Joseph interprets, and advises setting a wise man over the land

AI-assisted comparison with the cited narrative; not independent historical verification.

• GEN 41:14–36, engwebp

  ¹⁴Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon. He shaved himself, changed his clothing, and came in to Pharaoh.

  ¹⁵Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have dreamed a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you, that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”

  ¹⁶Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It isn’t in me. God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”

  ¹⁷Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, “In my dream, behold, I stood on the brink of the river;

  ¹⁸and behold, seven fat and sleek cattle came up out of the river. They fed in the marsh grass;

  ¹⁹and behold, seven other cattle came up after them, poor and very ugly and thin, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for ugliness.

  ²⁰The thin and ugly cattle ate up the first seven fat cattle;

  ²¹and when they had eaten them up, it couldn’t be known that they had eaten them, but they were still ugly, as at the beginning. So I awoke.

  ²²I saw in my dream, and behold, seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, full and good;

  ²³and behold, seven heads of grain, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them.

  ²⁴The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads of grain. I told it to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.”

  ²⁵Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dream of Pharaoh is one. What God is about to do he has declared to Pharaoh.

  ²⁶The seven good cattle are seven years; and the seven good heads of grain are seven years. The dream is one.

  ²⁷The seven thin and ugly cattle that came up after them are seven years, and also the seven empty heads of grain blasted with the east wind; they will be seven years of famine.

  ²⁸That is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do.

  ²⁹Behold, seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt are coming.

  ³⁰Seven years of famine will arise after them, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will consume the land,

  ³¹and the plenty will not be known in the land by reason of that famine which follows; for it will be very grievous.

  ³²The dream was doubled to Pharaoh, because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

  ³³“Now therefore let Pharaoh look for a discreet and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt.

  ³⁴Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint overseers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt’s produce in the seven plenteous years.

  ³⁵Let them gather all the food of these good years that come, and store grain under the hand of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it.

  ³⁶The food will be to supply the land against the seven years of famine, which will be in the land of Egypt; so that the land will not perish through the famine.”

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