26. The seven good cows stand for seven years. And the seven good heads of grain stand for seven years. Both dreams mean the same thing.
27. The seven thin and ugly cows stand for seven years. And the seven thin heads of grain burned by the hot east wind stand for seven years of hunger.
28. This will happen as I told you. God is showing the king what he is about to do.
29. You will have seven years of good crops and plenty to eat in all the land of Egypt.
30. But after those seven years, there will come seven years of hunger. All the food that grew in the land of Egypt will be forgotten. The time of hunger will eat up the land.
31. People will forget what it was like to have plenty of food. This is because the hunger that follows will be so great.
32. You had two dreams which mean the same thing. This shows that God has firmly decided that this will happen. And he will make it happen soon.
33. “So let the king choose a man who is very wise and understanding. Let the king set him over the land of Egypt.
34. And let the king also appoint officers over the land. They should take one-fifth of all the food that is grown during the seven good years.
35. They should gather all the food that is produced during the good years that are coming. Under the king’s authority they should store the grain in the cities and guard it.
36. That food should be saved for later. It will be used during the seven years of hunger that will come on the land of Egypt. Then the people in Egypt will not die during the seven years of hunger.”
37. This seemed like a very good idea to the king. All his officers agreed.
38. And the king asked them, “Can we find a better man than Joseph to take this job? God’s spirit is truly in him!”
39. So the king said to Joseph, “God has shown you all this. There is no one as wise and understanding as you are.
40. I will put you in charge of my palace. All the people will obey your orders. Only I will be greater than you.”
41. Then the king said to Joseph, “Look! I have put you in charge of all the land of Egypt.”
42. Then the king took off from his own finger his ring with the royal seal on it. And he put it on Joseph’s finger. He gave Joseph fine linen clothes to wear. And he put a gold chain around Joseph’s neck.
43. The king had Joseph ride in the second royal chariot. Men walked ahead of his chariot calling, “Bow down!” By doing these things, the king put Joseph in charge of all of Egypt.
44. The king said to him, “I am the king. And I say that no one in all the land of Egypt may lift a hand or a foot unless you say he may.”
45. The king gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah. He also gave Joseph a wife named Asenath. She was the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. So Joseph traveled through all the land of Egypt.
46. Joseph was 30 years old when he began serving the king of Egypt. And he left the king’s court and traveled through all the land of Egypt.