Joseph Rises to Power

³⁷ This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants. ³⁸ And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, ^(A)in whom is the Spirit of God?”^{[a] 39} Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are. ^40 (B)You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command.^[b] Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you.” ⁴¹ And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, ^(C)I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” ⁴² Then Pharaoh ^(D)took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, and ^(E)clothed him in garments of fine linen ^(F)and put a gold chain about his neck. ⁴³ And he made him ride in his second chariot. ^(G)And they called out before him, “Bow the knee!”^[c] Thus he set him ^(H)over all the land of Egypt. ⁴⁴ Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and ^(I)without your consent no one shall lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” ⁴⁵ And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphenath-paneah. And he gave him in marriage Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On. So Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.

⁴⁶ Joseph was thirty years old when he ^(J)entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt. ⁴⁷ During the seven plentiful years the earth produced abundantly, ⁴⁸ and he gathered up all the food of these seven years, which occurred in the land of Egypt, and put the food in the cities. He put in every city the food from the fields around it. ⁴⁹ And Joseph stored up grain in great abundance, ^(K)like the sand of the sea, until he ceased to measure it, for it could not be measured.

⁵⁰ Before the year of famine came, ^(L)two sons were born to Joseph. Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore them to him. ⁵¹ Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh. “For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father's house.”^{[d] 52} The name of the second he called Ephraim, “For God has ^(M)made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”^[e]

⁵³ The seven years of plenty that occurred in the land of Egypt came to an end, ⁵⁴ and ^(N)the seven years of famine began to come, ^(O)as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. ⁵⁵ When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph. What he says to you, do.”

⁵⁶ So when the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses^[f] and ^(P)sold to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. ⁵⁷ Moreover, all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe ^(Q)over all the earth.

^19 (A)And he struck some of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they looked upon the ark of the Lord. He struck seventy men of them,^[a] and the people mourned because the Lord had struck the people with a great blow. ²⁰ Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, ^(B)“Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? And to whom shall he go up away from us?” ²¹ So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of ^(C)Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to you.”

7 And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord and brought it to the house of ^(D)Abinadab on the hill. And they consecrated his son Eleazar to have charge of the ark of the Lord. ² From the day that the ark was lodged at Kiriath-jearim, a long time passed, some twenty years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord.

Samuel Judges Israel

³ And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, ^(E)“If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then ^(F)put away the foreign gods and the ^(G)Ashtaroth from among you and ^(H)direct your heart to the Lord ^(I)and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” ⁴ So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only.

⁵ Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel at ^(J)Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” ⁶ So they gathered at ^(K)Mizpah ^(L)and drew water and poured it out before the Lord ^(M)and fasted on that day and said there, ^(N)“We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah. ⁷ Now when the Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the people of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. ⁸ And the people of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines.” ⁹ So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. And ^(O)Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him. ¹⁰ As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. ^(P)But the Lord thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel. ¹¹ And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car.

¹² Then Samuel ^(Q)took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen^[b] and called its name Ebenezer;^[c] for he said, “Till now the Lord has helped us.” ^13 (R)So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. ¹⁴ The cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath, and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. There was peace also between Israel and the Amorites.

^15 (S)Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. ¹⁶ And he went on a circuit year by year to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah. And he judged Israel in all these places. ¹⁷ Then he would return to ^(T)Ramah, for his home was there, and there also he judged Israel. ^(U)And he built there an altar to the Lord.

Job's Confession and Repentance

42 Then Job answered the Lord and said:

^29 (A)“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, ³⁰ saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ ³¹ Thus you witness against yourselves that you are ^(B)sons of those who murdered the prophets. ^32 (C)Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. ³³ You serpents, ^(D)you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to ^(E)hell? ^34 (F)Therefore ^(G)I send you ^(H)prophets and wise men and ^(I)scribes, ^(J)some of whom you will kill and crucify, and ^(K)some you will ^(L)flog in your synagogues and ^(M)persecute from town to town, ³⁵ so that on you may come all ^(N)the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous ^(O)Abel to the blood of ^(P)Zechariah the son of Barachiah,^[a] whom you murdered between ^(Q)the sanctuary and ^(R)the altar. ³⁶ Truly, I say to you, ^(S)all these things will come upon this generation.

Lament over Jerusalem

^37 (T)“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that ^(U)kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have ^(V)gathered ^(W)your children together ^(X)as a hen gathers her brood ^(Y)under her wings, and ^(Z)you were not willing! ³⁸ See, ^(AA)your house is left to you desolate. ³⁹ For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ^(AB)‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple

24 ^(AC)Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. ² But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, ^(AD)there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

Paul Before Agrippa and Bernice

¹³ Now when some days had passed, Agrippa the king and Bernice arrived at Caesarea and greeted Festus. ¹⁴ And as they stayed there many days, Festus laid Paul's case before the king, saying, ^(A)“There is a man left prisoner by Felix, ¹⁵ and when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews laid out their case ^(B)against him, asking for a sentence of condemnation against him. ^16 (C)I answered them that it was not the custom of the Romans to give up anyone ^(D)before the accused met the accusers face to face and had opportunity to make his defense concerning the charge laid against him. ^17 (E)So when they came together here, I made no delay, but on the next day took my seat on ^(F)the tribunal and ordered the man to be brought. ¹⁸ When the accusers stood up, they brought no charge in his case of such evils as I supposed. ¹⁹ Rather they ^(G)had certain points of dispute with him about their own religion and about ^(H)a certain Jesus, who was dead, but whom Paul asserted to be alive. ²⁰ Being at a loss how to investigate these questions, I ^(I)asked whether he wanted to go to Jerusalem and be tried there regarding them. ²¹ But ^(J)when Paul had appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of ^(K)the emperor, I ordered him to be held until I could send him to Caesar.” ²² Then ^(L)Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” said he, “you will hear him.”

²³ So on the next day ^(M)Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp, and they entered the audience hall with the military tribunes and the prominent men of the city. Then, at the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. ²⁴ And Festus said, “King Agrippa and all who are present with us, you see this man about whom ^(N)the whole Jewish people petitioned me, both in Jerusalem and here, ^(O)shouting that he ought not to live any longer. ²⁵ But I found that ^(P)he had done nothing deserving death. And ^(Q)as he himself appealed to ^(R)the emperor, I decided to go ahead and send him. ²⁶ But I have nothing definite to write to my lord about him. Therefore I have brought him before you all, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that, after we have examined him, I may have something to write. ²⁷ For it seems to me unreasonable, in sending a prisoner, not to indicate the charges against him.”