Today's Reading

¹It happened after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker offended their lord, the king of Egypt.

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

³He put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound.

⁴The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he took care of them. They stayed in prison many days.

⁵They both dreamed a dream, each man his dream, in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were bound in the prison.

⁶Joseph came in to them in the morning, and saw them, and saw that they were sad.

⁷He asked Pharaoh's officers who were with him in custody in his master's house, saying, "Why do you look so sad today?"

⁸They said to him, "We have dreamed a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it." Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell it to me."

⁹The chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, "In my dream, behold, a vine was in front of me,

¹⁰and in the vine were three branches. It was as though it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and its clusters brought forth ripe grapes.

¹¹Pharaoh's cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand."

¹²Joseph said to him, "This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days.

¹³Within three more days, Pharaoh will lift up your head, and restore you to your office. You will give Pharaoh's cup into his hand, the way you did when you were his cupbearer.

¹⁴But remember me when it will be well with you, and show kindness, please, to me, and make mention of me to Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house.

¹⁵For indeed, I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon."

¹⁶When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph, "I also was in my dream, and behold, three baskets of white bread were on my head.

¹⁷In the uppermost basket there was all kinds of baked food for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them out of the basket on my head."

¹⁸Joseph answered, "This is its interpretation. The three baskets are three days.

¹⁹Within three more days, Pharaoh will lift up your head from off you, and will hang you on a tree; and the birds will eat your flesh from off you."

²⁰It happened the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast for all his servants, and he lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants.

²¹He restored the chief cupbearer to his position again, and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand;

²²but he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them.

²³Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

¹It happened at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and behold, he stood by the river.

²Behold, there came up out of the river seven cattle, sleek and fat, and they fed in the marsh grass.

³Behold, seven other cattle came up after them out of the river, ugly and thin, and stood by the other cattle on the brink of the river.

⁴The ugly and thin cattle ate up the seven sleek and fat cattle. So Pharaoh awoke.

⁵He slept and dreamed a second time: and behold, seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, healthy and good.

⁶Behold, seven heads of grain, thin and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them.

⁷The thin heads of grain blasted with the east wind swallowed up the seven healthy and full ears. Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.

⁸It happened in the morning that his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all of Egypt's magicians and wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh.

⁹Then the chief cupbearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying, "I remember my faults today.

¹⁰Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, me and the chief baker.

¹¹We dreamed a dream in one night, I and he. We dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream.

¹²There was with us there a young man, a Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard, and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams. To each man according to his dream he interpreted.

¹³It happened, as he interpreted to us, so it was: he restored me to my office, and he hanged him."

¹⁴Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon. He shaved himself, changed his clothing, and came in to Pharaoh.

¹⁵Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I have dreamed a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you, that when you hear a dream you can interpret it."

¹⁶Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, "Without God an answer of welfare shall not be given to Pharaoh."

¹⁷Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, "In my dream, behold, I stood on the brink of the river:

¹⁸and behold, there came up out of the river seven cattle, fat and sleek. They fed in the marsh grass,

¹⁹and behold, seven other cattle came up after them, poor and very ugly and thin, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for ugliness.

²⁰The thin and ugly cattle ate up the first seven fat cattle,

²¹and when they had eaten them up, it couldn't be known that they had eaten them, but they were still ugly, as at the beginning. So I awoke.

²²I saw in my dream, and behold, seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, full and good:

²³and behold, seven heads of grain, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them.

²⁴The seven thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads of grain. I told it to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me."

²⁵Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dream of Pharaoh is one. What God is about to do he has declared to Pharaoh.

²⁶The seven good cattle are seven years; and the seven good heads of grain are seven years. The dream is one.

²⁷The seven thin and ugly cattle that came up after them are seven years, and also the seven empty heads of grain blasted with the east wind; they will be seven years of famine.

²⁸That is the thing which I spoke to Pharaoh. What God is about to do he has shown to Pharaoh.

²⁹Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt.

³⁰There will arise after them seven years of famine, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will consume the land,

³¹and the plenty will not be known in the land by reason of that famine which follows; for it will be very grievous.

³²The dream was doubled to Pharaoh, because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

³³"Now therefore let Pharaoh look for a discreet and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt.

³⁴Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint overseers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt's produce in the seven plenteous years.

³⁵Let them gather all the food of these good years that come, and lay up grain under the hand of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it.

³⁶The food will be for a store to the land against the seven years of famine, which will be in the land of Egypt; that the land not perish through the famine."

³⁷The thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.

³⁸Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?"

³⁹Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Because God has shown you all of this, there is none so discreet and wise as you.

⁴⁰You shall be over my house, and according to your word will all my people be ruled. Only in the throne I will be greater than you."

⁴¹Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Behold, I have set you over all the land of Egypt."

