1 And it cometh to pass, after these things — the butler of the king of Egypt and the baker have sinned against their lord, against the king of Egypt ;
2 and Pharaoh is wroth against his two eunuchs, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers,
3 and giveth them in charge in the house of the chief of the executioners, unto the round-house, the place where Joseph [is] a prisoner,
4 and the chief of the executioners chargeth Joseph with them, and he serveth them ; and they are days in charge.
5 And they dream a dream both of them, each his dream in one night, each according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker whom the king of Egypt hath, who [are] prisoners in the round-house.
6 And Joseph cometh in unto them in the morning, and seeth them, and lo, they [are] morose ;
7 and he asketh Pharaoh's eunuchs who [are] with him in charge in the house of his lord, saying, 'Wherefore [are] your faces sad to-day ?'
8 And they say unto him, 'A dream we have dreamed, and there is no interpreter of it ;' and Joseph saith unto them, 'Are not interpretations with God ? recount, I pray you, to me.'
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 And the chief of the butlers recounteth his dream to Joseph, and saith to him, 'In my dream, then lo, a vine [is] before me !
10 and in the vine [are] three branches, and it [is] as it were flourishing ; gone up hath its blossom, its clusters have ripened grapes ;
11 and Pharaoh's cup [is] in my hand, and I take the grapes and press them into the cup of Pharaoh, and I give the cup into the hand of Pharaoh.'
12 And Joseph saith to him, 'This [is] its interpretation : the three branches are three days ;
13 yet, within three days doth Pharaoh lift up thy head, and hath put thee back on thy station, and thou hast given the cup of Pharaoh into his hand, according to the former custom when thou wast his butler.
14 'Surely if thou hast remembered me with thee, when it is well with thee, and hast done (I pray thee) kindness with me, and hast made mention of me unto Pharaoh, then hast thou brought me out from this house,
15 for I was really stolen from the land of the Hebrews ; and here also have I done nothing that they have put me in the pit.'
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 And the chief of the bakers seeth that he hath interpreted good, and he saith unto Joseph, 'I also [am] in a dream, and lo, three baskets of white bread [are] on my head,
17 and in the uppermost basket [are] of all [kinds] of Pharaoh's food, work of a baker ; and the birds are eating them out of the basket, from off my head.'
18 And Joseph answereth and saith, 'This [is] its interpretation : the three baskets are three days ;
19 yet, within three days doth Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and hath hanged thee on a tree, and the birds have eaten thy flesh from off thee.'
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 And it cometh to pass, on the third day, Pharaoh's birthday, that he maketh a banquet to all his servants, and lifteth up the head of the chief of the butlers, and the head of the chief of the bakers among his servants,
21 and he putteth back the chief of the butlers to his butlership, and he giveth the cup into the hand of Pharaoh ;
22 and the chief of the bakers he hath hanged, as Joseph hath interpreted to them ;
23 and the chief of the butlers hath not remembered Joseph, but forgetteth 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.
