Genesis 40

Modern

Literal

The Cupbearer and the Baker

¹Some time later, the king’s cupbearer and baker offended their master, the king of Egypt.

¹And it came to pass after these things that the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and the baker sinned against their lord, against the king of Egypt.

²Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker,

²And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, with the chief of the cupbearers and the chief of the bakers.

³and imprisoned them in the house of the captain of the guard, the same prison where Joseph was confined.

³And he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guards, in the prison house, the place 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,

⁴And the captain of the guards appointed Joseph to them, and he served them, and they were days in custody.

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.

⁵And they dreamed a dream, the two of them, each man his dream, in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream—the cupbearer and the baker, who belonged to the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison. House

⁶When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were distraught.

⁶and Joseph came to them in the morning and he saw them, and behold, they were troubled.

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?”

⁷And he asked the officers of Pharaoh who were with him in custody in the house of his lord, saying, “Why are your faces evil 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.”

⁸And they said to him, “We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it.” And Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them, please, to me.”

⁹So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream: “In my dream there was a vine before me,

⁹And the chief of the cupbearers told his dream to Joseph and said to him, “In my dream, and behold, a vine was before me.

¹⁰and on the vine were three branches. As it budded, its blossoms opened and its clusters ripened into grapes.

¹⁰And in the vine were three branches. And it was as though it budded, its blossoms came up, and its clusters ripened 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.”

¹¹And the cup of Pharaoh was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into the cup of Pharaoh, and I put the cup in the hand of Pharaoh.”

¹²Joseph replied, “This is the interpretation: The three branches are three days.

¹²And Joseph said to him, “This is its interpretation: The three branches, they are three days.

¹³Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore your position. You will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you did when you were his cupbearer.

¹³Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your place, and you will put the cup of Pharaoh into his hand according to the former manner, when you were his cupbearer.

¹⁴But when it goes well for you, please remember me and show me kindness by mentioning me to Pharaoh, that he might bring me out of this prison.

¹⁴But only that you remember me when it is well with you, and please, do kindness with me and make mention of me to Pharaoh and get me out of this house.

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.”

¹⁵For I was surely stolen from the land of the Hebrews, and also here I have not done anything that they should put me in the pit.”

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.

¹⁶And the chief of the bakers saw that he interpreted well, and he said to Joseph, “I was also in my dream, and behold, three baskets of white bread were 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.”

¹⁷And in the uppermost basket were all kinds of food, for Pharaoh, the work of a baker; and the birds were eating them out of the basket from upon my head.”

¹⁸Joseph replied, “This is the interpretation: The three baskets are three days.

¹⁸And Joseph answered and said, “This is its interpretation: The three baskets are three days.

¹⁹Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and hang you on a tree.^a Then the birds will eat the flesh of your body.”

¹⁹Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head from upon you and hang you on a tree. And the birds will eat your flesh from upon you.”

²⁰On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he held a feast for all his officials, and in their presence he lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker.

²⁰And it came to pass on the third day, the day of Pharaoh's birth, that he made a feast for all his servants, and he lifted up the head of the chief of the cupbearers and the head of the chief of the bakers in the midst of his servants.

²¹Pharaoh restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.

²¹And he restored the chief of the cupbearers to his cupbearership, and he put the cup in the hand of Pharaoh.

²²But Pharaoh hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had described to them in his interpretation.^a

²²And the chief of the bakers he hanged, as Joseph had interpreted to them.

²³The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot all about him.

²³And the chief of the cupbearers did not remember Joseph, and he forgot him.