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.
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Genesis 40: CPDV
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Genesis 40
40
The Cupbearer and the Baker and Their Dreams
1Some time later, # 40:1 Eleven years had passed since the time Joseph was sold into slavery. He was about twenty-eight at this time. both Pharaoh’s chief steward # 40:1 Or “cupbearer” (lit. “drink-giver”). He was the king’s trusted official and had a position to influence Pharaoh. and chief baker deeply offended their master, the king of Egypt. # 40:1 Jewish tradition states that a fly had fallen into Pharaoh’s cup of wine, and a pebble was found in his bread, thus causing this “offense.” See Midrash: by Rashi. 2Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief steward and the chief baker, 3so he incarcerated them in the palace of Potiphar, the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was bound. 4The captain of the guard placed them under Joseph’s charge, and they remained in custody for some time. # 40:4 Jesus was falsely accused, maligned, and crucified between two thieves. At Calvary, the one thief was released (to enter paradise), and the other killed. So it was with the two men imprisoned with Joseph, three days after they were released! Christ was rejected by his brothers (see John 7:5), sold by one of his own (see Matt. 26:14–15), and eventually cast into the prison of death (see 1 Peter 3:18–19). Psalm 105:18 gives us additional information about Joseph’s time in prison: “His feet were bruised by strong shackles and his soul was held by iron.” The last phrase can be translated “his soul entered into iron.” The inner strength of loving and serving in painful circumstances made Joseph’s soul as strong as iron. He learned to serve and to rule over himself first, before God released him to rule over others.
5Then one night, they both dreamed—the steward and the baker, officials of the king of Egypt. They each had a prophetic dream with different interpretations.
6When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw they looked miserable, 7so he asked Pharaoh’s two officials who were under his custody, “What’s wrong? Why the sad faces?”
8“We had dreams last night,” they answered, “and we have no one to interpret them.”
And Joseph said to them, “God can interpret your dreams! Please, tell them to me.”
9-10So the chief steward shared his dream with Joseph first. He said, “In my dream, I saw a vine with three branches in front of me. I watched as it budded, then immediately it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes. 11I was holding Pharaoh’s cup, so I took the grapes, squeezed them into his cup, and handed the cup to the king.”
12Joseph said to him, “God has given me the interpretation of your dream: The three branches are three days. 13In three days, Pharaoh will pardon you and restore you to your post. You will once again hand Pharaoh’s cup to him as you used to do as his steward. 14When things start to go well for you, remember me, and please be kind and mention me to Pharaoh so that he might release me from here. # 40:14 Joseph could prophesy the release of another, but not his own. Often, prophetic gifts and words of revelation over other people simply do not come for the prophet. They are gifts to be used to bless others, not for self-consumption. We need others to come with a word for our need. This keeps us dependent not only upon God but also upon others. 15For I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and I have done nothing here to deserve being thrown into this dungeon.” # 40:15 Joseph felt forgotten. He had been forgotten a long, long time. He became a slave when he was seventeen years old, and soon afterward, Potiphar cast him into prison. Not until he was thirty did Pharaoh release him from prison. Thirteen years is a long time to be forgotten. His faith in God and the fulfillment of his dreams kept Joseph faithfully waiting for his day of promotion. Perhaps, like Joseph, you have been let down by others who promised to be a help to you but did not follow through on their pledge. Don’t despair, for God will never forget the plans he has for his children (see Jer. 29:11–13). Even if others let us down, God is always faithful and will bring his plans to pass at the appointed time.
16When the chief baker saw how favorably Joseph interpreted the dream, he said to him, “Let me tell you my dream. I saw three wicker breadbaskets stacked on my head one above the other. 17In the top basket, I saw all kinds of bread and pastries for Pharaoh to enjoy, but the birds came and ate out of the basket above my head.”
18Joseph said, “God has given me the interpretation of your dream: The three baskets are three days. 19In three days, Pharaoh will behead you and impale you on a pole, and birds will eat the flesh off your corpse.”
20Three days later, it was Pharaoh’s birthday, and he threw a huge feast for all his household. He singled out among his servants the chief steward and the chief baker. 21He pardoned the chief steward and restored him to his post, and the steward handed Pharaoh his drink. 22But he had the chief baker beheaded and impaled on a pole. So, Joseph had accurately interpreted both their dreams, 23but the chief steward completely forgot about Joseph and never remembered him.
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