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 the official in charge of the palace guard,#40.4 the palace guard: Possibly Potiphar (see 39.1). 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, 19#3 Macc 6.34. and 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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Genesis 40

Joseph Interprets Two Prisoners’ Dreams

1Some time after this, the #Neh. 1:11cupbearer of the king of Egypt and his baker committed an offense against their lord the king of Egypt. 2And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, 3#[ch. 39:20]and he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison where Joseph was confined. 4The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be with them, and he attended them. They continued for some time in custody.

5And one night they both dreamed—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison—each his own dream, and each dream with its own interpretation. 6When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were troubled. 7So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in custody in his master’s house, #[Neh. 2:2]“Why are your faces downcast today?” 8They said to him, #ch. 41:15 “We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them.” And Joseph said to them, #ch. 41:16; Dan. 2:28, 47“Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.”

9So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph and said to him, “In my dream there was a vine before me, 10and on the vine there were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and the clusters ripened into grapes. 11Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.” 12Then Joseph said to him, #ver. 18; ch. 41:12; [Dan. 2:36] “This is its interpretation: #[ch. 41:26, 27]the three branches are three days. 13In three days Pharaoh will #2 Kgs. 25:27; Jer. 52:31; [ver. 19, 20, 22; Ps. 3:3]lift up your head and restore you to your office, and you shall place Pharaoh’s cup in his hand as formerly, when you were his cupbearer. 14Only remember me, when it is well with you, and please do me the kindness to mention me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this house. 15For #ch. 37:28 I was indeed stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and #ch. 39:20here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the pit.”

16When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I also had a dream: there were three cake baskets on my head, 17and in the uppermost basket there were all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating it out of the basket on my head.” 18And Joseph answered and said, #See ver. 12“This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days. 19#ver. 13 In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head—from you!—and #ver. 22hang you on a tree. And the birds will eat the flesh from you.”

20On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s #Matt. 14:6; Mark 6:21 birthday, he made a feast for all his servants and #ver. 13, 19lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. 21#ver. 13 He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, and #Neh. 2:1he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand. 22But he #ver. 19hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them. 23Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

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