Genesis 40
40
1 While these things were going on, it happened that two eunuchs, the cupbearer of the king of Egypt, and the miller of grain, offended their lord.
2 And Pharaoh, being angry with them, (now the one was in charge of the cupbearers, the other of the millers of grain)
3 sent them to the prison of the leader of the military, in which Joseph also was a prisoner.
4 But the keeper of the prison delivered them to Joseph, who ministered to them also. Some little time passed by, while they were held in custody.
5 And they both saw a similar dream on one night, whose interpretations should be related to one another.
6 And when Joseph had entered to them in the morning, and had seen them sad,
7 he consulted them, saying, "Why is your expression sadder today than usual?"
8 They responded, "We have seen a dream, and there is no one to interpret it for us." And Joseph said to them, "Doesn't interpretation belong to God? Recount for me what you have seen."
9 The chief cupbearer explained his dream first. "I saw before me a vine,
10 on which were three shoots, which grew little by little into buds, and, after the flowers, it matured into grapes.
11 And the cup of Pharaoh was in my hand. Therefore, I took the grapes, and I pressed them into the cup that I held, and I handed the cup to Pharaoh."
12 Joseph responded: "This is the interpretation of the dream. The three shoots are the next three days,
13 after which Pharaoh will remember your service, and he will restore you to your former position. And you will give him the cup according to your office, as you were accustomed to do before.
14 Only remember me, when it will be well with you, and do me this mercy, to suggest to Pharaoh to lead me out of this prison.
15 For I have been stolen from the land of the Hebrews, and here, innocently, I was cast into the pit."
16 The chief miller of grain, seeing that he had wisely unraveled the dream, said: "I also saw a dream: that I had three baskets of meal above my head,
17 and in one basket, which was the highest, I carried all foods that are made by the art of baking, and the birds ate from it."
18 Joseph responded: "This is the interpretation of the dream. The three baskets are the next three days,
19 after which Pharaoh will carry away your head, and also suspend you from a cross, and the birds will tear your flesh."
20 The third day thereafter was the birthday of Pharaoh. And making a great feast for his servants, he remembered, during the banquet, the chief cupbearer and the chief miller of grain.
21 And he restored the one to his place, to present him the cup;
22 the other he hanged on a gallows, and thus the truth of the interpreter of dreams was proven.
23 And although he advanced with so much prosperity, the chief cupbearer forgot his interpreter of dreams.
Genesis 40
40
Joseph Interprets the Prisoners' Dreams
1Some time later the king of Egypt's wine steward and his chief baker offended the king. 2He was angry with these two officials 3and put them in prison in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same place where Joseph was being kept. 4They spent a long time in prison, and the captain assigned Joseph as their servant.
5One night there in prison the wine steward and the chief baker each had a dream, and the dreams had different meanings. 6When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were upset. 7He asked them, “Why do you look so worried today?”
8They answered, “Each of us had a dream, and there is no one here to explain what the dreams mean.”
“It is God who gives the ability to interpret dreams,” Joseph said. “Tell me your dreams.”
9So the wine steward said, “In my dream there was a grapevine in front of me 10with three branches on it. As soon as the leaves came out, the blossoms appeared, and the grapes ripened. 11I was holding the king's cup; so I took the grapes and squeezed them into the cup and gave it to him.”
12Joseph said, “This is what it means: the three branches are three days. 13In three days the king will release you, pardon you, and restore you to your position. You will give him his cup as you did before when you were his wine steward. 14But please remember me when everything is going well for you, and please be kind enough to mention me to the king and help me to get out of this prison. 15After all, I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and even here in Egypt I didn't do anything to deserve being put in prison.”
16When the chief baker saw that the interpretation of the wine steward's dream was favourable, he said to Joseph, “I had a dream too; I was carrying three bread baskets on my head. 17In the top basket there were all kinds of pastries for the king, and the birds were eating them.”
18Joseph answered, “This is what it means: the three baskets are three days. 19In three days the king will release you — and have your head cut off! Then he will hang your body on a pole, and the birds will eat your flesh.”
20On his birthday three days later the king gave a banquet for all his officials; he released his wine steward and his chief baker and brought them before his officials. 21He restored the wine steward to his former position, 22but he executed the chief baker. It all happened just as Joseph had said. 23But the wine steward never gave Joseph another thought — he forgot all about him.
Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.