Genesis 40

1 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).

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

2 The king became angry with both of them.

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

3 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.

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

4 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.

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 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.

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

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

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

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 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.”

“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 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.

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

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

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

11 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.”

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 [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.

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

13 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.

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

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 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!”

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 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.

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 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!”

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

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

19 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.”

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 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.

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

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

22 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.

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

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

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