Genèse 40

¹ Some time later, the king’s cupbearer and baker offended their master, the king of Egypt.

² Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker,

³ and imprisoned them in the house of the captain of the guard, the same prison where Joseph was confined.

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,

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.

⁶ When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were distraught.

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?”

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.”

Note · Genèse 40.1–8

Voir la peine d’autrui dans sa propre épreuve

Joseph n’est pas si absorbé par sa situation qu’il ne remarque plus celle des autres. Il pose une question et écoute. En rapportant à Dieu la possibilité d’interpréter, il refuse de présenter le sens des rêves comme une puissance dont il serait propriétaire.

⁹ So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream: “In my dream there was a vine before me,

¹⁰ and on the vine were three branches. As it budded, its blossoms opened and its clusters ripened into grapes.

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.”

¹² Joseph replied, “This is the interpretation: The three branches are three days.

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.

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.

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.”

Note · Genèse 40.9–15

Le service n’exclut pas une demande de justice

L’annonce favorable faite à l’échanson s’accompagne d’une demande explicite de secours. Joseph nomme l’enlèvement et l’emprisonnement injuste. La confiance en Dieu ne lui impose pas de taire sa situation ni d’attendre sans chercher une intervention humaine.

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.

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.”

¹⁸ Joseph replied, “This is the interpretation: The three baskets are three days.

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.”

Note · Genèse 40.16–19

Une parole difficile ne devient pas un plaisir de condamner

L’interprétation donnée au panetier est tragique. Le récit ne détaille pas sa faute et ne permet pas au lecteur de juger la justice de la décision royale. Joseph transmet une annonce ; le passage ne lui attribue ni la sentence judiciaire ni le pouvoir d’exécuter cet homme.

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.

²¹ Pharaoh restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.

²² But Pharaoh hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had described to them in his interpretation.

²³ The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot all about him.

Note · Genèse 40.20–23

L’oubli ouvre un nouveau temps d’attente

Le sort des deux hommes correspond aux annonces, mais Joseph demeure en prison. La justesse de sa parole ne suffit pas à obtenir la reconnaissance attendue. La fin du chapitre doit conserver son poids : l’avenir n’est pas encore ouvert pour lui, même si le lecteur espère un changement.