The Ishmaelites sold Joseph as a slave to a man named Potiphar, who was an officer in the army of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.  Joseph was a beautiful boy, and cheerful and willing in his spirit, and able in all that he undertook; so that his master Potiphar became very friendly to him, and after a time, he placed Joseph in charge of his house, and everything in it.  For some years Joseph continued in the house of Potiphar, a slave in name, but in reality the master of all his affairs, and ruler over his fellow-servants.

But Potiphar’s wife, who at first was very friendly to Joseph, afterward became his enemy, because Joseph would not do wrong to please her.  She told her husband falsely, that Joseph had done a wicked deed.  Her husband believed her, and was very angry at Joseph, and put him in the prison with those who had been sent to that place for breaking the laws of the land.  How hard it was for Joseph to be charged with a crime, when he had done no wrong, and to be thrust into a dark prison among wicked people!

But Joseph had faith in God, that at some time all would come out right; and in the prison he was cheerful, and kind, and helpful, as he had always been.  The keeper of the prison saw that Joseph was not like the other men around him, and he was kind to Joseph.  In a very little while, Joseph was placed in charge of all his fellow-prisoners, and took care of them, just as he had taken care of everything in Potiphar’s house.  The keeper of the prison scarcely looked into the prison at all; for he had confidence in Joseph, that he would be faithful and wise in doing the work given to him.  Joseph did right, and served God, and God blessed Joseph in everything.

While Joseph was in the prison, two men were sent there by the king of Egypt, because he was displeased with them.  One was the king’s chief butler, who served the king with wine; the other was the chief baker, who served him with bread.  These two men were under Joseph’s care; and Joseph waited on them, for they were men of rank.

One morning, when Joseph came into the room where the butler and the baker were kept, he found them looking quite sad.  Joseph said to them: 

“Why do you look so sad today?” Joseph was cheerful and happy in his spirit; and he wished others to be happy also, even in prison.

And one of them said, “Each one of us dreamed last night a very strange dream, and there is no one to tell us what our dreams mean.”

For in those times, before God gave the Bible to men, he often spoke to men in dreams; and there were wise men who could sometimes tell what the dreams meant.

“Tell me,” said Joseph, “what your dreams are.  Perhaps my God will help me to understand them.”

Then the chief butler told his dream.  He said, “In my dream I saw a grape-vine with three branches; and as I looked, the branches shot out buds; and the buds became blossoms; and the blossoms turned into clusters of ripe grapes.  And I picked the grapes, and squeezed their juice into king Pharaoh’s cup, and it became wine; and I gave it to king Pharaoh to drink, just as I used to do when I was beside his table.”