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40 Some time later, the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and his baker both offended their lord, the king of Egypt. 2-3 Pharaoh was angry with his two attendants, and so he put the chief cupbearer and the chief baker in custody in the house of the captain of the guard in the same prison where Joseph was confined. The captain of the guard put Joseph in charge of the men, and Joseph took care of them as he did the others. They remained there in custody for some time.

One night while they were in prison, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt had dreams. Each had his own dream, and each dream had its own meaning.

When Joseph came to check on them the next morning, he saw that both men looked troubled.

Joseph (to Pharaoh’s prisoners): Why do you both look so dejected today?

Cupbearer and Baker: We’ve both had dreams, and there is no one here in prison to interpret them.

The Egyptians thought that dreams were often moments of revelation, but they also thought it took special training to know how to interpret them.

Joseph: Interpretations belong to God, don’t they? If you’d like, tell them to me!

So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream.

Cupbearer: In my dream, there was a vine in front of me, 10 and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms opened up and its clusters ripened into grapes. 11 Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and then I placed the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.

Joseph: 12 This is what your dream means: the three branches are three days. 13 Within three days, Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office; you will place Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer.

14 But I ask one thing. Remember me when things are going well for you. If you have the opportunity, do me a favor and mention me to Pharaoh. Perhaps he will get me out of this place. 15 You see I was stolen from the land of my people the Hebrews, and I’ve done nothing to deserve being thrown into this pit.

16 When the chief baker saw that the cupbearer received such a good interpretation, he told Joseph his dream as well.

Baker: I’ve also had a dream: There were three baskets of fine cakes stacked on my head. 17 In the upper basket, there were all sorts of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds swooped down and kept eating Pharaoh’s food out of the basket on my head.

Joseph: 18 This is what your dream means: the three baskets are three days. 19 Within three days, Pharaoh will lift your head and remove it from you. He will impale your body on a tree and vultures will swoop down and eat the flesh from your bones.

20-21 On the third day, which also happened to be Pharaoh’s birthday, he prepared a huge feast for all of his servants. As they were gathered together, he lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and restored him to his former office. That day the cupbearer resumed placing the cup in Pharaoh’s hand. But Pharaoh lifted off the head of the chief baker 22 and impaled him on a tree for the birds, just as Joseph had interpreted. 23 Sadly the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph at this time; instead, he forgot all about him.

El copero y el panadero

40 Después de algún tiempo, el copero y el panadero del rey de Egipto ofendieron a su señor. El faraón se enojó contra estos dos funcionarios suyos, es decir, contra el jefe de los coperos y el jefe de los panaderos, así que los mandó presos a la casa del capitán de la guardia, que era la misma cárcel donde estaba preso José. Allí, el capitán de la guardia le encargó a José que atendiera a estos funcionarios.

Después de haber estado algún tiempo en la cárcel, una noche los dos funcionarios, es decir, el copero y el panadero, tuvieron cada uno un sueño, cada sueño con su propio significado. A la mañana siguiente, cuando José fue a verlos, los encontró muy preocupados, y por eso les preguntó:

―¿Por qué andáis tan cabizbajos?

―Los dos tuvimos un sueño —respondieron—, y no hay nadie que nos lo interprete.

―¿Acaso no es Dios quien da la interpretación? —preguntó José—. ¿Por qué no me contáis lo que soñasteis?

Entonces el jefe de los coperos le contó a José el sueño que había tenido:

―Soñé que frente a mí había una vid, 10 la cual tenía tres ramas. En cuanto la vid echó brotes, floreció; y maduraron las uvas en los racimos. 11 Yo tenía la copa del faraón en la mano. Tomé las uvas, las exprimí en la copa, y luego puse la copa en manos del faraón.

12 Entonces José le dijo:

―Esta es la interpretación de tu sueño: Las tres ramas son tres días. 13 Dentro de los próximos tres días, el faraón te indultará y volverá a colocarte en tu cargo. Tú volverás a poner la copa del faraón en su mano, tal como lo hacías antes, cuando eras su copero. 14 Yo te ruego que no te olvides de mí. Por favor, cuando todo se haya arreglado, háblale tú de mí al faraón para que me saque de esta cárcel. 15 A mí me trajeron por la fuerza, de la tierra de los hebreos. ¡Yo no hice nada aquí para que me echaran en la cárcel!

16 Al ver que la interpretación había sido favorable, el jefe de los panaderos le dijo a José:

―Yo también tuve un sueño. En ese sueño, llevaba yo tres canastas de pan[a] sobre la cabeza. 17 En la canasta de arriba había un gran surtido de repostería para el faraón, pero las aves venían a comer de la canasta que llevaba sobre la cabeza.

18 José le respondió:

―Esta es la interpretación de tu sueño: Las tres canastas son tres días. 19 Dentro de los próximos tres días, el faraón mandará que a ti te decapiten y te cuelguen de un árbol, y las aves devorarán tu cuerpo.

