The Book of Jasher

Referred to in Joshua and Second Samuel

Faithfully Translated

FROM THE ORIGINAL HEBREW INTO ENGLISH

Chapter 46

Joseph Interprets the Dreams of his
Fellow-Prisoners.

1 In those days Joseph 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 whilst 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 Joseph 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 Joseph
came to them to attend upon them as usual, and he saw them, and behold their countenances
were dejected and sad.

7 And Joseph 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 Joseph said unto them, Relate, I pray you, your dream
unto me, and God shall give you an answer of peace as you desire.

8 And the butler related his dream unto Joseph, 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 Joseph said unto him, The three
branches that were upon the vine are three days.

10 Yet within three days, the king will order thee
to be brought out and he will restore thee to thy office, and thou shalt give the
king his wine to drink as at first when thou wast his butler; but let me find favor
in thy sight, that thou shalt remember me to Pharaoh when it will be well with thee,
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 thee concerning my
master’s wife is false, for they placed me in this dungeon for naught; and the butler
answered Joseph, saying, If the king deal well with me as at first, as thou last
interpreted to me, I will do all that thou desirest, and get thee brought out of
this dungeon.

12 And the baker, seeing that Joseph had accurately
interpreted the butler’s dream, also approached, and related the whole of his dream
to Joseph.

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 Joseph said unto him, The three baskets which
thou didst see are three days, yet within three days Pharaoh will take off thy head,
and hang thee upon a tree, and the birds will eat thy flesh from off thee, as thou
sawest in thy 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 Joseph had interpreted
his dream, forgot Joseph, and he did not mention him to the king as he had promised,
for this thing was from the Lord in order to punish Joseph because he had trusted
in man.

20 And Joseph remained after this in the prison house
two years, until he had completed twelve years.