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1 Later on the cupbearer and the baker committed some offense against their master, the king of Egypt. 2 Pharaoh was angry with these two royal officials—the chief cupbearer and chief baker— 3 and imprisoned them in the house of the commander of the guard, the same prison where Joseph was. 4 The commander of the guard assigned Joseph to them as their personal attendant. They were kept in prison for some time.
5 One night while they were in prison the cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt each had a dream. They were different dreams, each with its own meaning. 6 When Joseph arrived the next morning he noticed they both looked depressed. 7 So he asked Pharaoh's officials who were imprisoned with him in his master's house, “Why are you looking so depressed?”
8 “We've both had dreams but can't find anyone to explain what they mean,” they said.
So Joseph told them, “Isn't God the one who can interpret the meaning of dreams? Tell me your dreams.”
9 So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. “In my dream there was a vine right in front of me,” he explained. 10 “The vine had three branches. As soon as it budded, it flowered, and produced clusters of ripe grapes. 11 I was holding Pharaoh's wine cup, so I picked the grapes and squeezed them into the cup and gave it to Pharaoh.”
12 “This is the meaning,” Joseph told him. “The three branches represent three days. 13 In three days' time Pharaoh will take you out of prison and give you back your job, and you will hand Pharaoh his cup as you used to. 14 But when things go well for you, please remember me with kindness and speak to Pharaoh on my behalf, and please get me out of this prison. 15 I was cruelly kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and now I'm here in this pit even though I've done nothing wrong.”
16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was positive, he said to Joseph, “I also had a dream. I had three baskets of cakes on my head. 17 In the top basket were all the cakes and pastries for Pharaoh to eat, and the birds were eating them from the basket on my head.”
18 “This is the meaning,” Joseph told him. “The three baskets represent three days. 19 In three days' time Pharaoh will take you out of prison and hang you on a pole, and birds will eat your flesh.”
20 Three days later it happened to be Pharaoh's birthday, and he arranged a banquet for all his officials. He had the chief cupbearer and the chief baker released from prison and brought there before his officials. 21 He gave the chief cupbearer his job back, and he returned to his duties of handing Pharaoh his cup. 22 But he hanged the chief baker just as Joseph had said when he interpreted their dreams. 23 But the chief cupbearer didn't remember to say anything about Joseph—in fact he forgot all about him.

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© 2018 Dr. Jonathan Gallagher