46 YOSEPH IN PRISON
Yoseph Interprets the Dreams of his Fellow-Prisoners.
1 In those days Yoseph was still confined in the prison house in the land of Egypt.
2 At that time the attendants of Pharaoh were standing before him, the chief of the butlers and the chief of the bakers which belonged to the king of Egypt.
3 And the butler took wine and placed it before the king to drink, and the baker placed bread before the king to eat, and the king drank of the wine and ate of the bread, he and his servants and ministers that ate at the king's table.
4 And while they were eating and drinking, the butler and the baker remained there, and Pharaoh's ministers found many flies in the wine, which the butler had brought, and stones of nitre were found in the baker's bread.
5 And the captain of the guard placed Yoseph as an attendant on Pharaoh's officers, and Pharaoh's officers were in confinement one year.
6 And at the end of the year, they both dreamed dreams in one night, in the place of confinement where they were, and in the morning Yoseph came to them to attend upon them as usual, and he saw them, and behold their countenances were dejected and sad.
7 And Yoseph asked them, Why are your countenances sad and dejected this day? and they said unto him, We dreamed a dream, and there is no one to interpret it; and Yoseph said unto them, Relate, I pray you, your dream unto me, and YAHWEH shall give you an answer of peace as you desire.
8 And the butler related his dream unto Yoseph, and he said, I saw in my dream, and behold a large vine was before me, and upon that vine I saw three branches, and the vine speedily blossomed and reached a great height, and its clusters were ripened and became grapes.
9 And I took the grapes and pressed them in a cup, and placed it in Pharaoh's hand and he drank; and Yoseph said unto him, The three branches that were upon the vine are three days.
10 Yet within three days, the king will order you to be brought out and he will restore you to your office, and you shalt give the king his wine to drink as at first when you were his butler; but let me find favor in your sight, that you shalt remember me to Pharaoh when it will be well with you, and do kindness unto me, and get me brought forth from this prison, for I was stolen away from the land of Canaan and was sold for a slave in this place.
11 And also that which was told you concerning my master's wife is false, for they placed me in this dungeon for naught; and the butler answered Yoseph, saying, If the king deal well with me as at first, as you last interpreted to me, I will do all that you desire, and get you brought out of this dungeon.
12 And the baker, seeing that Yoseph had accurately interpreted the butler's dream, also approached, and related the whole of his dream to Yoseph.
13 And he said unto him, In my dream I saw and behold three white baskets upon my head, and I looked, and behold there were in the upper-most basket all manner of baked meats for Pharaoh, and behold the birds were eating them from off my head.
14 And Yoseph said unto him, The three baskets which you did see are three days, yet within three days Pharaoh will take off your head, and hang you upon a tree, and the birds will eat your flesh from off you, as you saw in your dream.
15 In those days the queen was about to be delivered, and upon that day she bare a son unto the king of Egypt, and they proclaimed that the king had gotten his first born son and all the people of Egypt together with the officers and servants of Pharaoh rejoiced greatly.
16 And upon the third day of his birth Pharaoh made a feast for his officers and servants, for the hosts of the land of Zoar and of the land of Egypt.
17 And all the people of Egypt and the servants of Pharaoh came to eat and drink with the king at the feast of his son, and to rejoice at the king's rejoicing.
18 And all the officers of the king and his servants were rejoicing at that time for eight days at the feast, and they made merry with all sorts of musical instruments, with timbrels and with dances in the king's house for eight days.
19 And the butler, to whom Yoseph had interpreted his dream, forgot Yoseph, and he did not mention him to the king as he had promised, for this thing was from YAHWEH in order to punish Yoseph because he had trusted in man.
20 And Yoseph remained after this in the prison house two years, until he had completed twelve years.