Genesis 40

1 And after these things, the butler of the King of Egypt and his baker offended their lorde the King of Egypt.

Some time later, two of the king of Egypt’s officials did things that displeased him. One was his chief (drink-server/man who prepared the wine and served it to the king), and the other was his chief (baker/man who baked bread for the king).

2 And Pharaoh was angrie against his two officers, against the chiefe butler, and against the chiefe baker.

The king became angry with both of them.

3 Therefore he put them in ward in his chiefe stewardes house, in the prison and place where Ioseph was bound.

So he had them put in prison, in the house of the captain of the palace guards. That was the place where Joseph was being kept.

4 And the chiefe steward gaue Ioseph charge ouer them, and he serued them: and they continued a season in warde.

The two men were in prison for a long time. And during that time the captain of the palace guards appointed Joseph to be their servant, to take care of their needs.

5 And they both dreamed a dreame, eyther of them his dreame in one night, eche one according to the interpretation of his dreame, both the butler and the baker of the King of Egypt, which were bounde in the prison.

One night while the king’s drink-server and his baker were there in the prison, each of them had a dream. Each dream had a different meaning.

6 And when Ioseph came in vnto them in the morning, and looked vpon them, beholde, they were sad.

The next morning, when Joseph came to them, he saw that both of them were dejected/worried.

7 And he asked Pharaohs officers, that were with him in his masters warde, saying, Wherefore looke ye so sadly to day?

So he asked them, “Why do you look so sad today?”

8 Who answered him, We haue dreamed, eche one a dreame, and there is none to interprete the same. Then Ioseph saide vnto them, Are not interpretations of God? tell them me nowe.

One of them answered, “We both had dreams last night, but there is no one who can tell us the meaning of the dreams.” Joseph said to them, “God is the only one who can [RHQ] tell the meaning of dreams. So tell me what you dreamed, and God will tell me the meaning.”

9 So the chiefe butler tolde his dreame to Ioseph, and said vnto him, In my dreame, behold, a vine was before me,

So the king’s chief drink-server told his dream to Joseph. He said, “In my dream I saw a grapevine in front of me.

10 And in the vine were three branches, and as it budded, her flowre came foorth: and the clusters of grapes waxed ripe.

On the vine there were three branches. After the branches budded, they blossomed, and then they produced clusters of grapes.

11 And I had Pharaohs cup in mine hande, and I tooke the grapes, and wrung the into Pharaohs cup, and I gaue the cup into Pharaohs hand.

I was holding the king’s cup, so I took the grapes and squeezed the juice into the cup. Then I gave the cup to the king to drink the juice.”

12 Then Ioseph sayde vnto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three braunches are three dayes.

[God immediately told Joseph what the dream meant]. So Joseph said to him, “This is the meaning of your dream: The three branches of the vine represent three days.

13 Within three dayes shall Pharaoh lift vp thine head, and restore thee vnto thine office, and thou shalt giue Pharaohs cup into his hand after the olde maner, when thou wast his butler.

Within three days the king will release you from prison. He will let you do the work that you did before. You will take cups of wine to the king as you did before, when you were his drink-server.

14 But haue me in remembrance with thee, when thou art in good case, and shew mercie, I pray thee, vnto me, and make mention of me to Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring me out of this house.

But when you are out of prison and everything goes well for you, please do not forget me.

15 For I was stollen away by theft out of the land of the Ebrewes, and here also haue I done nothing, wherefore they should put mee in the dungeon.

People took me away forcefully from the land where my fellow Hebrews live. [I did nothing wrong there], and also while I have been here in Egypt, I have done nothing for which I deserved to be put in prison. So be kind to me and tell the king about me, so that he will release me from this prison!”

16 And when the chiefe baker sawe that the interpretation was good, hee saide vnto Ioseph, Also mee thought in my dreame that I had three white baskets on mine head.

When the chief baker heard that the meaning of the dream of the king’s drink-server was very favorable, he said to Joseph, “I also had a dream. In the dream I was surprised to see three baskets of bread stacked on my head.

17 And in the vppermost basket there was of all maner baken meates for Pharaoh: and the birdes did eate them out of the basket vpon mine head.

In the top basket there were many kinds of baked goods for the king, but birds were eating them from the top basket that was on my head!”

18 Then Ioseph answered, and saide, This is the interpretation thereof: The three baskets are three dayes:

God again told Joseph what the dream meant, so he said, “The three baskets also represent three days.

19 Within three dayes shall Pharaoh take thine head from thee, and shall hang thee on a tree, and the birdes shall eate thy flesh from off thee.

Within three days the king will command that your head be cut off. Then your body will be hung on a tree, and vultures will come and eat your flesh.”

20 And so the third day, which was Pharaohs birthday, hee made a feast vnto all his seruants: and hee lifted vp the head of the chiefe butler, and the head of the chiefe baker among his seruants.

The third day after that was the (king’s birthday/day they celebrated when the king became one year older). On that day the king invited all his officials to celebrate his birthday. During the celebration, while they were all gathered there, the king summoned his chief drink-server and chief baker from the prison.

21 And he restored the chiefe butler vnto his butlershippe, who gaue the cup into Pharaohs hande,

He said that his chief drink-server could have his previous job again, so that again he took cups of wine to the king.

22 But he hanged the chiefe baker, as Ioseph had interpreted vnto them.

But he commanded that the chief baker should be killed by being hanged, just as Joseph had said would happen when he told the two men the meaning of their dreams.

23 Yet the chiefe butler did not remember Ioseph, but forgate him.

But the chief drink-server did not think about Joseph. He forgot to do what Joseph asked him to do.