The Cupbearer and the Baker

1After these things happened, the cupbearer to the king of Egypt and the royal baker offended their master, the king of Egypt. 2Pharaoh was enraged with his two officials, the cupbearer and the baker, 3so he imprisoned them in the house of the captain of the guard in the same facility where Joseph was confined. 4The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be their attendant, and he served them.

They spent some time in custody. 5Both of them, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, had a dream the same night. Each man’s dream had its own meaning. 6When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were looking depressed. 7So he asked Pharaoh’s officials, who were with him in custody in his master’s house, “Why do you look so sad today?” 8They told him, “We both had dreams, but there is no one to interpret them.” Joseph responded, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me.”

9So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph: “In my dream, there was a vine in front of me. 10On the vine there were three branches. As it budded, its blossoms opened and its clusters ripened into grapes. 11Now Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, so I took the grapes, squeezed them into his cup, and put the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.”

12“This is its meaning,” Joseph said to him. “The three branches represent three days. 13In three more days Pharaoh will reinstate you and restore you to your office. You will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you did before when you were cupbearer. 14But remember me when it goes well for you, and show me kindness. Make mention of me to Pharaoh and bring me out of this prison, 15for I really was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews and I have done nothing wrong here for which they should put me in a dungeon.”

16When the chief baker saw that the interpretation of the first dream was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I also appeared in my dream and there were three baskets of white bread on my head. 17In the top basket there were baked goods of every kind for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them from the basket that was on my head.”

18Joseph replied, “This is its meaning: The three baskets represent three days. 19In three more days Pharaoh will decapitate you and impale you on a pole. Then the birds will eat your flesh from you.”

20On the third day it was Pharaoh’s birthday, so he gave a feast for all his servants. He “lifted up” the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker in the midst of his servants. 21He restored the chief cupbearer to his former position so that he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand, 22but the chief baker he impaled, just as Joseph had predicted. 23But the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph – he forgot him.