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 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 favorable, he said to Joseph, “I had a dream too; I was carrying three breadbaskets on my head. 17In the top basket there were all kinds of baked goods 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.
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Genesis 40
40
Genesis 40
1¶ And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker had sinned against their lord, the king of Egypt.
2And Pharaoh was angry against his two officers, against the chief of the butlers and against the chief of the bakers.
3And he put them in prison in the house of the captain of the guard, into the house of the prison where Joseph was bound.
4And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them; and they continued for days in prison.
5¶ And both of them dreamed a dream, each man his dream in the same night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were bound in the prison.
6And Joseph came in unto them in the morning and looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad.
7And he asked Pharaoh’s officers that were with him in the prison of his lord’s house, saying, Why look ye so sad today?
8And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me the dreams, I pray you.
9Then the chief butler told his dream to Joseph and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me,
10and in the vine were three branches, and it was as though it budded and her blossoms shot forth, and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes;
11and Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.
12And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days;
13yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head and restore thee unto thy place, and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh’s cup into his hand after the former manner when thou wast his butler.
14Therefore thou shalt think of me within thyself when it shall be well with thee, and show mercy, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh and bring me out of this house;
15for indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews; neither have I done anything here that they should put me into the prison.
16When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph, I also was in my dream, and, behold, I had three white baskets on my head;
17and in the uppermost basket there was of all manner of baked foods for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them out of the basket upon my head.
18Then Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation thereof: The three baskets are three days.
19Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee and shall hang thee on a tree, and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee.
20¶ And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a banquet unto all his slaves, and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his slaves.
21And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again, and he gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.
22But he hanged the chief baker; as Joseph had interpreted to them.
23Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph but forgot him.
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