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.
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Genesis 40: GNBUK
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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.
Genesis 40
40
1And it came to pass after these things, that the cup-bearer of the king of Egypt and the baker offended their lord the king of Egypt. 2And Pharaoh was wroth with his two chamberlains — with the chief of the cup-bearers and with the chief of the bakers; 3and he put them in custody into the house of the captain of the life-guard, into the tower-house, into the place where Joseph was imprisoned. 4And the captain of the life-guard appointed Joseph to them, that he should attend on them. And they were several days in custody.
5And they dreamed a dream, both of them in one night, each his dream, each according to the interpretation of his dream, the cup-bearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were imprisoned in the tower-house. 6And Joseph came in to them in the morning, and looked on them, and behold, they were sad. 7And he asked Pharaoh's chamberlains that were with him in custody in his lord's house, saying, Why are your faces so sad to-day? 8And they said to him, We have dreamt a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said to them, Do not interpretations belong to God#GodHebrew: Elohim tell me your dreams, I pray you. 9Then the chief of the cup-bearers 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: its blossoms shot forth, its clusters ripened into grapes. 11And Pharaoh's cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand. 12And Joseph said to him, This is the interpretation of it: the three branches are three days. 13In yet three days will Pharaoh lift up thy head and restore thee to thy place, and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his cup-bearer. 14Only bear a remembrance with thee of me when it goes well with thee, and deal kindly, I pray thee, with me, and make mention of me to Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house; 15for indeed I was stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon. 16And when the chief of the bakers saw that the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph, I also was in my dream, and behold, three baskets of white bread were on my head. 17And in the uppermost basket there were all manner of victuals for Pharaoh that the baker makes, and the birds ate them out of the basket upon my head. 18And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation of it: the three baskets are three days. 19In yet three days will Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and hang thee on a tree; and the birds will eat thy flesh from off thee.
20And it came to pass the third day — Pharaoh's birthday — that he made a feast to all his bondmen. And he lifted up the head of the chief of the cup-bearers, and the head of the chief of the bakers among his bondmen. 21And he restored the chief of the cup-bearers to his office of cup-bearer again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand. 22And he hanged the chief of the bakers, as Joseph had interpreted to them. 23But the chief of the cup-bearers did not remember Joseph, and forgot him.
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First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.