57: The meaning of Pharaoh's dreams (41:14-38)

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Yosef interprets Pharaoh's dreams


14 PHARAOH ordered Yosef to be brought to him, and they hurriedly got him out of the dungeon and brought him. Yosef shaved, changed his clothes and went in to Pharaoh. 15 Pharaoh said to Yosef:

—I dreamt a dream and no one can explain it to me. I have heard about you, they say that as soon as you hear a dream you can interpret it.

16 Yosef replied to Pharaoh, he said:

—It is not I, but God who will answer and help Pharaoh.

17 Pharaoh said to Yosef:

I dreamt that when I stood on the bank of the Great River
18 from the Great River seven cows came up
having flesh and fine bodies
and began to eat the reeds
19 afterwards seven more cows came up
not having fine bodies and so skinny
as I have never seen in all Egypt
20 and the cows that were ugly and skinny
ate the seven cows that were fleshy and fine
21 they went into their belly and you couldn't tell
that they had gone into their belly
and they looked as ugly as before
I woke up 22 and had another dream
that seven cobs of corn came out
on the same stalk of maize
full and good
23 then another seven cobs
thin and scrawny
came out behind them
24 and the thin scrawny corn cobs
swallowed up the seven good ones

I told the wise men and nobody could explain this to me.

25 Yosef said to Pharaoh:

—Pharaoh's dream was all one. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.
26 The seven fine cows are seven years. The seven fine cobs of corn are seven years. It's the same dream.
27 The seven ugly, thin cows that came out afterwards are seven years. The seven thin, emaciated corn cobs are the following seven years of famine.
28 So this is what I say to Pharaoh: God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29 Now there are coming seven years of abundance throughout Egypt, 30 and seven years of famine are coming afterwards, and all the abundance in the land of Egypt will be forgotten; famine will bring down the country. 31 The abundance in the country will not be felt on account of the following famine because it will be so bad.
32 As for the fact that Pharaoh had two dreams, it means that God is saying that it's going to happen for sure, that it's about to take place straight away.
33 And now, let Pharaoh decide who is somebody intelligent to put in charge of the whole country. 34 What Pharaoh should do is appoint officers all over Egypt to look after the country during the seven years of abundance. 35 Let them gather all the food in these coming good years and store the grain under Pharaoh's authority so that they have food to eat in the towns and guard it. 36 The food is to be kept for the country in the seven years of famine that will arrive throughout Egypt, so that the country does not perish from hunger.

37 Pharaoh approved of that he said, and so did all his ministers, 38 and Pharaoh said to his ministers:

—Could there be another man like this who has the spirit of God in him?

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