Genesis 40

Joseph Attends to the Officers Genesis 40:4–8

⁴Verse 4. The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he took care of them. They stayed in prison many days. ⁵Verse 5. They both dreamed a dream, each man his dream, in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the cup bearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were bound in the prison. ⁶Verse 6. Joseph came in to them in the morning, and saw them, and saw that they were sad. ⁷Verse 7. He asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in custody in his master’s house, saying, “Why do you look so sad today?” ⁸Verse 8. They said to him, “We have dreamed a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it.” Joseph said to them, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Please tell it to me.”

Cupbearer's Dream and Its Interpretation Genesis 40:9–15

⁹Verse 9. The chief cup bearer told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, “In my dream, behold, a vine was in front of me, ¹⁰Verse 10. and in the vine were three branches. It was as though it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters produced ripe grapes. ¹¹Verse 11. Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.” ¹²Verse 12. Joseph said to him, “This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days. ¹³Verse 13. Within three more days, Pharaoh will lift up your head, and restore you to your office. You will give Pharaoh’s cup into his hand, the way you did when you were his cup bearer.

¹⁴Verse 14. But remember me when it will be well with you, and please show kindness to me, and make mention of me to Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house. ¹⁵Verse 15. For indeed, I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon.”

Baker's Dream and Its Interpretation Genesis 40:16–19

¹⁶Verse 16. When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph, “I also was in my dream, and behold, three baskets of white bread were on my head. ¹⁷Verse 17. In the uppermost basket there were all kinds of baked food for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them out of the basket on my head.” ¹⁸Verse 18. Joseph answered, “This is its interpretation. The three baskets are three days. ¹⁹Verse 19. Within three more days, Pharaoh will lift up your head from off you, and will hang you on a tree; and the birds will eat your flesh from off you.”

Fulfillment of Dreams and Forgetfulness Genesis 40:20–23

²⁰Verse 20. On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he made a feast for all his servants, and he lifted up the head of the chief cup bearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. ²¹Verse 21. He restored the chief cup bearer to his position again, and he gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand; ²²Verse 22. but he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them. ²³Verse 23. Yet the chief cup bearer didn’t remember Joseph, but forgot him.