17
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph: "Behold, in my dream I stood on the bank of the river.
18
Suddenly seven cows came up out of the river, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow.
19
Then behold, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and gaunt, such ugliness as I have never seen in all the land of Egypt.
20
And the gaunt and ugly cows ate up the first seven, the fat cows.
21
When they had eaten them up, no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were just as ugly as at the beginning. So I awoke.
22
Also I saw in my dream, and suddenly seven heads came up on one stalk, full and good.
23
Then behold, seven heads, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them.
24
And the thin heads devoured the seven good heads. So I told this to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me."
25
Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do:
26
The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads are seven years; the dreams are one.
27
And the seven thin and ugly cows which came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty heads blighted by the east wind are seven years of famine.
28
This is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do.
29
Indeed seven years of great plenty will come throughout all the land of Egypt;
30
but after them seven years of famine will arise, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine will deplete the land.
31
So the plenty will not be known in the land because of the famine following, for it will be very severe.
32
And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.
33
Now therefore, let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt.
34
Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years.
35
And let them gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities.
36
Then that food shall be as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which shall be in the land of Egypt, that the land may not perish during the famine."
37
So the advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants.