Then the Lord replied to him, “In that case, whoever kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” And He placed a mark on Cain so that whoever found him would not kill him.

If Cain is to be avenged seven times over,
then for Lamech it will be seventy-seven times!

You are to take with you seven pairs, a male and its female, of all the clean animals, and two of the animals that are not clean, a male and its female,

and seven pairs, male and female, of the birds of the sky—in order to keep offspring alive on the face of the whole earth.

Seven days from now I will make it rain on the earth 40 days and 40 nights, and I will wipe off from the face of the earth every living thing I have made.”

Seven days later the waters of the flood came on the earth.

So Noah waited seven more days and sent out the dove from the ark again.

After he had waited another seven days, he sent out the dove, but she did not return to him again.

Abraham separated seven ewe lambs from the flock.

And Abimelech said to Abraham, “Why have you separated these seven ewe lambs?”

He replied, “You are to accept the seven ewe lambs from my hand so that this act will serve as my witness that I dug this well.”

Jacob loved Rachel, so he answered Laban, “I’ll work for you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.”

So Jacob worked seven years for Rachel, and they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.

Complete this week of wedding celebration, and we will also give you this younger one in return for working yet another seven years for me.”

Jacob slept with Rachel also, and indeed, he loved Rachel more than Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years.

So he took his relatives with him, pursued Jacob for seven days, and overtook him at Mount Gilead.

He himself went on ahead and bowed to the ground seven times until he approached his brother.

when seven healthy-looking, well-fed cows came up from the Nile and began to graze among the reeds.

After them, seven other cows, sickly and thin, came up from the Nile and stood beside those cows along the bank of the Nile.

He fell asleep and dreamed a second time: Seven heads of grain, plump and ripe, came up on one stalk.

After them, seven heads of grain, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up.

The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven plump, ripe ones. Then Pharaoh woke up, and it was only a dream.

when seven well-fed, healthy-looking cows came up from the Nile and began to graze among the reeds.

After them, seven other cows—ugly, very sickly, and thin—came up. I’ve never seen such ugly ones as these in all the land of Egypt.

Then the thin, ugly cows ate the first seven well-fed cows.

In my dream I had also seen seven heads of grain, plump and ripe, coming up on one stalk.

After them, seven heads of grain—withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind—sprouted up.

The thin heads of grain swallowed the seven plump ones. I told this to the magicians, but no one can tell me what it means.”

The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven ripe heads are seven years. The dreams mean the same thing.

The seven thin, ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven worthless, scorched heads of grain are seven years of famine.

Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt.

After them, seven years of famine will take place, and all the abundance in the land of Egypt will be forgotten. The famine will devastate the land.

Let Pharaoh do this: Let him appoint overseers over the land and take a fifth of the harvest of the land of Egypt during the seven years of abundance.

The food will be a reserve for the land during the seven years of famine that will take place in the land of Egypt. Then the country will not be wiped out by the famine.”

During the seven years of abundance the land produced outstanding harvests.

Joseph gathered all the excess food in the land of Egypt during the seven years and put it in the cities. He put the food in every city from the fields around it.

Then the seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt came to an end,

and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in every country, but throughout the land of Egypt there was food.

These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel. She bore to Jacob: seven persons.

When they reached the threshing floor of Atad, which is across the Jordan, they lamented and wept loudly, and Joseph mourned seven days for his father.