1 Algum tempo depois, o chefe dos copeiros e o chefe dos padeiros do faraó ofenderam seu senhor, o rei do Egito. 2 O faraó se enfureceu com os dois oficiais 3 e os mandou para a prisão onde José estava, no palácio do capitão da guarda. 4 Eles ficaram presos por um bom tempo, e o capitão da guarda os colocou sob a responsabilidade de José, para que cuidasse deles.
5 Certa noite, enquanto estavam presos, o copeiro e o padeiro tiveram, cada um, um sonho, e cada sonho tinha o seu significado. 6 Quando José os viu no dia seguinte, notou que os dois estavam perturbados 7 e perguntou: "Por que vocês estão preocupados?".
8 Eles responderam: "Esta noite, nós dois tivemos sonhos, mas ninguém sabe nos dizer o que significam".
"A interpretação dos sonhos vem de Deus", disse José. "Contem-me o que sonharam."
9 O chefe dos copeiros foi o primeiro a relatar seu sonho a José. "Em meu sonho, vi na minha frente uma videira", disse ele. 10 "Havia três ramos que começaram a brotar e florescer e, em pouco tempo, produziram cachos de uvas. 11 Eu tinha na mão o copo do faraó. Tomei um dos cachos de uva, espremi o suco na taça e a coloquei na mão do faraó."
12 José disse: "Este é o significado do sonho: os três ramos representam três dias. 13 Dentro de três dias, o faraó o elevará de volta ao seu cargo de chefe dos copeiros. 14 Quando a situação estiver bem para você, peço que se lembre de mim. Fale de mim ao faraó, para que ele me tire deste lugar, 15 pois fui trazido à força da minha terra natal, a terra dos hebreus, e agora estou nesta prisão, onde fui lançado sem motivo justo".
16 Ao ouvir a interpretação favorável de José para o primeiro sonho, o chefe dos padeiros lhe disse: "Também tive um sonho. Nele, havia três cestos de pães brancos empilhados sobre a minha cabeça. 17 No cesto de cima, havia pães e doces de todo tipo para o faraó, mas as aves vieram e comeram do cesto que estava sobre a minha cabeça".
18 José lhe disse: "Este é o significado do sonho: os três cestos também representam três dias. 19 Dentro de três dias, o faraó pendurará sua cabeça em um poste, e as aves comerão sua carne".
20 Três dias depois, era o aniversário do faraó, e ele preparou um banquete para todos os seus oficiais e funcionários. Convocou o chefe dos copeiros e o chefe dos padeiros para comparecerem à festa. 21 Elevou o chefe dos copeiros de volta a seu cargo, para que voltasse a entregar o copo ao faraó. 22 Quanto ao chefe dos padeiros, mandou enforcá-lo, como José havia previsto ao interpretar o sonho dele. 23 O chefe dos copeiros, porém, se esqueceu completamente de José e não pensou mais nele.
1 Some time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt.
2 Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker,
3 and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined.
4 The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them. After they had been in custody for some time,
5 each of the two men —the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison —had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own.
6 When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected.
7 So he asked Pharaoh's officials who were in custody with him in his master's house, "Why do you look so sad today?"
8 "We both had dreams," they answered, "but there is no one to interpret them." Then Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams."
9 So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him, "In my dream I saw a vine in front of me,
10 and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes.
11 Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh's cup and put the cup in his hand."
12 "This is what it means," Joseph said to him. "The three branches are three days.
13 Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh's cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer.
14 But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison.
15 I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon."
16 When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation, he said to Joseph, "I too had a dream: On my head were three baskets of bread. [^1]
17 In the top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head."
18 "This is what it means," Joseph said. "The three baskets are three days.
19 Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and impale your body on a pole. And the birds will eat away your flesh."
20 Now the third day was Pharaoh's birthday, and he gave a feast for all his officials. He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker in the presence of his officials:
21 He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh's hand —
22 but he impaled the chief baker, just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation.
23 The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.