Chapter 40
1Some time later, the king’s cupbearer and baker offended their master, the king of Egypt.
2Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and imprisoned them
3in the house of the captain of the guard, the same prison where Joseph was confined.
4The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph and he became their personal attendant. After they had been in custody for some time
5both of these men—the Egyptian king’s cupbearer and baker who were being held in the prison—had a dream on the same night and each dream had its own meaning.
6When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were distraught.
7So he asked the officials of Pharaoh, who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why are your faces so downcast today?”
8“We both had dreams,” they replied, “but there is no one to interpret them.” Then Joseph said to them, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”
9So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream: “In my dream there was a vine before me
10and on the vine were three branches. As it budded, its blossoms opened and its clusters ripened into grapes.
11Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand and I took the grapes, squeezed them into [his] cup and placed the cup in [his] hand.”
12Joseph replied, “This [is] the interpretation: The three branches are three days.
13Within three days, Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore your position. You will put Pharaoh’s in his hand just as you did when you were his cupbearer.
14But remember me when it goes well for you and show me kindness please by mentioning me to Pharaoh that he might bring me out of this prison.
15For I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews and even here I have done nothing for which they should have put me in this dungeon.”
16When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I, too, had a dream: There were three baskets of white bread on my head.
17In the top basket were all sorts of baked goods for Pharaoh but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.”
18Joseph replied, “This is the interpretation: The three baskets are three days.
19Within three days, Pharaoh will lift off your head and hang you on a tree. Then the birds will eat the flesh of your body.”
20On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he held a feast for all his officials; he lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker and in [their presence]
21Pharaoh restored the chief cupbearer to his position so that he once again placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.
22But the chief baker, Pharaoh hanged just as Joseph had described to them {in his interpretation}.
23The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph, he forgot all about him.