Genesis 41:1-16
Genesis 41:1-16 NCV
Two years later the king dreamed he was standing on the bank of the Nile River. He saw seven fat and beautiful cows come up out of the river, and they stood there, eating the grass. Then seven more cows came up out of the river, but they were thin and ugly. They stood beside the seven beautiful cows on the bank of the Nile. The seven thin and ugly cows ate the seven beautiful fat cows. Then the king woke up. The king slept again and dreamed a second time. In his dream he saw seven full and good heads of grain growing on one stalk. After that, seven more heads of grain sprang up, but they were thin and burned by the hot east wind. The thin heads of grain ate the seven full and good heads. Then the king woke up again, and he realized it was only a dream. The next morning the king was troubled about these dreams, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. The king told them his dreams, but no one could explain their meaning to him. Then the chief officer who served wine to the king said to him, “Now I remember something I promised to do, but I forgot about it. There was a time when you were angry with the baker and me, and you put us in prison in the house of the captain of the guard. In prison we each had a dream on the same night, and each dream had a different meaning. A young Hebrew man, a servant of the captain of the guard, was in the prison with us. When we told him our dreams, he explained their meanings to us. He told each man the meaning of his dream, and things happened exactly as he said they would: I was given back my old position, and the baker was hanged.” So the king called for Joseph. The guards quickly brought him out of the prison, and he shaved, put on clean clothes, and went before the king. The king said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, but no one can explain its meaning to me. I have heard that you can explain a dream when someone tells it to you.” Joseph answered the king, “I am not able to explain the meaning of dreams, but God will do this for the king.”