Joseph imprisoned

So Joseph’s master took him and had him thrown into the prison where the king’s prisoners were confined. While Joseph was there in the prison,

the LORD was with him and extended kindness to him, granting him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.

And the warden put all the prisoners under Joseph’s care, so that he was responsible for all that was done in the prison.

The warden did not concern himself with anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

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

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

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

The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he became their personal attendant. After they had been in custody for some time,

both 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.

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

So he asked the officials of Pharaoh who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why are your faces so downcast today?”

“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.”

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

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

Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into his cup, and placed the cup in his hand.”

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

Within 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.

But 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.

For 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.”

When 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.

In the top basket were all sorts of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.”

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

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

On 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.

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

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

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

After two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing beside the Nile,

when seven cows, sleek and well-fed, came up from the river and began to graze among the reeds.

After them, seven other cows, sickly and thin, came up from the Nile and stood beside the well-fed cows on the bank of the river.

And the cows that were sickly and thin devoured the seven sleek, well-fed cows. Then Pharaoh woke up,

but he fell back asleep and dreamed a second time: Seven heads of grain, plump and ripe, came up on one stalk.

After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted, thin and scorched by the east wind.

And the thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven plump, ripe ones. Then Pharaoh awoke and realized it was a dream.

In the morning his spirit was troubled, so he summoned all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.

Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I recall my failures.

Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he put me and the chief baker in the custody of the captain of the guard.

One night both the chief baker and I had dreams, and each dream had its own meaning.

Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams and he interpreted them for us individually.

And it happened to us just as he had interpreted: I was restored to my position, and the other man was hanged.”

So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, who was quickly brought out of the dungeon. After he had shaved and changed his clothes, he went in before Pharaoh.