From this week’s Torah portion – Miqqeitz
B’reishyth 41 14-38
Then Pharaoh sent and called Yoseph, and they hurriedly brought him out of the dungeon. And he shaved and changed his garments, and came to Pharaoh.
And Pharaoh said to Yoseph, “I have dreamed a dream, and there is no one to interpret it. Now I myself have heard it said of you that you understand a dream, to interpret it.”
And Yoseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me, let Elohim answer Pharaoh with peace.”
And Pharaoh said to Yoseph, “See, in my dream I stood on the bank of the river and saw seven cows coming up out of the river, beautiful looking and fat, and they fed amongst the reeds, then saw seven other cows coming up after them, poor and very ugly and lean of flesh, such ugliness as I have never seen in all the land of Mitsrayim.
“And the lean of flesh and ugly cows ate up the first seven, the fat cows.
“Yet when they had eaten them up, no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were as ugly as at the beginning. Then I awoke.
“Also, I looked in my dream and saw seven heads coming up on one stalk, complete and excellent, then saw seven heads, withered, lean, scorched by the east wind, coming up after them.
“And the lean heads swallowed the seven excellent heads. And I spoke to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.”
And Yoseph said to Pharaoh, “The dream of Pharaoh is one. Elohim has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do: “The seven excellent cows are seven years, and the seven excellent heads are seven years – it is one dream.
“And the seven lean and ugly cows which came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty heads scorched by the east wind are seven years of scarcity of food.
“This is the word which I spoke to Pharaoh: Elohim has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do.
“See, seven years of great plenty are coming in all the land of Mitsrayim, but after them seven years of scarcity of food shall arise and all the plenty be forgotten in the land of Mitsrayim. And the scarcity of food shall destroy the land, and the plenty shall not be remembered in the land, because of the scarcity of food following, for it is very severe.
“And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the word is established by Elohim, and Elohim is hastening to do it.
“And now, let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Mitsrayim.
“Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint overseers over the land, to take up one-fifth of the land of Mitsrayim in the seven years of plenty.
“And let them gather all the food of those excellent years that are coming, and store up grain under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities.
“And the food shall be for a store for the land for the seven years of scarcity of food which shall be in the land of Mitsrayim, and do not let the land be cut off by the scarcity of food.”
And the word was excellent in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants.
And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Could we find another like him, a man in whom is the Spirit of Elohim?”