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1Later on the cupbearer and the baker committed some offense against their master, the king of Egypt. 2Pharaoh was angry with these two royal officials—the chief cupbearer and chief baker— 3and imprisoned them in the house of the commander of the guard, the same prison where Joseph was. 4The commander of the guard assigned Joseph to them as their personal attendant. They were kept in prison for some time.
5One night while they were in prison the cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt each had a dream. They were different dreams, each with its own meaning. 6When Joseph arrived the next morning he noticed they both looked depressed. 7So he asked Pharaoh's officials who were imprisoned with him in his master's house, “Why are you looking so depressed?”
8“We've both had dreams but can't find anyone to explain what they mean,” they said.
So Joseph told them, “Isn't God the one who can interpret the meaning of dreams? Tell me your dreams.”
9So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. “In my dream there was a vine right in front of me,” he explained. 10“The vine had three branches. As soon as it budded, it flowered, and produced clusters of ripe grapes. 11I was holding Pharaoh's wine cup, so I picked the grapes and squeezed them into the cup and gave it to Pharaoh.”
12“This is the meaning,” Joseph told him. “The three branches represent three days. 13In three days' time Pharaoh will take you out of prison and give you back your job, and you will hand Pharaoh his cup as you used to. 14But when things go well for you, please remember me with kindness and speak to Pharaoh on my behalf, and please get me out of this prison. 15I was cruelly kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and now I'm here in this pit even though I've done nothing wrong.”
16When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was positive, he said to Joseph, “I also had a dream. I had three baskets of cakes on my head. 17In the top basket were all the cakes and pastries for Pharaoh to eat, and the birds were eating them from the basket on my head.”
18“This is the meaning,” Joseph told him. “The three baskets represent three days. 19In three days' time Pharaoh will take you out of prison and hang you on a pole, and birds will eat your flesh.”
20Three days later it happened to be Pharaoh's birthday, and he arranged a banquet for all his officials. He had the chief cupbearer and the chief baker released from prison and brought there before his officials. 21He gave the chief cupbearer his job back, and he returned to his duties of handing Pharaoh his cup. 22But he hanged the chief baker just as Joseph had said when he interpreted their dreams. 23But the chief cupbearer didn't remember to say anything about Joseph—in fact he forgot all about him.