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).

And it came to pass after these things, that the chief cupbearer of the king of Egypt and the chief baker trespassed against their lord the king of Egypt.

2 The king became angry with both of them.

And Pharao was angry with his two eunuchs, with his chief cupbearer, and with his 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 he put them in ward, into the prison, into the place whereinto Joseph had been led.

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.

And the chief keeper of the prison committed them to Joseph, and he stood by them; and they were [some] days in the prison.

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.

And they both had a dream in one night; and the vision of the dream of the chief cupbearer and chief baker, who belonged to the king of Egypt, who were in the prison, was this.

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

Joseph went in to them in the morning, and saw them, and they had been troubled.

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

And he asked the eunuchs of Pharao who were with him in the prison with his master, saying, Why is it that your countenances are sad 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.”

And they said to him, We have seen a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said to them, Is not the interpretation of them through god? tell [them] than to me.

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.

And the chief cupbearer related his dream to Joseph, and said, In my dream a vine was before me.

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

And in the vine [were] three stems; and it budding shot forth blossoms; the clusters of grapes were ripe.

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.”

And the cup of Pharao was in my hand; and I took the bunch of grapes, and squeezed it into the cup, and gave the cup into Pharao's 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.

And Joseph said to him, This is the interpretation of it. The three stems 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.

Yet three days and Pharao shall remember your office, and he shall restore you to your place of chief cupbearer, and you shall give the cup of Pharao into his hand, according to your former high place, as you were wont to be cupbearer.

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

But remember me of yourself, when it shall be well with you, and you shall deal mercifully with me, and you shall make mention of me to Pharao, and you shall bring me forth out of this dungeon.

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 surely I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews, and here I have done nothing, but they have cast me into this pit.

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.

And the chief baker saw that he interpreted aright; and he said to Joseph, I also saw a dream, and I thought I took up on my head three baskets of mealy food.

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!”

And in the upper basket there was the work of the baker of every kind which Pharao eats; and the fowls of the air ate them out of the basket that was on my head.

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

And Joseph answered and said to him, This is the interpretation of it; 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.”

Yet three days, and Pharao shall take away your head from off you, and shall hang you on a tree, and the birds of the sky shall eat your flesh from off you.

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.

And it came to pass on the third day that it was Pharao's birth-day, and he made a banquet for all his servants, and he remembered the office of the cupbearer and the office of the baker in the midst of his servants.

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.

And he restored the chief cupbearer to his office, and he gave the cup into Pharao'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.

And he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph, interpreted to them.

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

Yet did not the chief cupbearer remember Joseph, but forgot him.