Genesis 40

1 And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt, and the baker, had sinned against their lord the king of Egypt.

Some time later, the king’s cupbearer and baker offended their master, the king of Egypt.

2 Then fell the wroth of Pharaoh upon his two courtiers, upon the chief of the butlers, and upon the chief of the bakers;

Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker,

3 so he delivered them up into the ward of the house of the chief of the royal executioners, into the prison, —the place where Joseph was imprisoned.

and imprisoned them in the house of the captain of the guard, the same prison where Joseph was confined.

4 And the chief of the royal executioners charged Joseph with them and he waited upon them, and they were some days in ward.

The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he became their personal attendant. After they had been in custody for some time,

5 And they dreamed a dream they two, each man, his dream in one night, each man, according to the interpretation of his dream, —the butler and the baker who belonged to the king of Egypt, who were imprisoned in the prison.

both of these men—the Egyptian king’s cupbearer and baker, who were being held in the prison—had a dream on the same night, and each dream had its own meaning.

6 And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, —and looked at them, and lo! they were sad.

When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were distraught.

7 So he asked Pharaoh’s courtiers who were with him in the ward of his lord’s house, saying, Why are your faces troubled to-day!

So he asked the officials of Pharaoh who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why are your faces so downcast today?”

8 And they said unto him, A dream, have we dreamed, but there is none, to interpret, it. Then said Joseph unto them—Is it not unto God, that interpretations belong? Relate it. I pray you, to me.

“We both had dreams,” they replied, “but there is no one to interpret them.” Then Joseph said to them, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”

9 And the chief of the butlers related his dream to Joseph, —and said to him, In my dream, then lo! a vine, before me;

So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream: “In my dream there was a vine before me,

10 and, in the vine, three shoots, —and the same at sprouting time, had shot up her blossom, and her clusters had brought to perfection ripe grapes.

and on the vine were three branches. As it budded, its blossoms opened and its clusters ripened into grapes.

11 Now, the cup of Pharaoh, being in my hand, I took the ripe grapes and pressed them out into the cup of Pharaoh, and set the cup upon Pharaoh’s palm.

Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into his cup, and placed the cup in his hand.”

12 And Joseph said to him, This, is the interpretation thereof, —The three shoots are three days:

Joseph replied, “This is the interpretation: The three branches are three days.

13 In three days more, will Pharaoh lift up thy head, and restore thee to thine office, and thou shalt set the cup of Pharaoh in his hand, according to the former custom when thou wast his butler.

Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore your position. You will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you did when you were his cupbearer.

14 But if thou remember how I was with thee when it shall go well with thee, then wilt thou I pray thee do me a lovingkindness, —and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me forth out of this house;

But when it goes well for you, please remember me and show me kindness by mentioning me to Pharaoh, that he might bring me out of this prison.

15 For I was, stolen, out of the land of the Hebrews, —and, even here, had I done nothing, that they should have put me in the dungeon,

For I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing for which they should have put me in this dungeon.”

16 Then the chief of the bakers, seeing that he had well interpreted, said unto Joseph, I, too, was in my dream, when lo! three wicker baskets of fine bread were on my head;

When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I too had a dream: There were three baskets of white bread on my head.

17 and, in the uppermost basket, was some of every kind of food for Pharaoh that a baker could make, —but, the birds, kept eating them out of the basket from off my head.

In the top basket were all sorts of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.”

18 And Joseph responded and said, This, is the interpretation thereof, The three baskets, are, three days:

Joseph replied, “This is the interpretation: The three baskets are three days.

19 In three days more, will Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and hang thee upon a tree, and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee.

Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and hang you on a tree. Then the birds will eat the flesh of your body.”

20 And it came to pass on the third day the birthday of Pharaoh, that he made a banquet for all his servants, and uplifted the head of the chief of the butlers and the head of the chief of the bakers in the midst of his servants;

On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he held a feast for all his officials, and in their presence he lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker.

21 and restored the chief of the butlers to his butlership, so that he set the cup upon the palm of Pharaoh;

Pharaoh restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.

22 but, the chief of the bakers, he hanged, —as, Joseph, had interpreted unto them.

But Pharaoh hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had described to them in his interpretation.

23 Yet the chief of the butlers made no mention of Joseph but did forget him.

The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot all about him.