Two Prisoners’ Dreams
1Some time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt. 2Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, 3and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was held. 4The captain of the guard assigned Joseph to attend them, and he took care of them. They remained in custody for some time. 5One night the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, each had a dream — both of them, on the same night, each dream with its own meaning. 6When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they looked dejected. 7So he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why do you look so troubled today?” 8“We both had dreams,” they said, “and there is no one to interpret them.” Joseph said to them, “Do interpretations not belong to God? Tell me your dreams.” 9So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. “In my dream,” he said, “there was a vine in front of me, 10and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes. 11Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and put the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.” 12“This is what it means,” Joseph told him. “The three branches are three days. 13Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you used to when you were his cupbearer. 14But when all goes well for you, remember me. Please show me kindness — mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this place. 15I was carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in this dungeon.” 16When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I also had a dream — three baskets of bread were on my head. 17In the top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, and the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.” 18“This is what it means,” Joseph answered. “The three baskets are three days. 19Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and hang you on a pole, and the birds will eat the flesh from your body.” 20On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he gave a feast for all his officials, and he lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker in front of them. 21He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, and he put the cup in Pharaoh’s hand, 22but the chief baker he hanged, just as Joseph had said would happen when he interpreted their dreams. 23Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph — he forgot him.