⁴²Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand, and put it on Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in robes of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck,

⁴³and he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had. They cried before him, "Bow the knee!" He set him over all the land of Egypt.

⁴⁴Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, and without you shall no man lift up his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt."

⁴⁵Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphenath-Paneah; and he gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On as a wife. Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.

⁴⁶Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.

⁴⁷In the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth abundantly.

⁴⁸He gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which was around every city, he laid up in the same.

⁴⁹Joseph laid up grain as the sand of the sea, very much, until he stopped counting, for it was without number.

⁵⁰To Joseph were born two sons before the year of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore to him.

⁵¹Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh, "For," he said, "God has made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house."

⁵²The name of the second, he called Ephraim: "For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction."

⁵³The seven years of plenty, that were in the land of Egypt, came to an end.

⁵⁴The seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.

⁵⁵When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread, and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph. What he says to you, do."

⁵⁶The famine was over all the surface of the earth. Joseph opened all the store houses, and sold to the Egyptians. The famine was severe in the land of Egypt.

⁵⁷All countries came into Egypt, to Joseph, to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all the earth.

¹Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, "Why do you look at one another?"

²He said, "Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there, and buy for us from there, so that we may live, and not die."

³Joseph's ten brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.

⁴But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph's brother, with his brothers; for he said, "Lest perhaps harm happen to him."

⁵The sons of Israel came to buy among those who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

⁶Joseph was the governor over the land. It was he who sold to all the people of the land. Joseph's brothers came, and bowed themselves down to him with their faces to the earth.

⁷Joseph saw his brothers, and he recognized them, but acted like a stranger to them, and spoke roughly with them. He said to them, "Where did you come from?" They said, "From the land of Canaan to buy food."

⁸Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.

⁹Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed about them, and said to them, "You are spies! You have come to see the nakedness of the land."

¹⁰They said to him, "No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food.

¹¹We are all one man's sons; we are honest men. Your servants are not spies."

¹²He said to them, "No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land."

¹³They said, "We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is no more."

¹⁴Joseph said to them, "It is like I told you, saying, 'You are spies.'

¹⁵By this you shall be tested. By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go forth from here, unless your youngest brother comes here.

¹⁶Send one of you, and let him get your brother, and you shall be bound, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you, or else by the life of Pharaoh surely you are spies."

¹⁷He put them all together into custody for three days.

¹⁸Joseph said to them the third day, "Do this, and live, for I fear God.

¹⁹If you are honest men, then let one of your brothers be bound in your prison; but you go, carry grain for the famine of your houses.

²⁰Bring your youngest brother to me; so will your words be verified, and you won't die." They did so.

²¹They said one to another, "We are certainly guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us, and we wouldn't listen. Therefore this distress has come upon us."

²²Reuben answered them, saying, "Did I not tell you, saying, 'Do not sin against the child,' and you wouldn't listen? Therefore also, behold, his blood is required."

²³They did not know that Joseph understood them; for there was an interpreter between them.

²⁴He turned himself away from them, and wept. Then he returned to them, and spoke to them, and took Simeon from among them, and bound him before their eyes.

²⁵Then Joseph gave a command to fill their bags with grain, and to restore every man's money into his sack, and to give them food for the way. So it was done to them.

²⁶They loaded their donkeys with their grain, and departed from there.

²⁷As one of them opened his sack to give his donkey food in the lodging place, he saw his money. Behold, it was in the mouth of his sack.

²⁸He said to his brothers, "My money is restored! Behold, it is in my sack!" Their hearts failed them, and they turned trembling one to another, saying, "What is this that God has done to us?"

²⁹They came to Jacob their father, to the land of Canaan, and told him all that had happened to them, saying,

³⁰"The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly with us, and took us for spies of the country.

³¹We said to him, 'We are honest men. We are no spies.

³²We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.'

³³The man, the lord of the land, said to us, 'By this I will know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for the famine of your houses, and go your way.

³⁴Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I will know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men. So I will deliver your brother to you, and you shall trade in the land.'"

³⁵It happened as they emptied their sacks, that behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack. When they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid.

³⁶Jacob, their father, said to them, "You have bereaved me of my children! Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin away. All these things are against me."

³⁷Reuben spoke to his father, saying, "Kill my two sons, if I do not bring him to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him to you again."

³⁸He said, "My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he only is left. If harm happens to him along the way in which you go, then you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol."

¹At that time, Herod the tetrarch heard the report concerning Jesus,

²and said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist. He is risen from the dead. That is why these powers work in him."

³For Herod had arrested John, and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife.

⁴For John said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her."

⁵And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.

⁶But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced among them and pleased Herod.

⁷Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatever she should ask.

⁸And she, being prompted by her mother, said, "Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist."

