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40 When these things were done, it befelled that two geldings, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, sinned to their lord. (After these things were done, it befell that two eunuchs, Pharaoh’s butler and baker, sinned against their lord.)

And Pharaoh was wroth against them, for the one was (the) master butler, and the tother was (the) master baker.

And he sent them into the prison of the prince of knights, in which also Joseph was bound. (And he sent them into the prison of the captain of the guard, where Joseph was also kept.)

And the keeper of the prison betook them to Joseph, which also served, or kept, them. Somewhat of time passed, and they were holden in keeping, (And the ruler of the prison delivered them unto Joseph, who served them. Some time passed, and they were still held in the prison,)

and both saw a dream in one night, by covenable expounding to them. (when both of them had a dream one night, and they needed their dreams to be interpreted.)

And when Joseph had entered to them early, and had seen them sorry, (And when Joseph came to them in the morning, and saw them looking sorrowful, or sad,)

he asked them, and said, Why is your cheer heavier today than it is wont (to be)? (he asked them, Why are your faces so heavy, or so unhappy, today?)

Which answered, We (each) saw a dream, and there is no man that expoundeth it to us. And Joseph said to them, Whether the expounding is not of God? Tell ye to me what ye have seen. (And they answered, We have each had a dream, and there is no one to interpret it for us. And Joseph said to them, Should not the interpretation come from God? Tell me what ye have seen.)

The master butler told first his dream; I saw before me that a vine, (So the master butler told his dream first, and he said, I saw that there was a vine before me,)

10 in which were three scions, waxed little and little into burgeonings, and that after the flowers (came), the grapes waxed ripe, (which had three branches, that over time had more and more buds, and after the flowers came, the grapes ripened,)

11 and (then) the cup of Pharaoh was in mine hand; therefore I took the grapes, and pressed them out into the cup that I held, and I gave (the) drink to Pharaoh (and I gave it to Pharaoh to drink).

12 Joseph answered, This is the expounding of the dream; three scions be yet three days, (Joseph answered, This is the dream’s interpretation; the three branches be three days yet to come,)

13 after which Pharaoh shall have mind of thy service, and he shall restore thee into the first degree, and thou shalt give to him the cup, by thine office, as thou were wont to do before. (and then Pharaoh shall remember thy service, and he shall restore thee to thy place, and thou shalt give him the cup, as per thy duties, yea, as thou were wont to do before.)

14 Only have thou mind of me, when it is well to thee, and thou shalt do mercy with me, that thou make suggestion to Pharaoh, that he lead me out of this prison; (And when it is well with thee, remember me, and do thou mercy to me, so that thou make a suggestion to Pharaoh, that he release me from this prison;)

15 for thiefly, (that is, by thievery), I am taken away from the land of Hebrews, and (once) here I am sent innocent into prison. (for I was stolen away from the land of the Hebrews, and then once here, I was sent into prison, though innocent.)

16 The master baker saw that Joseph had declared prudently the dream, and he said, And I saw a dream, that I had three baskets of meal on mine head, (The master baker saw that Joseph had prudently interpreted the dream, and he said, And I had a dream, where I had three baskets of meal on my head,)

17 and I guessed that I bare in one basket, that was highest, all (the) (bake)meats that be made (for Pharaoh) by the craft of bakers, and that birds ate thereof. (and I saw that I carried in the first basket, that was on top, all the baked goods that the baker made for Pharaoh, and the birds were eating them.)

18 Joseph answered, This is the expounding of the dream; three baskets be yet three days, (Joseph answered, This is the dream’s interpretation; the three baskets be three days yet to come,)

19 after which Pharaoh shall take away thine head, and he shall hang thee in a cross, and birds shall draw thy flesh. (after which Pharaoh shall take away thy head, and he shall hang thee on a tree, and then the birds shall draw off thy flesh.)

20 From thence the third day was the day of the birth of Pharaoh, which made a great feast to his servants, and he had mind among the meats, of the master butler, and of the prince of (the) bakers; (And three days later was Pharaoh’s birthday, and he made a great feast for his servants, and during the feast he remembered the master butler, and the master baker;)

21 and he restored the one into his place, (so) that he should direct the cup, either (the) drink, to the king,

22 and he hanged the tother in a gibbet, that the truth of Joseph(’s) declaring (of) the dreams should be proved. (but he hanged the other man on a tree, and so the truth of Joseph’s interpretations of the dreams was shown.)

23 And nevertheless when prosperities befelled to the master butler, he forgat Joseph that declared his dream. (And yet when good things happened to the master butler, he forgot about Joseph, who had interpreted his dream.)

The Cupbearer and the Baker

40 Some time later, the cupbearer(A) and the baker(B) of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was angry(C) with his two officials,(D) the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard,(E) in the same prison where Joseph was confined. The captain of the guard(F) assigned them to Joseph,(G) and he attended them.

After they had been in custody(H) for some time, each of the two men—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison—had a dream(I) the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own.(J)

When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected. So he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were in custody(K) with him in his master’s house, “Why do you look so sad today?”(L)

“We both had dreams,” they answered, “but there is no one to interpret them.”(M)

Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God?(N) Tell me your dreams.”

So the chief cupbearer(O) told Joseph his dream. He said to him, “In my dream I saw a vine in front of me, 10 and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed,(P) and its clusters ripened into grapes. 11 Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup and put the cup in his hand.”

12 “This is what it means,(Q)” Joseph said to him. “The three branches are three days.(R) 13 Within three days(S) Pharaoh will lift up your head(T) and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer.(U) 14 But when all goes well with you, remember me(V) and show me kindness;(W) mention me to Pharaoh(X) and get me out of this prison. 15 I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews,(Y) and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon.”(Z)

16 When the chief baker(AA) saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation,(AB) he said to Joseph, “I too had a dream: On my head were three baskets(AC) of bread.[a] 17 In the top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.”

18 “This is what it means,” Joseph said. “The three baskets are three days.(AD) 19 Within three days(AE) Pharaoh will lift off your head(AF) and impale your body on a pole.(AG) And the birds will eat away your flesh.”(AH)

20 Now the third day(AI) was Pharaoh’s birthday,(AJ) and he gave a feast for all his officials.(AK) He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker(AL) in the presence of his officials: 21 He restored the chief cupbearer(AM) to his position,(AN) so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand(AO) 22 but he impaled the chief baker,(AP) just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation.(AQ)

23 The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.(AR)

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 40:16 Or three wicker baskets