Genesis 40
International Children’s Bible
Joseph Interprets Two Dreams
40 After these things happened, two of the king’s officers displeased the king. These officers were the man who served wine to the king and the king’s baker. 2 The king became angry with his officer who served him wine and his baker. 3 So he put them in the prison of the captain of the guard. This was the same prison where Joseph was kept. 4 The captain of the guard put the two prisoners in Joseph’s care. They stayed in prison for some time.
5 One night both the king’s officer who served him wine and the baker had a dream. Each had his own dream with its own meaning. 6 When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw they were worried. 7 Joseph asked the king’s officers who were with him, “Why do you look so unhappy today?”
8 The two men answered, “We both had dreams last night. But no one can explain the meaning of them to us.”
Joseph said to them, “God is the only One who can explain the meaning of dreams. So tell me your dreams.”
9 So the man who served wine to the king told Joseph his dream. He said, “I dreamed I saw a vine. 10 On the vine there were three branches. I watched the branches bud and blossom, and then the grapes ripened. 11 I was holding the king’s cup. So I took the grapes and squeezed the juice into the cup. Then I gave it to the king.”
12 Then Joseph said, “I will explain the dream to you. The three branches stand for three days. 13 Before the end of three days the king will free you. He will allow you to return to your work. You will serve the king his wine just as you did before. 14 But when you are free, remember me. Be kind to me. Tell the king about me so that I can get out of this prison. 15 I was taken by force from the land of the Hebrews. And I have done nothing here to deserve being put in prison.”
16 The baker saw that Joseph’s explanation of the dream was good. So he said to Joseph, “I also had a dream. I dreamed there were three bread baskets on my head. 17 In the top basket there were all kinds of baked food for the king. But the birds were eating this food out of the basket on my head.”
18 Joseph answered, “I will tell you what the dream means. The three baskets stand for three days. 19 Before the end of three days, the king will cut off your head! He will hang your body on a pole. And the birds will eat your flesh.”
20 Three days later it was the king’s birthday. So he gave a feast for all his officers. In front of his officers, he let the chief officer who served his wine and the chief baker out of prison. 21 The king gave his chief officer who served wine his old position. Once again he put the king’s cup of wine into the king’s hand. 22 But the king hanged the baker on a pole. Everything happened just as Joseph had said it would. 23 But the officer who served wine did not remember Joseph. He forgot all about him.
Génesis 40
Dios Habla Hoy
José interpreta dos sueños
40 Después de esto, el copero, o sea el encargado de servirle vino al rey, y también el panadero, ofendieron a su amo, el rey de Egipto. 2 El faraón, o sea el rey, se enojó contra estos dos funcionarios, el jefe de los coperos y el jefe de los panaderos, 3 y los mandó presos a la casa del capitán de la guardia, donde estaba la cárcel. Era el mismo lugar donde José estaba preso. 4 El capitán de la guardia encargó a José que atendiera a estos funcionarios, y ellos pasaron mucho tiempo en la cárcel.
5 Una noche los dos presos, el copero y el panadero, tuvieron cada uno un sueño, y cada sueño tenía su propio significado. 6 Por la mañana, cuando José vino a verlos, los encontró muy preocupados; 7 así que les preguntó:
—¿Por qué tienen hoy tan mala cara?
8 —Tuvimos un sueño y no hay quien nos explique lo que quiere decir —contestaron ellos.
—¿Y acaso no es Dios quien da las interpretaciones? —preguntó José—. Vamos, cuéntenme lo que soñaron.
9 Entonces el jefe de los coperos le contó su sueño a José con estas palabras:
—En mi sueño veía una vid, 10 que tenía tres ramas. Y la vid retoñaba y echaba flores, y las flores se convertían en racimos de uvas maduras. 11 Yo tenía la copa del faraón en la mano, y tomaba las uvas y las exprimía en la copa. Luego, yo mismo ponía la copa en manos del faraón.
12 Y José le dijo:
—El sueño de usted quiere decir esto: las tres ramas son tres días, 13 y dentro de tres días el faraón revisará el caso de usted y lo pondrá de nuevo en su trabajo, y usted volverá a darle la copa al faraón, tal como antes lo hacía. 14 Cuando esto suceda, acuérdese usted de mí, y por favor háblele de mí al faraón para que me saque de este lugar. ¡Compadézcase de mí! 15 A mí me robaron de la tierra de los hebreos, y no merezco estar en la cárcel porque no he hecho nada malo.
16 Cuando el jefe de los panaderos vio que José había dado una interpretación favorable, le dijo:
—Por mi parte, yo soñé que tenía tres canastillos de pan blanco sobre mi cabeza. 17 El canastillo de arriba tenía un gran surtido de pasteles para el faraón, pero las aves venían a comer del canastillo que estaba sobre mi cabeza.
18 Entonces José le contestó:
—El sueño de usted quiere decir esto: los tres canastillos son tres días, 19 y dentro de tres días el faraón revisará el caso de usted y hará que lo cuelguen de un árbol, y las aves se comerán su carne.
20 Al tercer día era el cumpleaños del faraón, y él hizo una gran fiesta para todos sus funcionarios. Delante de sus invitados, el faraón mandó sacar de la cárcel al jefe de los coperos y al jefe de los panaderos. 21 Al copero lo puso de nuevo en su trabajo, y él volvió a darle la copa al faraón, como antes; 22 pero al panadero lo mandó ahorcar, tal como José lo había interpretado. 23 Sin embargo, el copero no volvió a acordarse de José.
Genesis 40
New King James Version
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. 2 And Pharaoh was (B)angry with his two officers, the chief butler and the chief baker. 3 (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. 4 And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them; so they were in custody for a while.
5 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. 6 And Joseph came in to them in the morning and looked at them, and saw that they were [a]sad. 7 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?”
8 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.”
9 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
- Genesis 40:6 dejected
- Genesis 40:13 position
- Genesis 40:16 Or baskets of white bread
- Genesis 40:19 Lit. up
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
Dios habla hoy ®, © Sociedades Bíblicas Unidas, 1966, 1970, 1979, 1983, 1996.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.