⁹And the king was grieved, but for the sake of his oaths, and of those who sat at the table with him, he commanded it to be given,

¹⁰and he sent and beheaded John in the prison.

¹¹And his head was brought on a platter, and given to the young lady: and she brought it to her mother.

¹²Then his disciples came, and took the body, and buried it; and they went and told Jesus.

¹³Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat, to a secluded place to be alone. When the multitudes heard it, they followed him on foot from the cities.

¹⁴And he went out, and he saw a great multitude, and he had compassion on them, and healed their sick.

¹⁵Now when evening had come, the disciples came to him, saying, "This place is desolate, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves food."

¹⁶But he said to them, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat."

¹⁷And they told him, "We only have here five loaves and two fish."

¹⁸So he said, "Bring them here to me."

¹⁹Then he commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass; and he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, broke and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples gave to the multitudes.

²⁰And they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of that which remained left over from the broken pieces.

²¹Now those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

²²And immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and to go ahead of him to the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.

²³And after he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into the mountain by himself to pray. When evening had come, he was there alone.

²⁴But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, distressed by the waves, for the wind was against it.

²⁵And in the fourth watch of the night, he came to them, walking on the sea.

²⁶And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It's a ghost!" and they screamed with fear.

²⁷But immediately he spoke to them, saying "Cheer up! It is I! Do not be afraid."

²⁸Peter answered him and said, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the waters."

²⁹He said, "Come!" Peter stepped down from the boat, and walked on the waters to come to Jesus.

³⁰But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he yelled, saying, "Lord, save me!"

³¹Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand, took hold of him, and said to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?"

³²When they got up into the boat, the wind ceased.

³³Those who were in the boat came and worshiped him, saying, "You are truly the Son of God!"

³⁴When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.

³⁵When the people of that place recognized him, they sent into all that surrounding region, and brought to him all who were sick,

³⁶and they begged him that they might just touch the fringe of his garment. As many as touched it were made whole.

¹ The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt. They have done abominable works. There is none who does good.

²The Lord looked down from heaven on the children of men, to see if there were any who did understand, who did seek after God.

³They have all gone aside. They have together become corrupt. There is none who does good, no, not one.

⁴Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call on the Lord?

⁵There they were in great fear, for God is in the generation of the righteous.

⁶You would frustrate the plans of the lowly, but the Lord is his refuge.

⁷Oh that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people, then Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.

¹Every wise woman builds her house, but the foolish one tears it down with her own hands.

²He who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord, but he who is perverse in his ways despises him.

³The fool's talk brings a rod to his back, but the lips of the wise protect them.

⁴Where no oxen are, the crib is clean, but much increase is by the strength of the ox.

⁵A truthful witness will not lie, but a false witness pours out lies.

⁶A scoffer seeks wisdom, and doesn't find it, but knowledge comes easily to a discerning person.

⁷Stay away from a foolish man, for you won't find knowledge on his lips.

⁸The wisdom of the prudent is to think about his way, but the folly of fools is deceit.

⁹Fools mock at making atonement for sins, but among the upright there is good will.

¹⁰The heart knows its own bitterness and joy; he will not share these with a stranger.

¹¹The house of the wicked will be overthrown, but the tent of the upright will flourish.

¹²There is a way which seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.

¹³Even in laughter the heart may be sorrowful, and mirth may end in heaviness.

¹⁴The unfaithful will be repaid for his own ways; likewise a good man will be rewarded for his ways.

¹⁵A simple man believes everything, but the prudent man carefully considers his ways.

¹⁶A wise man fears, and shuns evil, but the fool is hotheaded and reckless.

¹⁷He who is quick to become angry will commit folly, and a crafty man is hated.

¹⁸The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

¹⁹The evil bow down before the good, and the wicked at the gates of the righteous.

²⁰The poor person is shunned even by his own neighbor, but the rich person has many friends.

²¹He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who has pity on the poor.

²²Do they not go astray who plot evil? But love and faithfulness belong to those who plan good.

²³In all hard work there is profit, but the talk of the lips leads only to poverty.

²⁴The crown of the wise is their riches, but the folly of fools crowns them with folly.

²⁵A truthful witness saves souls, but a false witness is deceitful.

²⁶In the fear of the Lord is a secure fortress, and he will be a refuge for his children.

²⁷The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning people from the snares of death.

²⁸In the multitude of people is the king's glory, but in the lack of people is the destruction of the prince.

²⁹He who is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a quick temper displays folly.

³⁰The life of the body is a heart at peace, but envy rots the bones.

³¹He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for his Maker, but he who is kind to the needy honors him.

³²The wicked is brought down in his calamity, but in death, the righteous has a refuge.

³³Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding, and is even made known in the inward part of fools.

³⁴Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.

³⁵The king's favor is toward a servant who deals wisely, but his wrath is toward one who causes shame.