20 En efecto, tres días después el faraón celebró su cumpleaños y ofreció una gran fiesta para todos sus funcionarios. En presencia de estos, mandó sacar de la cárcel al jefe de los coperos y al jefe de los panaderos. 21 Al jefe de los coperos lo restituyó en su cargo para que, una vez más, pusiera la copa en manos del faraón. 22 Pero, tal como había predicho José, al jefe de los panaderos mandó que lo ahorcaran. 23 Sin embargo, el jefe de los coperos no se acordó de José, sino que se olvidó de él por completo.

Footnotes

  1. 40:16 pan. Alt. mimbre.

The Prisoners’ Dreams

40 It came to pass after these things that the (A)butler and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt. And Pharaoh was (B)angry with his two officers, the chief butler and the chief baker. (C)So he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison, the place where Joseph was confined. And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them; so they were in custody for a while.

Then the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, (D)had a dream, both of them, each man’s dream in one night and each man’s dream with its own interpretation. And Joseph came in to them in the morning and looked at them, and saw that they were [a]sad. So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in the custody of his lord’s house, saying, (E)“Why do you look so sad today?”

And they said to him, (F)“We each have had a dream, and there is no interpreter of it.”

So Joseph said to them, (G)“Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me, please.”

Then the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, “Behold, in my dream a vine was before me, 10 and in the vine were three branches; it was as though it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and its clusters brought forth ripe grapes. 11 Then Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.”

12 And Joseph said to him, (H)“This is the interpretation of it: The three branches (I)are three days. 13 Now within three days Pharaoh will (J)lift up your head and restore you to your [b]place, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand according to the former manner, when you were his butler. 14 But (K)remember me when it is well with you, and (L)please show kindness to me; make mention of me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this house. 15 For indeed I was (M)stolen away from the land of the Hebrews; (N)and also I have done nothing here that they should put me into the dungeon.”

16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph, “I also was in my dream, and there were three [c]white baskets on my head. 17 In the uppermost basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them out of the basket on my head.”

18 So Joseph answered and said, (O)“This is the interpretation of it: The three baskets are three days. 19 (P)Within three days Pharaoh will lift [d]off your head from you and (Q)hang you on a tree; and the birds will eat your flesh from you.”

20 Now it came to pass on the third day, which was Pharaoh’s (R)birthday, that he (S)made a feast for all his servants; and he (T)lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants. 21 Then he (U)restored the chief butler to his butlership again, and (V)he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand. 22 But he (W)hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them. 23 Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but (X)forgot him.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 40:6 dejected
  2. Genesis 40:13 position
  3. Genesis 40:16 Or baskets of white bread
  4. Genesis 40:19 Lit. up

Joseph tells two people what their dreams mean

40 Some time later, two of the king's officers made him angry. One of them was the king's cupbearer.[a] The other was the king's baker.

Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, both the cupbearer and the baker. Pharaoh put them in the same prison that Joseph was in. That was in the house of the captain of the king's guards. They were in the prison for a long time. The captain of the guards made Joseph their servant, to help them. One night, both of the king's officers had a dream. Each dream had its own meaning.

When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were upset. So Joseph asked the two officers, ‘What are you sad about?’ They replied, ‘We both had dreams last night, but there is nobody to tell us what they mean.’ Joseph said, ‘Only God can tell you the meaning of dreams. Tell your dreams to me.’

So the king's cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said, ‘In my dream I saw a vine in front of me. 10 There were three branches on it. New leaves came on the branches, and then flowers came. After that, there were grapes which became ripe. 11 Pharaoh's cup was in my hand. I took the grapes and I squeezed them. Then I put the juice into the cup and I gave the cup to Pharaoh.’

12 Joseph said, ‘This is what your dream means. The three branches tell us about three days. 13 In three days, Pharaoh will lift up your head and he will make you his officer again.[b] You will put Pharaoh's cup into his hand, as you did before. 14 But when these good things happen to you, remember to be kind to me. Tell Pharaoh about me so that I will get out of this prison. 15 Men took hold of me in the land of the Hebrews and they brought me here. Even here, I have not done anything wrong. I should not be in this prison.’

16 The king's baker heard what Joseph had said to the cupbearer. He realized that the meaning of the cupbearer's dream was good. So he said to Joseph, ‘This was my dream: I had three baskets of bread on my head. 17 The top basket contained many different kinds of bread for Pharaoh. But birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.’

18 Joseph said, ‘This is what your dream means. The three baskets tell us about three days. 19 In three days, Pharaoh will lift off your head. He will hang you on a tree. Then birds will eat the meat off your body.’

20 Three days later, it was Pharaoh's birthday. He gave a feast for all his officers. He lifted up the head of the cupbearer and he lifted off the head of the baker! He brought them both out of the prison so that all his officers could see.

21 Pharaoh caused the cupbearer to be his own cupbearer again. As a result, the cupbearer put Pharaoh's cup into his hand again, as he did before. 22 But Pharaoh hanged the baker to kill him.

So it all happened in the way that Joseph said it would happen. 23 But the cupbearer did not think about Joseph at all. He completely forgot about him.

Footnotes

  1. 40:1 The cupbearer had authority in the king's house. He would make sure that the king's wine was safe for the king to drink.
  2. 40:13 ‘lift up your head’ means ‘you will be important again’.

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