About Joseph explaining the two men's dreams

1Some time later the king of Egypt became angry with two of his servants. One of them looked after his wine, and the other cooked all kinds of food in the king's palace.

3But the king put them both in jail, because he didn't want them any more. And they stayed in the prison guard's house, in the same place where Joseph was already staying.

4The prison guard gave Joseph to them so that he could work for them. They spent a long time in jail.

5One night there in jail the two men each had a dream. They both had a dream on the same night but their dreams were different.

6In the morning Joseph came to them. When he saw them he could tell that they were both upset.

7“Why are you so upset today?” he asked.

8They answered, “Each of us had a dream, but there is no one here to explain the dreams to us.” Joseph said, “Only God can show people about dreams. Tell them to me.”

9The man who looked after the king's wine said, “In my dream I saw a grapevine

10with three branches. First of all I saw the leaves, and then the flowers came out straight away and the grapes ripened.

11I was holding the king's cup in my hand. So I picked the grapes and squeezed the juice into the cup and gave it to the king.”

12Joseph said, “I will tell you about it. The three branches are three days.

13In three days the king will let you out. He will forgive you and then you will work for him again as you did before. You will look after his wine and give him his cup again.

14But when everything is going well for you, don't forget me. Speak to the king for me so that he will let me out of this jail too.

15Some bad people took me away from my country and my Hebrew people. And even here in Egypt I have done nothing wrong. They shouldn't have put me in this jail.”

16When the cook heard that the other man's dream was good, he said to Joseph, “I had a dream too. I was carrying three baskets of food on my head.

17In the top basket there were all kinds of cakes that I had cooked for the king, but the birds were eating them.”

18Joseph said, “I will tell you about your dream. The three baskets mean three days.

19In three days the king will let you out of jail too. But they will cut your head off! Then the king will tell his soldiers to hang your body on a tree and the birds will eat your flesh.”

20Three days later the king asked all his officers to come to his house for a feast because it was his birthday. He let the two men out of jail and called them to him. They went and stood before him and his officers.

21Then the king gave the man who looked after his wine the same work that he had done before.

22But he put the cook to death. He told his soldiers to cut off his head. So everything happened as Joseph had said.

23But the man who looked after the king's wine didn't think about Joseph. He forgot all about him.