1   Nearly two years later Pharaoh had a dream: he was standing by the Nile, 2   and there came up from the river seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed on the reeds. 3   After them seven other cows came up from the river, gaunt and lean, and stood on the river-bank beside the first cows. 4   The cows that were gaunt and lean devoured the cows that were sleek and fat. 5   Then Pharaoh woke up. He fell asleep again and had a second dream: he saw seven ears of corn, full and ripe, growing on one stalk. 6   Growing up after them were seven other ears, thin and shrivelled by the east wind. 7   The thin ears swallowed up the ears that were full and ripe. 8   Then Pharaoh woke up and knew that it was a dream. When morning came, Pharaoh was troubled in mind; so he summoned all the magicians and sages of Egypt. He told them his dreams, ^note but there was no one who could interpret them for him. 9   Then Pharaoh's chief butler spoke up and said, ‘It is time for me to recall my faults. 10   Once Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard. 11   One night we both had dreams, each needing its own interpretation. 12   We had with us a young Hebrew, a slave of the captain of the guard, and we told him our dreams and he interpreted them for us, giving each man's dream its own interpretation. 13   Each dream came true as it had been interpreted to us: I was restored to my position, and he was hanged.’

14   Pharaoh thereupon sent for Joseph, and they hurriedly brought him out of the dungeon. He shaved and changed his clothes, and came in to Pharaoh. 15   Pharaoh said to him, ‘I have had a dream, and no one can interpret it to me. I have heard it said that you can understand and interpret dreams.’ 16   Joseph answered, ‘Not I, but God, will answer for Pharaoh's welfare.’ 17   Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile, 18   and there came up from the river seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed on the reeds. 19   After them seven other cows came up that were poor, very gaunt and lean; I have never seen such gaunt creatures in all Egypt. 20   These lean, gaunt cows devoured the first cows, the fat ones. 21   They were swallowed up, but no one could have guessed that they were in the bellies of the others, which looked as gaunt as before. 22   Then I woke up. After I had fallen asleep again, ^note I saw in a dream seven ears of corn, full and ripe, growing on one stalk. 23   Growing up after them were seven other ears, shrivelled, thin, and blighted by the east wind. 24   The thin ears swallowed up the

Joseph in Egypt seven ripe ears. When I told all this to the magicians, no one could explain it to me.’

25   Joseph said to Pharaoh, ‘Pharaoh's dreams are one dream. God has told Pharaoh what he is going to do. 26   The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears of corn are seven years. It is all one dream. 27   The seven lean and gaunt cows that came up after them are seven years, and the empty ears of corn blighted by the east wind will be seven years of famine. 28   It is as I have said to Pharaoh: God has let Pharaoh see what he is going to do. 29   There are to be seven years of great plenty throughout the land. 30   After them will come seven years of famine; all the years of plenty in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ruin the country. 31   The good years will not be remembered in the land because of the famine that follows; for it will be very severe. 32   The doubling of Pharaoh's dream means that God is already resolved to do this, and he will very soon put it into effect. 33   Pharaoh should now look for a shrewd and intelligent man, and put him in charge of the country. 34   This is what Pharaoh should do: appoint controllers over the land, and take one fifth of the produce of Egypt during the seven years of plenty. 35   They should collect all this food produced in the good years that are coming and put the corn under Pharaoh's control in store in the cities, and keep it under guard. 36   This food will be a reserve for the country against the seven years of famine which will come upon Egypt. Thus the country will not be devastated by the famine.’

37    38   The plan pleased Pharaoh and all his courtiers, and he said to them, ‘Can we find a man like this man, one who has the spirit of a god ^note in him?’ 39   He said to Joseph, ‘Since a god ^note has made all this known to you, there is no one so shrewd and intelligent as you. 40   You shall be in charge of my household, and all my people will depend on your every word. 41   Only my royal throne shall make me greater than you.’ Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘I hereby give you authority over the whole land of Egypt.’ 42   He took off his signet-ring and put it on Joseph's finger, he had him dressed in fine linen, and hung a gold chain round his neck. 43   He mounted him in his viceroy's chariot and men cried ‘Make way!’ ^note before him. 44   Thus Pharaoh made him ruler over all Egypt and said to him, ‘I am the Pharaoh. Without your consent no man shall lift hand or foot throughout Egypt.’ 45   Pharaoh named him Zaphenath-paneah, and he gave him as wife Asenath the daughter of Potiphera priest of On. And Joseph's authority extended over the whole of Egypt.

46   Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. When he took his leave of the king, he made a tour of inspection through the country. 47   During the seven years of plenty there were abundant harvests, 48   and Joseph gathered all the food produced in

Joseph in Egypt Egypt during those years and stored it in the cities, putting in each the food from the surrounding country. 49   He stored the grain in huge quantities; it was like the sand of the sea, so much that he stopped measuring: it was beyond all measure.

50   Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath the daughter of Potiphera priest of On. 51   He named the elder Manasseh, ^note ‘for’, he said, ‘God has caused me to forget all my troubles and my father's family.’ 52   He named the second Ephraim, ^note ‘for’, he said, ‘God has made me fruitful in the land of my hardships.’ 53   When the seven years of plenty in Egypt came to an end, 54   seven years of famine began, as Joseph had foretold. There was famine in every country, but throughout Egypt there was bread. 55   So when the famine spread through all Egypt, the people appealed to Pharaoh for bread, and he ordered them to go to Joseph and do as he told them. 56   In every region there was famine, and Joseph opened all the granaries and sold corn to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe. 57   The whole world came to Egypt to buy corn from Joseph, so severe was the famine everywhere.

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