Genesis 40

Joseph tells the meaning of the prisoners' dreams

1-3While Joseph was in prison, both the king's#40.1-3 the king's: See the note at 12.15. personal servant#40.1-3 personal servant: The Hebrew text has “cup bearer”, an important and trusted official in the royal court, who personally served wine to the king. and his chief cook made the king angry. So he had them thrown into the same prison with Joseph. 4They spent a long time in prison, and Potiphar, the official in charge of the palace guard, made Joseph their servant.

5One night each of the two men had a dream, but their dreams had different meanings. 6The next morning, when Joseph went to see the men, he could tell they were upset, 7and he asked, “Why are you so worried today?”

8“We each had a dream last night,” they answered, “and there is no one to tell us what they mean.”

Joseph replied, “Doesn't God know the meaning of dreams? Now tell me what you dreamed.”

9The king's personal servant told Joseph, “In my dream I saw a vine 10with three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its grapes became ripe. 11I held the king's cup and squeezed the grapes into it, then I gave the cup to the king.”

12Joseph said:

This is the meaning of your dream. The three branches stand for three days, 13and in three days the king will pardon you. He will make you his personal servant again, and you will serve him his wine, just as you used to do. 14But when these good things happen, please don't forget to tell the king about me, so I can get out of this place. 15I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and here in Egypt I haven't done anything to deserve being thrown in jail.

16When the chief cook saw that Joseph had given a good meaning to the dream, he told Joseph, “I also had a dream. In it I was carrying three breadbaskets stacked on top of my head. 17The top basket was full of all kinds of baked things for the king, but birds were eating them.”

18Joseph said:

This is the meaning of your dream. The three baskets are three days, 19and in three days the king will cut off your head. He will hang your body on a pole, and birds will come and peck at it.

20Three days later, while the king was celebrating his birthday with a dinner for his officials, he sent for his personal servant and the chief cook. 21He put the personal servant back in his old job 22and had the cook put to death.

Everything happened just as Joseph had said it would, 23but the king's personal servant completely forgot about Joseph.

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Berĕshith (Genesis) 40

1And after these events it came to be that the cupbearer and the baker of the sovereign of Mitsrayim sinned against their master, the sovereign of Mitsrayim.

2And Pharaoh was wroth with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker.

3So he put them in confinement in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison, the place where Yosĕph was a prisoner.

4And the captain of the guard put Yosĕph in charge of them, and he served them. So they were in confinement for some time.

5Then the cupbearer and the baker of the sovereign of Mitsrayim, who were confined in the prison, dreamed a dream, both of them, each man’s dream in one night and each man’s dream with its own interpretation.

6And Yosĕph came in to them in the morning and looked at them and saw that they were sad.

7And he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in confinement of his master’s house, saying, “Why do you look so sad today?”

8And they said to him, “We each have dreamed a dream, and there is no one to interpret it.” And Yosĕph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to Elohim? Relate them to me, please.”

9So the chief cupbearer related his dream to Yosĕph, and said to him, “See, in my dream a vine was before me,

10and in the vine were three branches, and it was as though it budded – its blossoms shot forth, and its clusters brought forth ripe grapes.

11And Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand. So I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.

12And Yosĕph said to him, “This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days.

13“Yet, within three days Pharaoh is going to lift up your head and restore you to your place, and you shall put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand according to the former ruling, when you were his cupbearer.

14“But remember me when it is well with you, and please show loving-commitment to me. And mention me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this house.

15For truly I was stolen away from the land of the Hebrews. And also I have done naught that they should put me into the dungeon.

16And the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, and he said to Yosĕph, “I also was in my dream and saw three white baskets were on my head,

17and in the uppermost basket all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them out of the basket on my head.”

18And Yosĕph answered and said, “This is the interpretation of it: The three baskets are three days.

19Yet, within three days Pharaoh is going to lift off your head from you and hang you on a tree. And the birds shall eat your flesh from you.

20And on the third day, Pharaoh’s birthday, it came to be that he made a feast for all his servants. And he lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and of the chief baker among his servants,

21and he restored the chief cupbearer to his post of cupbearer again, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand,

22but he hanged the chief baker, as Yosĕph had interpreted to them.

23And the chief cupbearer did not remember Yosĕph, but forgot him.

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