12. Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream.
13. And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was impaled.’
14. So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh.
15. Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.’
16. ‘I cannot do it,’ Joseph replied to Pharaoh, ‘but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.’
17. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile,
18. when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds.
19. After them, seven other cows came up – scrawny and very ugly and lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt.
20. The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first.
21. But even after they ate them, no one could tell that they had done so; they looked just as ugly as before. Then I woke up.
22. ‘In my dream I saw seven ears of corn, full and good, growing on a single stalk.
23. After them, seven other ears sprouted – withered and thin and scorched by the east wind.
24. The thin ears of corn swallowed up the seven good ears. I told this to the magicians, but none of them could explain it to me.’
25. Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, ‘The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.
26. The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears of corn are seven years; it is one and the same dream.