DaySpring Hope & Encouragement Bible - Flipbook - Page 74
G enesis 40
56
Joseph Interprets Two Dreams
Some time later, Pharaoh’s chief cup-bearer and chief baker offended their royal master. 2 Pharaoh became angry with these two
officials, 3 and he put them in the prison where Joseph was, in the palace of
the captain of the guard. 4 They remained in prison for quite some time, and
the captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, who looked after them.
5 While they were in prison, Pharaoh’s cup-bearer and baker each had a
dream one night, and each dream had its own meaning. 6 When Joseph saw
them the next morning, he noticed that they both looked upset. 7 “Why do
you look so worried today?” he asked them.
8 And they replied, “We both had dreams last night, but no one can tell
us what they mean.”
“Interpreting dreams is God’s business,” Joseph replied. “Go ahead and
tell me your dreams.”
9 So the chief cup-bearer told Joseph his dream first. “In my dream,” he
said, “I saw a grapevine in front of me. 10 The vine had three branches that
began to bud and blossom, and soon it produced clusters of ripe grapes. 11 I
was holding Pharaoh’s wine cup in my hand, so I took a cluster of grapes and
squeezed the juice into the cup. Then I placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.”
12 “This is what the dream means,” Joseph said. “The three branches represent three days. 13 Within three days Pharaoh will lift you up and restore you
to your position as his chief cup-bearer. 14 And please remember me and do
me a favor when things go well for you. Mention me to Pharaoh, so he might
let me out of this place. 15 For I was kidnapped from my homeland, the land
of the Hebrews, and now I’m here in prison, but I did nothing to deserve it.”
16 When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given the first dream such a
positive interpretation, he said to Joseph, “I had a dream, too. In my dream
there were three baskets of white pastries stacked on my head. 17 The top
basket contained all kinds of pastries for Pharaoh, but the birds came and
ate them from the basket on my head.”
18 “This is what the dream means,” Joseph told him. “The three baskets
also represent three days. 19 Three days from now Pharaoh will lift you up and
impale your body on a pole. Then birds will come and peck away at your flesh.”
20 Pharaoh’s birthday came three days later, and he prepared a banquet
for all his officials and staff. He summoned* his chief c up-bearer and chief
baker to join the other officials. 21 He then restored the chief c up-bearer to
his former position, so he could again hand Pharaoh his cup. 22 But Pharaoh
impaled the chief baker, just as Joseph had predicted when he interpreted
his dream. 23 Pharaoh’s chief cup-bearer, however, forgot all about Joseph,
never giving him another thought.
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Pharaoh’s Dreams
Two full years later, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing on the
bank of the Nile River. 2 In his dream he saw seven fat, healthy cows
come up out of the river and begin grazing in the marsh grass. 3 Then he
saw seven more cows come up behind them from the Nile, but these were
scrawny and thin. These cows stood beside the fat cows on the riverbank.
4 Then the scrawny, thin cows ate the seven healthy, fat cows! At this point
in the dream, Pharaoh woke up.
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40:20 Hebrew He lifted up the head of.
