where can we find a man like this who has the spirit of God in him?” 39 Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, telling him, “Since God has revealed to you all this, and there's no one like you with such insight and wisdom, 40 you will be in charge of all my affairs, and all my people will obey your orders. Only I with my status as king‡ “My status as king”: literally “the throne.” will be greater than you.”

41 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Look, I'm putting you in charge of the whole country of Egypt.” 42 Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph's finger. He dressed him in fine linen clothes and placed a golden chain around his neck. 43 He had Joseph ride in the chariot designated for his second-in-command while his attendants went ahead, shouting, “Bow down!”§ “Bow down!” This Egyptian loan word is variously translated: “Attention!” “Make way!” “Praise!” “Do homage!” All relate to honoring a dignitary. This is how Pharaoh gave Joseph authority over all of Egypt.

44 Then Pharaoh told Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your permission nobody will lift a hand or a foot anywhere in the whole country.” 45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-paneah,* Meaning “The God speaks and he (the subject) lives.” and arranged for him to marry Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. This is how Joseph rose to power over the whole of Egypt.

46 Joseph was thirty when he started working for Pharaoh, king of Egypt. After he had left Pharaoh, Joseph traveled on an inspection tour† “On an inspection tour”: supplied for clarity. throughout Egypt. 47 During the seven years of good harvests, the land produced plenty of food. 48 He collected all the food during the seven good years, and he stored the grain produced in the local fields in each town. 49 Joseph piled up so much grain that it was like the sand of the seashore. Eventually he stopped keeping records because there was just so much!

50 It was during this time, before the years of famine came, that Joseph had two sons by Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. 51 Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh,‡ “Manasseh” means “cause to forget.” because he said, “The Lord has made me forget all my troubles and all my father's family.” 52 His second son he named Ephraim,§ “Ephraim” means “fruitful.” because he said, “God has made me fruitful in the country of my misery.”

53 The seven years of plenty in 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 countries but the whole of Egypt had food. 55 When all of Egypt was hungry, the people cried out to Pharaoh for food, and he told everyone, “Go and see Joseph and do whatever he tells you.” 56 The famine had spread all over the country so Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the people of Egypt. The famine was very bad in Egypt, 57 in fact the famine was very bad everywhere, so people from other countries all around came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph.