Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Genesis Reader

And Joseph's master took counsel of the priests, who ____ put him not to death, but delivered him into the house of the bound, where the king's prisoners were bound; and he was there in the house of the bound.

And the captain of the prison confided all the prisoners who were in the house to Joseph's hands, and whatsoever was done there he commanded to be done.

It was not needful for the captain of the prison to watch Joseph, after the custom of all prisoners, because he saw that there was no fault in his hands; for the Word of the Lord was his Helper, and that which he did the Lord made it to prosper.

And they dreamed a dream, both of them, each man his dream in one night, each man his own dream, and the interpretation of his companion's dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Mizraim who were confined in the prison.

And Joseph asked the chiefs of Pharoh who were with him in the custody of his master's house, saying, Why is the look of your faces more evil today than all the other days that you have been here?

And they said to him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter for it. And Joseph answered, Are not the interpretations of dreams from tile Lord? Tell it now to me.

And Joseph said to him, This is the end of the interpretations of the dream. The three branches are the three Fathers of the world, Abraham, Izhak, and Jakob, the children of whose sons are to be enslaved in Mizraim in clay and brick (work,) and in all labour of the face of the field: but afterwards shall the be delivered by the hand of three shepherds. As thou hast said, I took the grapes and expressed them into Pharoh's cup, and gave the cup Into Pharoh's hand: It is the vial of wrath which Paroh (himself) is to drink at the last. But thou, the chief butler shalt receive a good reward concerning the good dream which thou hast dreamed; and the interpretation of it, to thyself, is this: The three branches are three days until thy liberation.

At the end of three days the memory of thee will come before Pharoh and he will lift up thy head with honour, and restore thee to thy service, and thou wilt give the cup of Pharoh into his hand, according to thy former custom in pouring out for him.

Joseph, leaving his higher trust and retaining confidence in a man, said to the chief butler, But be thou mindful of me when it shall be well with thee, and act kindly by me, and remember me before Paharoh and obtain my deliverance from this prison house.

And the chief baker, when he understood the interpretation of his companion's dream, seeing that he had interpreted well, began to speak with an impatient tongue, and said to Joseph, I also saw in my dream, and, behold, three baskets of fine cakes were upon my head.

Joseph answered and said, This is its interpretation. The three baskets are the three enslavements with which the house of Israel are to be enslaved. But thou, the chief of the bakers, wilt receive an evil award, by the dream which thou hast dreamed. And Joseph explained it, as it was proper in his eyes and said to him: This is its interpretation to thyself. The three baskets are three days until thy death.

At the end of three days, Pharoh with the sword will take away thy head from thy body, and will hang thee upon a gibbet, and the birds will cut thy flesh from thee.

And it was on the third day, the nativity of Pharoh that he made a feast to all his servants. And he lifted up the head of the chief butler, and the head of the chief baker, in the midst of his servants.

But because, Joseph had withdrawn from the mercy that is above, and had put his confidence in the chief butler, he waited on the flesh. Therefore the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgat him, until from the Lord came the time of the end that he should be released.

It was at the end of two years, that the remembrance of Joseph came before the Word of the Lord. And Pharoh dreamed, and, behold, he stood by the river,

And in the morning his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called all the magicians of Mizraim and all the wise men; and Pharoh told them the dreams; but no man was able to interpret it; for it was occasioned by the Lord, because the time had come that Joseph should come forth from the house of the bound.

And there was with us a Hebrew youth, a servant of the chief executioner; and we recounted to him, and he explained the dream to us, to each man be explained the interpretation of his dream.

And Pharoh said to Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter for it; and I have heard of thee, saying, that if thou hear a dream thou canst explain it.

And Joseph answered Pharoh, saying, (It is) without me; it is not man who interprets dreams: but from before the Lord shall be an answer of peace unto Pharoh.

And they entered into their stomach, but it could not be known that they had entered into their stomach, for their appearance was evil as before; and I awoke.

And the seven wasted and evil oxen which arose after them announce seven other years; and the seven ears thin and blighted with the east wind likewise make known that there will be seven years of famine.

And after them will arise seven years of famine, which will make all the plenty that was in the land of Mizraim to be forgotten; and the famine will consume the inhabitants of the land;

Let Pharoh make superintendents over the land, and let them take out one part in five of all the produce of the land of Mizraim in the seven years of plenty.

And let them collect all the produce of those good years that are coming, and gather together the produce under the hand of Pharoh's superintendents, and set the produce in the cities to be kept;

and there will be provision laid up (as) in a cavern in the earth, that therefrom they may take in the years of famine which come upon the land of Mizraim, that the people of the land perish not through the famine.

Thou shalt be superintendent over my house, and by the decree of thy mouth shall all my people be armed only in the throne of the kingdom will I be greater than thou.

And Pharoh took off his ring from his hand, and set it on Joseph's hand; and he clothed him in vestments of fine linen, and set a collar of gold upon his neck,

and made him ride in the second chariot of Pharoh; and they chanted before him, This is the Father of the king; Great in wisdom, few in years. And he appointed him prince over all the land of Mizraim.

And Pharoh said to Joseph, I am Pharoh the king, and thou art viceregent, and without thy word a man shall not lift up his hand to gird on arms, or his foot to mount a horse in all the land of Mizraim.

And Pharoh called the name of Joseph, The man who revealeth mysteries. And he gave him Asenath, whom Dinah had borne to Shekem, and the wife of Potiphera prince (Rabba) of Tanis had brought up, to be his wife. And Joseph went forth ruler over the land of Mizraim.

And Joseph was a son of thirty years when he stood before Pharoh, king of Mizraim. And Joseph went out from Pharoh, and passed, a prince and a ruler, through all,the land of Mizraim.

And they gathered all the produce of the seven years of plenty which were in the land of Mizraim, and he laid up the produce in the cities; the produce of the fields which were round about a city he laid up therein.

And to Joseph were born two sons before the year of famine arose, which Asenath who had been brought up in the house of Potipliera prince of Tanis bare to him.

And the name of the second he called Ephraim; for he said, The Lord hath made me mighty in the land of my affliction, as he will make the house of my father mighty here in their afflictions.

And all the land of Mizraim had dearth; because the seed wheat bare no fruit, and the people cried before Pharoh for bread. And Pharoh said to all the Mizraee, Go to Joseph, and what he shall tell you do.

And the famine was upon all the face of the land; and Joseph opened all the treasures and sold to the Mizraee. And the famine waxed mighty in the land of Mizraim;

And Jakob saw that provisions might be bought and that they brought corn from Mizraim; and Jakob said to his sons, Why are you afraid to go down to Mizraim?

And the sons of Israel went every one by one door, lest the evil eye should have sway over them, as they went together to buy among the Kenaanites who went also to buy; because the famine was in the land of Kenaan.

And Joseph was ruler over the land; and he knew that his brethren had come to buy; for he had appointed notaries at the gates of the city to register daily, of every one who came, his name and the name of his father; and he it was who sold corn to all the people of the land. And the brethren of Joseph came. And they looked through all the streets, and public places, and hospices, but could not find Him. And they came unto his house, and worshipped him with their faces to the ground.

And Joseph saw his brethren, and recognised them; but he made himself as a stranger in their eyes, and spake hard words to them, and said to them, Whence come yon? And they said, From the land of Kenaan, to buy corn.