Wednesday in Season after Pentecost

1Verse 1. Some time later, the king’s cupbearer and baker offended their master, the king of Egypt. 2Verse 2. Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, 3Verse 3. and imprisoned them in the house of the captain of the guard, the same prison where Joseph was confined. 4Verse 4. The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he became their personal attendant. After they had been in custody for some time, 5Verse 5. both of these men — the Egyptian king’s cupbearer and baker, who were being held in the prison — had a dream on the same night, and each dream had its own meaning. 6Verse 6. When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were distraught. 7Verse 7. So he asked the officials of Pharaoh who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why are your faces so downcast today?” 8Verse 8. “We both had dreams,” they replied, “but there is no one to interpret them.” Then Joseph said to them, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.” 9Verse 9. So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream: “In my dream there was a vine before me, 10Verse 10. and on the vine were three branches. As it budded, its blossoms opened and its clusters ripened into grapes. 11Verse 11. Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into his cup, and placed the cup in his hand.” 12Verse 12. Joseph replied, “This is the interpretation: The three branches are three days. 13Verse 13. Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore your position. You will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you did when you were his cupbearer. 14Verse 14. But when it goes well for you, please remember me and show me kindness by mentioning me to Pharaoh, that he might bring me out of this prison. 15Verse 15. For I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing for which they should have put me in this dungeon.” 16Verse 16. When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I too had a dream: There were three baskets of white bread on my head. 17Verse 17. In the top basket were all sorts of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.” 18Verse 18. Joseph replied, “This is the interpretation: The three baskets are three days. 19Verse 19. Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and hang you on a tree. Then the birds will eat the flesh of your body.” 20Verse 20. On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he held a feast for all his officials, and in their presence he lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker. 21Verse 21. Pharaoh restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand. 22Verse 22. But Pharaoh hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had described to them in his interpretation. 23Verse 23. The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot all about him.

24Verse 24. Remember to magnify His work, which men have praised in song. 25Verse 25. All mankind has seen it; men behold it from afar. 26Verse 26. Indeed, God is great — beyond our knowledge; the number of His years is unsearchable. 27Verse 27. For He draws up drops of water which distill the rain from the mist, 28Verse 28. which the clouds pour out and shower abundantly on mankind. 29Verse 29. Furthermore, who can understand how the clouds spread out, how the thunder roars from His pavilion? 30Verse 30. See how He scatters His lightning around Him and covers the depths of the sea. 31Verse 31. For by these He judges the nations and provides food in abundance. 32Verse 32. He fills His hands with lightning and commands it to strike its mark. 33Verse 33. The thunder declares His presence; even the cattle regard the rising storm.[’’]