Genesis 40

1-4a As time went on, it happened that the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt crossed their master, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was furious with his two officials, the head cupbearer and the head baker, and put them in custody under the captain of the guard; it was the same jail where Joseph was held. The captain of the guard assigned Joseph to see to their needs.

4b-7 After they had been in custody for a while, the king’s cupbearer and baker, while being held in the jail, both had a dream on the same night, each dream having its own meaning. When Joseph arrived in the morning, he noticed that they were feeling low. So he asked them, the two officials of Pharaoh who had been thrown into jail with him, “What’s wrong? Why the long faces?”

8They said, “We dreamed dreams and there’s no one to interpret them.”

Joseph said, “Don’t interpretations come from God? Tell me the dreams.”

9-11First the head cupbearer told his dream to Joseph: “In my dream there was a vine in front of me with three branches on it: It budded, blossomed, and the clusters ripened into grapes. I was holding Pharaoh’s cup; I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and gave the cup to Pharaoh.”

12-15Joseph said, “Here’s the meaning. The three branches are three days. Within three days, Pharaoh will get you out of here and put you back to your old work—you’ll be giving Pharaoh his cup just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer. Only remember me when things are going well with you again—tell Pharaoh about me and get me out of this place. I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews. And since I’ve been here, I’ve done nothing to deserve being put in this hole.”

16-17When the head baker saw how well Joseph’s interpretation turned out, he spoke up: “My dream went like this: I saw three wicker baskets on my head; the top basket had assorted pastries from the bakery and birds were picking at them from the basket on my head.”

18-19Joseph said, “This is the interpretation: The three baskets are three days; within three days Pharaoh will take off your head, impale you on a post, and the birds will pick your bones clean.”

20-22And sure enough, on the third day it was Pharaoh’s birthday and he threw a feast for all his servants. He set the head cupbearer and the head baker in places of honor in the presence of all the guests. Then he restored the head cupbearer to his cupbearing post; he handed Pharaoh his cup just as before. And then he impaled the head baker on a post, following Joseph’s interpretations exactly.

23But the head cupbearer never gave Joseph another thought; he forgot all about him.

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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Genesis 40

Genesis 40