Joseph Explains the Meaning of Pharaoh’s Dreams

41:1-36

41 Two whole years later, King Pharaoh had a dream. In the dream he saw himself standing beside the Nile River. 2 Suddenly, seven healthy-looking, fat cows walked up out of the river and started eating the tall grass beside the river. 3 Next he saw that seven sickly-looking, scrawny cows walked up out of the river and stood next to the first cows on the river bank. 4 Then the sickly-looking, scrawny cows devoured the seven healthy-looking, fat cows. Just then Pharaoh woke up.

5 Then he went back to sleep and had a second dream. This time he saw seven plump, well-formed heads of grain growing on the same plant. 6 Suddenly, seven small heads of grain that the hot desert wind had dried out started growing on the same plant beside the first heads. 7 Next, the small heads of grain gobbled up the seven big, well-formed heads. At that point, Pharaoh woke up and realized that he had been dreaming.

8 The next morning Pharaoh was upset about the dreams, so he had servants summon all the sorcerers and other scholars in the country of Egypt. When they arrived, he told them what he had dreamed, but none of them was able to explain to him what the dreams meant. 9 Then the head wine-server said to Pharaoh, “Sir, today I remember the time when I offended you. 10 Some time ago, King Pharaoh, you were angry with your officials, including me and the head baker, and you put us in prison at the captain of the guards’ house. 11 While we were there, one night we each had a dream, and each of our dreams had a different meaning. 12 There was a young Hebrew man with us who was a servant for the captain over the guards. After we told him our dreams, he explained them to us. He told us what each of our dreams meant. 13 And sure enough, everything happened exactly the way he had explained the dreams to us: you returned me to my former work as your wine-server, and you had your soldiers execute the baker.”

14 When Pharaoh heard that, immediately he had servants summon Joseph. So they went right away and got him out of the prison. Then after he shaved his head and face and changed into appropriate clothing, he went before Pharaoh. 15 Then Pharaoh said to him, “I had a dream, but no one has been able to explain to me what it means. But someone told me about you, that when you hear a dream, you are able to explain what it means.” 16 Joseph replied to him, “Sir, I do not have that ability on my own, but God will explain your dream so that you, King Pharaoh, will have peace in your heart.”

17 So Pharaoh told Joseph, “As I was dreaming, I saw myself standing beside the Nile River. 18 Then suddenly, seven fat, healthy-looking cows walked up out of the river onto the bank and started eating the tall grass that was there. 19 Suddenly seven other cows walked up out of the river behind the first cows; they were in terrible condition, very sickly-looking and scrawny. In fact, I have never seen such awful-looking cows anywhere in the land of Egypt! 20 Then the scrawny, sickly cows devoured the seven fat ones. 21 But even after they had swallowed them, no one would ever know that they had devoured them, because they still looked just as terrible as before. That’s when I woke up.

22 “Then I went back to sleep and had another dream. This time I saw that there were seven big, well-formed heads of grain growing on the same plant. 23 Then suddenly, seven small heads of grain sprouted on the same plant next to the first heads. These had wilted because the hot desert wind had dried them out. 24 Then the small heads of grain gobbled up the seven well-formed ones. I told my dreams to my sorcerers, but none of them could explain to me what the dreams meant.”

25 Then Joseph told King Pharaoh, “Your Majesty, both of your dreams mean the same thing. Through them, God is revealing to you what he is going to do. 26 The seven healthy cows represent seven years, and the seven well-formed heads of grain represent the same seven years. Both dreams mean the same thing. 27 The seven scrawny and sickly cows that walked up out of the river behind the first cows represent a different seven years, and so do the seven small heads of grain that the desert wind had dried out. They both mean that there will be a famine that lasts seven years. 28 King Pharaoh, that is what I was talking about when I told you that God is revealing to you what he is going to do. 29 Listen, first there will be seven years when people will have more than enough food to eat throughout the entire country of Egypt. 30 But after that, there will be a famine that lasts seven years. As a result, the people in Egypt will forget what it was like in their country during all the years when they had more than enough food to eat, because the famine will devastate the country so that many people will starve. 31 That’s right, people will completely forget about the years when there was plenty of food, because the famine that comes after that will be so severe. 32 The fact that you, King Pharaoh, had two different dreams that mean the same thing shows that God has decided what he is going to do, and he will make it happen soon.

33 “So now, your Majesty, I recommend that you look for a man who is intelligent and knows what to do, and put him in charge over the country of Egypt. 34 Sir, you should also appoint regional administrators in charge of the country, and have them collect one-fifth of the crops that people harvest throughout the country during the seven years when harvests are plentiful. 35 Have them collect all that surplus grain during the prosperous years ahead when there will be plenty of food. Using your authority, King Pharaoh, have them stockpile that grain in storehouses in the cities and have soldiers guard it, so that there will be food for the people. 36 That food should stay in storage for the people of the country to eat during the famine that will last seven years in the country of Egypt, so that they will not starve to death because of the severe lack of food.”