Genesis 40

Joseph Interprets Dreams in Jail

Some time after Joseph had been put in charge of the prison, Pharaoh’s chief butler and chief baker got thrown into prison after wronging him. The chief prison guard put both of them under Joseph’s care, where they stayed for a long time. One night, the butler and baker both had dreams that had their own meanings. When Joseph went to visit them that morning, they both looked troubled, so he asked,

“Why the sad faces today?”

They said,

“We both had dreams last night and don’t have anyone who can interpret them for us.”

Joseph said,

“Don’t interpretations belong to God? Please, tell me about what happened in your dreams.”

So the butler explained his dream, saying,

“In my dream there was a vine in front of me with 3 branches. It budded, blossomed, and sprouted grape clusters. I was holding Pharaoh’s cup in my hand, so I took the grapes and squeezed them into the cup, then gave it to Pharaoh.”

Joseph said,

“Here’s its interpretation: The 3 branches represent 3 days. In just 3 days, Pharaoh will lift your head and restore you to your position. You’ll be handing Pharaoh his cup again just like you used to when you were his butler.

“Please just remember me here when it goes well with you. Do me a favor and mention me to Pharaoh [which means ‘great house’] and get me out of this prison house. I’m actually a Hebrew who was taken from my country—and I didn’t even do anything wrong to end up in this dungeon.”

When the baker saw how good the other guy’s interpretation was, he said,

“In my dream I had 3 baskets of cake on my head. The top basket had all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket.”

Joseph said,

“This is its interpretation: The 3 baskets represent 3 days. In 3 days Pharaoh will lift up your head and hang you from a tree. The birds will come and eat the flesh off your bones.”

Butler Gets Out of Jail

Three days later was Pharaoh’s birthday, so he held a feast for all his servants. He lifted up the heads of the chief butler and chief baker in front of all his servants. He gave the butler his job back, placing the cup back in his hand, but he hanged the chief baker—just like Joseph had said. 

But the chief butler forgot about Joseph’s request and never mentioned him to Pharaoh.