Genesis 40

1 And it comes to pass, after these things—the butler of the king of Egypt and the baker have sinned against their lord, against 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 is angry against his two eunuchs, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers,

The king became angry with both of them.

3 and puts them in confinement in the house of the chief of the executioners, into the round-house, the place where Joseph [is] a prisoner,

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 chief of the executioners charges Joseph with them, and he serves them; and they are in confinement [for some] days.

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 dream a dream both of them, each his dream in one night, each according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker whom the king of Egypt has, who [are] prisoners in the round-house.

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 Joseph comes to them in the morning, and sees them, and behold, they [are] morose;

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

7 and he asks Pharaoh’s eunuchs who [are] with him in confinement in the house of his lord, saying, “Why [are] your faces sad today?”

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

8 And they say to him, “We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it”; and Joseph says to them, “Are interpretations not with God? Please recount to me.”

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 And the chief of the butlers recounts his dream to Joseph and says to him, “In my dream, then behold, a vine [is] 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 [are] three branches, and it [is] as it were flourishing; gone up has its blossom, its clusters have ripened grapes;

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

11 and Pharaoh’s cup [is] in my hand, and I take the grapes and press them into the cup of Pharaoh, and I give the cup into the hand of Pharaoh.”

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 And Joseph says to him, “This [is] its interpretation: the three branches are three days;

[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 yet, within three days Pharaoh lifts up your head, and has put you back on your station, and you have given the cup of Pharaoh into his hand, according to the former custom when you were 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 Surely if you have remembered me with you, when it is well with you, and have please done kindness with me, and have made mention of me to Pharaoh, then you have brought me out from this house,

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

15 for I was really stolen from the land of the Hebrews; and here also I have done nothing that they have put me in the pit [for].”

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 the chief of the bakers sees that he has interpreted good, and he says to Joseph, “I also [am] in a dream, and behold, three baskets of white bread [are] on my 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 highest basket [are] of all [kinds] of Pharaoh’s food, work of a baker; and the birds are eating them out of the basket, from off my 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 And Joseph answers and says, “This [is] its interpretation: the three baskets are three days;

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

19 yet, within three days Pharaoh lifts up your head from off you, and has hanged you on a tree, and the birds have eaten your flesh from off you.”

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 it comes to pass, on the third day, Pharaoh’s birthday, that he makes a banquet to all his servants, and lifts up the head of the chief of the butlers, and the head of the chief of the bakers among his servants,

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 puts back the chief of the butlers to his butlership, and he gives the cup into the hand of Pharaoh;

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 and the chief of the bakers he has hanged, as Joseph has interpreted to 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 and the chief of the butlers has not remembered Joseph, but forgets him.

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