Genesis 40

Some time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt.

Some time later, Pharaoh’s chief cup-bearer and chief baker offended their royal master.

Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker,

Pharaoh became angry with these two officials,

and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined.

and he put them in the prison where Joseph was, in the palace of the captain of the guard.

The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them.

After they had been in custody for some time,

They remained in prison for quite some time, and the captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, who looked after them.

each of the two men—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison—had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own.

While they were in prison, Pharaoh’s cup-bearer and baker each had a dream one night, and each dream had its own meaning.

When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected.

When Joseph saw them the next morning, he noticed that they both looked upset.

So he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why do you look so sad today?”

“Why do you look so worried today?” he asked them.

“We both had dreams,” they answered, “but there is no one to interpret them.”

Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”

And they replied, “We both had dreams last night, but no one can tell us what they mean.”

“Interpreting dreams is God’s business,” Joseph replied. “Go ahead and tell me your dreams.”

So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him, “In my dream I saw a vine in front of me,

So the chief cup-bearer told Joseph his dream first. “In my dream,” he said, “I saw a grapevine in front of me.

and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes.

The vine had three branches that began to bud and blossom, and soon it produced clusters of ripe grapes.

Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup and put the cup in his hand.”

I was holding Pharaoh’s wine cup in my hand, so I took a cluster of grapes and squeezed the juice into the cup. Then I placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.”

“This is what it means,” Joseph said to him. “The three branches are three days.

“This is what the dream means,” Joseph said. “The three branches represent three days.

Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer.

Within three days Pharaoh will lift you up and restore you to your position as his chief cup-bearer.

But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison.

And please remember me and do me a favor when things go well for you. Mention me to Pharaoh, so he might let me out of this place.

I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon.”

For I was kidnapped from my homeland, the land of the Hebrews, and now I’m here in prison, but I did nothing to deserve it.”

When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation, he said to Joseph, “I too had a dream: On my head were three baskets of bread.^[a]

When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given the first dream such a positive interpretation, he said to Joseph, “I had a dream, too. In my dream there were three baskets of white pastries stacked on my head.

In the top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.”

The top basket contained all kinds of pastries for Pharaoh, but the birds came and ate them from the basket on my head.”

“This is what it means,” Joseph said. “The three baskets are three days.

“This is what the dream means,” Joseph told him. “The three baskets also represent three days.

Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and impale your body on a pole. And the birds will eat away your flesh.”

Three days from now Pharaoh will lift you up and impale your body on a pole. Then birds will come and peck away at your flesh.”

Now the third day was Pharaoh’s birthday, and he gave a feast for all his officials. He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker in the presence of his officials:

Pharaoh’s birthday came three days later, and he prepared a banquet for all his officials and staff. He summoned^[a] his chief cup-bearer and chief baker to join the other officials.

He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand—

He then restored the chief cup-bearer to his former position, so he could again hand Pharaoh his cup.

but he impaled the chief baker, just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation.

But Pharaoh impaled the chief baker, just as Joseph had predicted when he interpreted his dream.

The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.

Pharaoh’s chief cup-bearer, however, forgot all about Joseph, never giving him another thought.