Genesis 40
1 His ita gestis, accidit ut peccarent duo eunuchi, pincerna regis Ægypti, et pistor, domino suo.
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 Iratusque contra eos Pharao (nam alter pincernis præerat, alter pistoribus)
The king became angry with both of them.
3 misit eos in carcerem principis militum, in quo erat vinctus et Ioseph.
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 At custos carceris tradidit eos Ioseph, qui et ministrabat eis: aliquantulum temporis fluxerat, et illi in custodia tenebantur.
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 Videruntque ambo somnium nocte una iuxta interpretationem congruam sibi:
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 ad quos cum introisset Ioseph mane, et vidisset eos tristes,
The next morning, when Joseph came to them, he saw that both of them were dejected/worried.
7 sciscitatus est eos, dicens: Cur tristior est hodie solito facies vestra?
So he asked them, “Why do you look so sad today?”
8 Qui responderunt: Somnium vidimus, et non est qui interpretetur nobis. Dixitque ad eos Ioseph: Numquid non Dei est interpretatio? referte mihi quid videritis.
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 Narravit prior, præpositus pincernarum, somnium suum: Videbam coram me vitem,
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 in qua erant tres propagines, crescere paulatim in gemmas, et post flores uvas maturescere:
On the vine there were three branches. After the branches budded, they blossomed, and then they produced clusters of grapes.
11 calicemque Pharaonis in manu mea: tuli ergo uvas, et expressi in calicem quem tenebam, et tradidi poculum Pharaoni.
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 Respondit Ioseph: Hæc est interpretatio somnii: Tres propagines, tres adhuc dies sunt:
[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 post quos recordabitur Pharao ministerii tui, et restituet te in gradum pristinum: dabisque ei calicem iuxta officium tuum, sicut ante facere consueveras.
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 Tantum memento mei, cum bene tibi fuerit, et facias mecum misericordiam: ut suggeras Pharaoni ut educat me de isto carcere:
But when you are out of prison and everything goes well for you, please do not forget me.
15 quia furto sublatus sum de terra Hebræorum, et hic innocens in lacum missus sum.
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 Videns pistorum magister quod prudenter somnium dissolvisset, ait: Et ego vidi somnium: Quod tria canistra farinæ haberem super caput meum:
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 et in uno canistro quod erat excelsius, portare me omnes cibos qui fiunt arte pistoria, avesque comedere ex eo.
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 Respondit Ioseph: Hæc est interpretatio somnii: Tria canistra, tres adhuc dies sunt:
God again told Joseph what the dream meant, so he said, “The three baskets also represent three days.
19 post quos auferet Pharao caput tuum, ac suspendet te in cruce, et lacerabunt volucres carnes tuas.
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 Exinde dies tertius natalitius Pharaonis erat: qui faciens grande convivium pueris suis, recordatus est inter epulas magistri pincernarum, et pistorum principis.
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 Restituitque alterum in locum suum, ut porrigeret ei poculum:
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 alterum suspendit in patibulo, ut coniectoris veritas probaretur.
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 Et tamen succedentibus prosperis, præpositus pincernarum oblitus est interpretis sui.
But the chief drink-server did not think about Joseph. He forgot to do what Joseph asked him to do.
