the prophecy a secret. To the chief baker he gave only the
interpretation that had reference to his person, but it was
unfavorable to him, because through his dream Joseph had
been made acquainted with the suffering Israel would have
to undergo.

And all came to pass, as Joseph had said, on the third
day.[150] The day whereon he explained the meaning of
their dreams to the two distinguished prisoners, a son was
born unto Pharaoh and to celebrate the joyous event, the
king arranged a feast for his princes and servants that was
to last eight days. He invited them and all the people to
his table, and he entertained them with royal splendor. The
feast had its beginning on the third day after the birth of the
child, and on that occasion the chief butler was restored in
honor to his butlership, and the chief baker was hanged,[151]
for Pharaoh's counsellors had discovered that it was not the
butler's fault that the fly had dropped into the king's wine,
but the baker had been guilty of carelessness in allowing the
pebble to get into the bread.[152] Likewise it appeared that
the butler had had no part in the conspiracy to poison the
king, while the baker was revealed as one of the plotters,
and he had to expiate his crime with his life.[153]


PHARAOH'S DREAMS

Properly speaking, Joseph should have gone out free from
his dungeon on the same day as the butler. He had been
there ten years by that time, and had made amends for the