Joseph Interprets Pharaoh's Dreams
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After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile,
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and behold, there came up out of the Nile seven cows attractive and plump, and they fed in the reed grass.
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And behold, seven other cows, ugly and thin, came up out of the Nile after them, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile.
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And the ugly, thin cows ate up the seven attractive, plump cows. And Pharaoh awoke.
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And he fell asleep and dreamed a second time. And behold, seven ears of grain, plump and good, were growing on one stalk.
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And behold, after them sprouted seven ears, thin and w blighted by the east wind.
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And the thin ears swallowed up the seven plump, full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.
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So in the morning x his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the y magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was none who could interpret them to Pharaoh.
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Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, "I remember my offenses today.
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When Pharaoh was z angry with his servants a and put me and the chief baker in custody in the house of the captain of the guard,
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b we dreamed on the same night, he and I, each having a dream with its own interpretation.
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A young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. When we told him, c he interpreted our dreams to us, giving an interpretation to each man according to his dream.
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And d as he interpreted to us, so it came about. I was restored to my office, and the baker was hanged."
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e Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they f quickly brought him g out of the pit. And when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came in before Pharaoh.
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And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. h I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it."
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Joseph answered Pharaoh, i "It is not in me; j God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer."
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Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Behold, k in my dream I was standing on the banks of the Nile.
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Seven cows, plump and attractive, came up out of the Nile and fed in the reed grass.
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Seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and thin, such as I had never seen in all the land of Egypt.
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And the thin, ugly cows ate up the first seven plump cows,
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but when they had eaten them no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were still as ugly as at the beginning. Then I awoke.
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I also saw in my dream seven ears growing on one stalk, full and good.
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Seven ears, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprouted after them,
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and the thin ears swallowed up the seven good ears. And l I told it to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me."
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Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are one; m God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.
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The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one.
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The seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears blighted by the east wind are also n seven years of famine.
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It is as I told Pharaoh; o God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do.
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There will come p seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt,
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but after them there will arise q seven years of famine, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. r The famine will consume the land,
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and the plenty will be unknown in the land by reason of the famine that will follow, for it will be very severe.
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And the doubling of Pharaoh's dream means that the s thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about.
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Now therefore let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt.
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Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven plentiful years.
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And t let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it.
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That food shall be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine that are to occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish through the famine."
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Cross References
Ezekiel 17:10
Behold, it is planted; will it thrive? Will it not utterly wither when the east wind strikes it - wither away on the bed where it sprouted?
Ezekiel 19:12
But the vine was plucked up in fury, cast down to the ground; the east wind dried up its fruit; they were stripped off and withered. As for its strong stem, fire consumed it.
Hosea 13:15
Though he may flourish among his brothers, the east wind, the wind of the Lord, shall come, rising from the wilderness, and his fountain shall dry up; his spring shall be parched; it shall strip his treasury of every precious thing.
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Cross References
Psalms 77:4
You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
Daniel 2:1
In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his spirit was troubled, and his sleep left him.
Daniel 2:3
And the king said to them, "I had a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.
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Cross References
Genesis 41:24
And the thin ears swallowed up the seven good e...
Exodus 7:11
Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorc...
Exodus 7:22
But the magicians of Egypt did the same by thei...
Daniel 1:20
And in every matter of wisdom and understanding...
Daniel 2:2
Then the king commanded that the magicians, the...
Daniel 4:7
Then the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldea...
Matthew 2:1
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea ...
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Cross References
Genesis 40:2 - 3
And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker.
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Cross References
Genesis 39:20
And Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison.
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Cross References
Genesis 40:5
And one night they both dreamed - the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison - each his own dream, and each dream with its own interpretation.
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Cross References
Genesis 40:12 - 19
Then Joseph said to him, "This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days.
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Cross References
Genesis 40:21 - 22
He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand.
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Cross References
Psalms 105:20
The king sent and released him; the ruler of the peoples set him free.
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Cross References
Daniel 2:25
Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste and said thus to him: "I have found among the exiles from Judah a man who will make known to the king the interpretation.
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Cross References
1 Samuel 2:8
He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord 's, and on them he has set the world.
Psalms 113:7 - 8
He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap.
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Cross References
Genesis 41:12
A young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. When we told him, he interpreted our dreams to us, giving an interpretation to each man according to his dream.
Daniel 5:16
But I have heard that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.
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Cross References
Daniel 2:30
But as for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind.
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Cross References
Genesis 40:8
They said to him, "We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them." And Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.
Daniel 2:22
He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.
Daniel 2:28
But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these:
Daniel 2:47
The king answered and said to Daniel, "Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.
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Cross References
Genesis 41:1 - 7
After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile.
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Cross References
Genesis 41:8
So in the morning his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was none who could interpret them to Pharaoh.
Daniel 4:7
Then the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers came in, and I told them the dream, but they could not make known to me its interpretation.
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Cross References
Daniel 2:28 - 29
But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these:
Daniel 2:45
Just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.
Revelation 4:1
After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.
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Cross References
2 Kings 8:1
Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, "Arise, and depart with your household, and sojourn wherever you can, for the Lord has called for a famine, and it will come upon the land for seven years.
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Cross References
Genesis 41:25
Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.
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Cross References
Genesis 41:47
During the seven plentiful years the earth produced abundantly.
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Cross References
Genesis 41:54
And the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.
Genesis 45:6
For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest.
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Cross References
Genesis 47:13
Now there was no food in all the land, for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished by reason of the famine.
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Cross References
Numbers 23:19
God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
Isaiah 14:24
The Lord of hosts has sworn: "As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand.
Isaiah 46:10 - 11
Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.
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Cross References
Genesis 41:48
And he gathered up all the food of these seven years, which occurred in the land of Egypt, and put the food in the cities. He put in every city the food from the fields around it.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.