Genesis · Bible in Basic English
Genesis 40 Bible in Basic English
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 Now after these things the chief servant who had the care of the wine, and the chief bread-maker in Pharaoh's house, did something against Pharaoh's orders;
1 After these things, the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker offended their lord, the king of Egypt.
2 And Pharaoh was angry with his two servants, with the chief wine-servant and the chief bread-maker;
2 Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cup bearer and the chief baker.
3 And he put them in prison under the care of the captain of the army, in the same prison where Joseph himself was shut up.
3 He put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound.
4 And the captain put them in Joseph's care, and he did what was needed for them; and they were kept in prison for some time.
4 The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he took care of them. They stayed in prison many days.
5 And these two had a dream on the same night; the chief wine-servant and the chief bread-maker of the king of Egypt, who were in prison, the two of them had dreams with a special sense.
5 They both dreamed a dream, each man his dream, in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the cup bearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were bound in the prison.
6 And in the morning when Joseph came to them he saw that they were looking sad.
6 Joseph came in to them in the morning, and saw them, and saw that they were sad.
7 And he said to the servants of Pharaoh who were in prison with him, Why are you looking so sad?
7 He asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in custody in his master’s house, saying, “Why do you look so sad today?”
8 Then they said to him, We have had a dream, and no one is able to give us the sense. And Joseph said, Does not the sense of dreams come from God? what was your dream?
8 They said to him, “We have dreamed a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it.” Joseph said to them, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Please tell it to me.”
9 Then the chief wine-servant gave Joseph an account of his dream, and said, In my dream I saw a vine before me;
9 The chief cup bearer told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, “In my dream, behold, a vine was in front of me,
10 And on the vine were three branches; and it seemed as if it put out buds and flowers, and from them came grapes ready for cutting.
10 and in the vine were three branches. It was as though it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters produced ripe grapes.
11 And Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and crushing them into Pharaoh's cup, gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand.
11 Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.”
12 Then Joseph said, This is the sense of your dream: the three branches are three days;
12 Joseph said to him, “This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days.
13 After three days Pharaoh will give you honour, and put you back into your place, and you will give him his cup as you did before, when you were his wine-servant.
13 Within three more days, Pharaoh will lift up your head, and restore you to your office. You will give Pharaoh’s cup into his hand, the way you did when you were his cup bearer.
14 But keep me in mind when things go well for you, and be good to me and say a good word for me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison:
14 But remember me when it is well with you. Please show kindness to me, and make mention of me to Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house.
15 For truly I was taken by force from the land of the Hebrews; and I have done nothing for which I might be put in prison.
15 For indeed, I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon.”
16 Now when the chief bread-maker saw that the first dream had a good sense, he said to Joseph, I had a dream; and in my dream there were three baskets of white bread on my head;
16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph, “I also was in my dream, and behold, three baskets of white bread were on my head.
17 And in the top basket were all sorts of cooked meats for Pharaoh; and the birds were taking them out of the baskets on my head.
17 In the uppermost basket there were all kinds of baked food for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them out of the basket on my head.”
18 Then Joseph said, This is the sense of your dream: the three baskets are three days;
18 Joseph answered, “This is its interpretation. The three baskets are three days.
19 After three days Pharaoh will take you out of prison, hanging you on a tree, so that your flesh will be food for birds.
19 Within three more days, Pharaoh will lift up your head from off you, and will hang you on a tree; and the birds will eat your flesh from off you.”
20 Now the third day was Pharaoh's birthday, and he gave a feast for all his servants; and he gave honour to the chief wine-servant and the chief bread-maker among the others.
20 On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he made a feast for all his servants, and he lifted up the head of the chief cup bearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants.
21 And he put the chief wine-servant back in his old place; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand.
21 He restored the chief cup bearer to his position again, and he gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand;
22 But the chief bread-maker was put to death by hanging, as Joseph had said.
22 but he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them.
23 But the wine-servant did not keep Joseph in mind or give a thought to him.
23 Yet the chief cup bearer didn’t remember Joseph, but forgot him.
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Joseph
Betrayed and enslaved, he rose to rule Egypt and saved his family from famine.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 37; 39–50
Cross references (22)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Genesis 40:13; Nehemiah 1:11–2:2; Esther 6:1; Genesis 39:20–23
- 2 Proverbs 16:14; Acts 12:20; Proverbs 19:12; 1 Chronicles 27:27; Proverbs 27:4
- 3 Genesis 39:20; Genesis 39:23
- 4 Psalm 37:5; Genesis 37:36; Genesis 39:1; Genesis 39:21–23
- 5 Genesis 41:11; Judges 7:13–14; Daniel 4:5; Esther 6:1; Genesis 12:1–7
- 6 Genesis 40:8; Daniel 2:1–3; Genesis 41:8; Daniel 7:28; Daniel 8:27
- 7 Nehemiah 2:2; 1 Samuel 1:8; 2 Samuel 13:4; Judges 18:24; Luke 24:17
- 8 Daniel 2:47; Genesis 41:15–16; Daniel 2:28; Amos 3:7; 1 Corinthians 12:10–11
- 9 Daniel 4:8; Judges 7:13–15; Genesis 37:5–10; Daniel 4:10–18; Daniel 2:31
- 11 Nehemiah 1:11–2:1; 1 Kings 10:5; 2 Chronicles 9:4; Leviticus 10:9; Proverbs 3:10
- 12 Judges 7:14; Genesis 41:12; Genesis 40:18; Genesis 41:25–26; Daniel 4:19–33
- 13 Psalm 3:3; Jeremiah 52:31; 2 Kings 25:27; Genesis 7:4; Genesis 40:19–22
- 14 Joshua 2:12; Luke 23:42; 1 Samuel 20:14–15; 1 Kings 2:7; 1 Samuel 25:31
- 15 Genesis 39:20; 1 Peter 3:17–18; John 15:25; Acts 25:10–11; Genesis 39:8–12
- 16 Genesis 40:1–2
- 17 Genesis 49:20
- 18 Genesis 40:12; 1 Corinthians 11:24; Genesis 41:26; 1 Corinthians 10:4
- 19 Genesis 40:22; Genesis 40:13; 2 Samuel 21:10; Proverbs 30:17; Ezekiel 39:4
- 20 Genesis 40:19; Matthew 14:6; Genesis 40:13; Mark 6:21; 2 Kings 25:27
- 21 Genesis 40:13; Nehemiah 2:1
- 22 Genesis 40:19; Daniel 2:30; Acts 5:30; Genesis 41:11–13; Genesis 40:8
- 23 Psalm 31:12; Job 19:14; Psalm 105:19; Amos 6:6
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
As, for instance, Adam says, "I have gotten a man through God," meaning to say the same as from God; and in another passage "Moses commanded...Israel through the word of the Lord," and, again, "Is not the interpretation through God?" Joseph, discoursing about dreams to the prisoners, instead of saying "from God" says plainly "through God." Inversely Paul uses the …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 8 (1895)