Genesis 41:14-36

New Life Version

¹⁴ Pharaoh then called for Joseph. And they brought him out of the prison in a hurry. He cut off the hair on his face and put on clean clothes. Then he came to Pharaoh. ¹⁵ Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream. But no one can tell me what it means. I have heard it said that you are able to hear a dream and tell what it means.” ¹⁶ Joseph answered Pharaoh, “Not by myself. God will give Pharaoh a good answer.” ¹⁷ So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream, I was standing beside the Nile. ¹⁸ I saw seven cows coming out of the Nile. They were fat and good-looking, and they ate the grass beside the river. ¹⁹ Then I saw seven other cows coming after them. They looked bad and were thin. I had never seen worse cows in all the land of Egypt. ²⁰ Then the bad looking cows that were thin ate the first seven fat cows. ²¹ But after they had eaten them, it could not be seen that they had eaten them. For they were just as bad looking as before. Then I awoke. ²² I saw also in my dream seven heads of grain growing on one stick of grain. They were large and full. ²³ Then I saw seven heads of grain come after them. They were small and were dry because of the east wind. ²⁴ The small heads of grain ate the seven good heads of grain. Then I told it to the wise men. But there was no one who could tell me what it means.”

²⁵ Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Pharaoh’s dreams are one and the same. God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do. ²⁶ The seven good cows are seven years. And the seven good heads of grain are seven years. The dreams are one and the same. ²⁷ The seven bad looking cows that are thin that came up after them are seven years. And the seven small heads of grain made dry by the east wind mean seven years without food. ²⁸ It is as I have said to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do. ²⁹ Seven years are coming when there will be much food in all the land of Egypt. ³⁰ But after them will come seven years when there will be no food. The time of much food will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The time of no food will destroy the land. ³¹ The time without food will be so hard that no one in the land will remember when they had much. ³² That the dream was sent twice to Pharaoh shows that what will happen is planned by God. And God will make it happen soon.

³³ “So now let Pharaoh look for a man who is understanding and wise. Let the land of Egypt be put into his care. ³⁴ Let Pharaoh take action to choose men to watch over the land. And let him take a fifth part of the food of the land of Egypt during the seven years of much food. ³⁵ Let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming. Have them store the grain under the power of Pharaoh, to be used as food in the cities. And let them keep it safe. ³⁶ This food will be kept for the people to eat during the seven years of no food that will come upon the land of Egypt. This way the land will not be destroyed during the time without food.”