- Two years later, Par’oh had a dream. הִנֵּה Hineh! he was standing by the Nile river.
- And הִנֵּה hineh! out of the Nile river came seven big, plump, good-looking cows, and they started eating the reeds by the river.
- And הִנֵּה hineh!- seven more cows came out from the Nile river after the first ones. They were bad-looking and skinny, and they came and stood next to the big, plump, good-looking cows by the bank of the Nile river.
- And then the bad-looking, skinny cows ate the big, plump, good-looking cows! And then Par’oh woke up.
- Then he fell asleep and had a second dream. הִנֵּה Hineh! seven good, plump ears of grain grew together.
- And הִנֵּה hineh!- seven thin ears of grain, all dried up by the east wind, grew up after them.
- And the seven skinny ears of grain swallowed up the seven plump, full ears of grain. And then Par’oh woke up. And הִנֵּה hineh!- it was [just] a dream.
- The next morning, Par’oh was worried, and he asked all the magicians and wise men in Egypt to come to him. Par’oh told them his dream, but none of them could tell Par’oh what it means.
- Then the cupbearer said to Par’oh, “I just remembered! I’ve done something bad!
- When your majesty Par’oh was angry at me and sent me to the prison,
- the baker and I both dreamed a dream on the same night.
- And there was a man there. And when we told him our dreams, he told us what our dreams meant.
- And then everything happened just as he explained that it would.
- Par’oh sent for Yosef and they rushed him out of the pit. He shaved and changed his clothes and went to Par’oh.
- Par’oh said to Yosef, “I dreamed a dream and no one could tell me what it means. But I, I heard about you that when you hear a dream you can always explain it.”
- Yosef answered Par’oh, “It’s not really me– it is God who answers and tells how things will be for Par’oh.”
- Par’oh told Yosef his dreams.
25) Yosef said to Par’oh, “Your dreams are both saying the same thing. The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears of grain are seven years. It’s the same thing in the dreams.
27) And the seven thin, bad-looking cows coming out after them are seven years, and the seven thin ears of grain, all dried out by the east wind, will be seven years of famine (being hungry).
29) There will be seven years —Seven great, full years for everyone in Egypt.
30) Then after that there will be seven years of famine (being hungry), and no one will be able to even remember being full in Egypt.
31) And no one will feel full (have enough to eat) in the whole land because the famine/hunger will be so very bad.
32) And because you had two dreams, it means this is really going to happen. God will make it happen soon.
33) Now, Par’oh should choose a wise man, and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. People should gather up all the food in the good years. They should put the food in the cities and guard it under Par’oh’s orders.
37) This seemed like good advice to Par’oh and to all of his servants.
38) Par’oh said, “Can we find a man like that, who has the spirit of God in him? 39) And Par’oh said to Yosef, “Since God made you know all of this, you must be a wise person.
40) You will be in charge of Egypt. Only my throne will be above yours.”
41) Par’oh said to Yosef, “Look, I put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” 42) Par’oh took his ring off of his hand and put it on Yosef’s hand, and dressed him in fancy clothes and put a gold chain around his neck.
43) He let him ride in his second chariot. And so he put him in charge of all the land of Egypt.
During the seven years, Yosef gathered up all the food in the land of Egypt, and put the food in cities.
Yosef had two sons before the year of famine/hunger came. 41) The name of the first son was Menashe, and the name of the second son was Efraim.
53) The seven years of fullness in the land of Egypt ended,
54) and the seven years of hunger/famine started to come just as Yosef had said. There was great hunger/famine in all the lands, but in the whole land of Egypt everyone had bread.
55) When everyone in Egypt was hungry, the people cried out to Par’oh for bread. Par’oh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Yosef, and do what he tells you.” 56) And Yosef sold the bread to the Egyptians, and the famine was very bad in the land of Egypt.
