Genesis 41:18-37

18Then seven fat and fine-looking cows were coming up out of the Nile, and they grazed in the reeds.

19Then seven other cows came up after them; they were scrawny, very bad-looking, and lean. I had never seen such bad-looking cows as these in all the land of Egypt!

20The lean, bad-looking cows ate up the seven fat cows.

21When they had eaten them, no one would have known that they had done so, for they were just as bad-looking as before. Then I woke up.

22I also saw in my dream seven heads of grain growing on one stalk, full and good.

23Then seven heads of grain, withered and thin and burned with the east wind, were sprouting up after them.

24The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads of grain. So I told all this to the diviner-priests, but no one could tell me its meaning.”

25Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Both dreams of Pharaoh have the same meaning. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.

26The seven good cows represent seven years, and the seven good heads of grain represent seven years. Both dreams have the same meaning.

27The seven lean, bad-looking cows that came up after them represent seven years, as do the seven empty heads of grain burned with the east wind. They represent seven years of famine.

28This is just what I told Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do.

29Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the whole land of Egypt.

30But seven years of famine will occur after them, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will devastate the land.

31The previous abundance of the land will not be remembered because of the famine that follows, for the famine will be very severe.

32The dream was repeated to Pharaoh because the matter has been decreed by God, and God will make it happen soon.

33“So now Pharaoh should look for a wise and discerning man and give him authority over all the land of Egypt.

34Pharaoh should do this – he should appoint officials throughout the land to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven years of abundance.

35They should gather all the excess food during these good years that are coming. By Pharaoh’s authority they should store up grain so the cities will have food, and they should preserve it.

36This food should be held in storage for the land in preparation for the seven years of famine that will occur throughout the land of Egypt. In this way the land will survive the famine.”

37This advice made sense to Pharaoh and all his officials.