[41:1] After two years had passed, the king of Egypt dreamed that he was standing by the Nile River,
[41:2] when seven cows, fat and sleek, came up out of the river and began to feed on the grass.
[41:3] Then seven other cows came up; they were thin and bony. They came and stood by the other cows on the riverbank,
[41:4] and the thin cows ate up the fat cows. Then the king woke up.
[41:5] He fell asleep again and had another dream. Seven heads of grain, full and ripe, were growing on one stalk.
[41:6] Then seven other heads of grain sprouted, thin and scorched by the desert wind,
[41:7] and the thin heads of grain swallowed the full ones. The king woke up and realized that he had been dreaming.
[41:8] In the morning he was worried, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. He told them his dreams, but no one could explain them to him.
[41:9] Then the wine steward said to the king, “I must confess today that I have done wrong.
[41:10] You were angry with the chief baker and me, and you put us in prison in the house of the captain of the guard.
[41:11] One night each of us had a dream, and the dreams had different meanings.
[41:12] A young Hebrew was there with us, a slave of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us.
[41:13] Things turned out just as he said: you restored me to my position, but you executed the baker.”
[41:14] The king sent for Joseph, and he was immediately brought from the prison. After he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came into the king's presence.
[41:15] The king said to him, “I have had a dream, and no one can explain it. I have been told that you can interpret dreams.”
[41:16] Joseph answered, “I cannot, Your Majesty, but God will give a favorable interpretation.”
[41:17] The king said, “I dreamed that I was standing on the bank of the Nile,
[41:18] when seven cows, fat and sleek, came up out of the river and began feeding on the grass.
[41:19] Then seven other cows came up which were thin and bony. They were the poorest cows I have ever seen anywhere in Egypt.
[41:20] The thin cows ate up the fat ones,
[41:21] but no one would have known it, because they looked just as bad as before. Then I woke up.
[41:22] I also dreamed that I saw seven heads of grain which were full and ripe, growing on one stalk.
[41:23] Then seven heads of grain sprouted, thin and scorched by the desert wind,
[41:24] and the thin heads of grain swallowed the full ones. I told the dreams to the magicians, but none of them could explain them to me.”
[41:25] Joseph said to the king, “The two dreams mean the same thing; God has told you what he is going to do.
[41:26] The seven fat cows are seven years, and the seven full heads of grain are also seven years; they have the same meaning.
[41:27] The seven thin cows which came up later and the seven thin heads of grain scorched by the desert wind are seven years of famine.
[41:28] It is just as I told you—God has shown you what he is going to do.
[41:29] There will be seven years of great plenty in all the land of Egypt.
[41:30] After that, there will be seven years of famine, and all the good years will be forgotten, because the famine will ruin the country.
[41:31] The time of plenty will be entirely forgotten, because the famine which follows will be so terrible.
[41:32] The repetition of your dream means that the matter is fixed by God and that he will make it happen in the near future.
[41:33] “Now you should choose some man with wisdom and insight and put him in charge of the country.
[41:34] You must also appoint other officials and take a fifth of the crops during the seven years of plenty.
[41:35] Order them to collect all the food during the good years that are coming, and give them authority to store up grain in the cities and guard it.
[41:36] The food will be a reserve supply for the country during the seven years of famine which are going to come on Egypt. In this way the people will not starve.”