Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife

39 Now Joseph^(A) had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard,^(B) bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.^(C)

² The Lord was with Joseph^(D) so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. ³ When his master saw that the Lord was with him^(E) and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did,^{(F) 4} Joseph found favor in his eyes^(G) and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household,^(H) and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.^{(I) 5} From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household^(J) of the Egyptian because of Joseph.^(K) The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field.^{(L) 6} So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care;^(M) with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome,^{(N) 7} and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”^(O)

⁸ But he refused.^(P) “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care.^{(Q) 9} No one is greater in this house than I am.^(R) My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”^{(S) 10} And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused^(T) to go to bed with her or even be with her.

¹¹ One day he went into the house to attend to his duties,^(U) and none of the household servants^(V) was inside. ¹² She caught him by his cloak^(W) and said, “Come to bed with me!”^(X) But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.^(Y)

¹³ When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, ¹⁴ she called her household servants.^(Z) “Look,” she said to them, “this Hebrew^(AA) has been brought to us to make sport of us!^(AB) He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed.^{(AC) 15} When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”^(AD)

¹⁶ She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. ¹⁷ Then she told him this story:^(AE) “That Hebrew^(AF) slave^(AG) you brought us came to me to make sport of me. ¹⁸ But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”

¹⁹ When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger.^{(AH) 20} Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison,^(AI) the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.

But while Joseph was there in the prison, ²¹ the Lord was with him;^(AJ) he showed him kindness^(AK) and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.^{(AL) 22} So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there.^{(AM) 23} The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s^(AN) care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.^(AO)

The Cupbearer and the Baker

40 Some time later, the cupbearer^(AP) and the baker^(AQ) of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt. ² Pharaoh was angry^(AR) with his two officials,^(AS) the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, ³ and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard,^(AT) in the same prison where Joseph was confined. ⁴ The captain of the guard^(AU) assigned them to Joseph,^(AV) and he attended them.

After they had been in custody^(AW) for some time, ⁵ each of the two men—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison—had a dream^(AX) the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own.^(AY)

⁶ When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected. ⁷ So he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were in custody^(AZ) with him in his master’s house, “Why do you look so sad today?”^(BA)

⁸ “We both had dreams,” they answered, “but there is no one to interpret them.”^(BB)

Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God?^(BC) Tell me your dreams.”

⁹ So the chief cupbearer^(BD) told Joseph his dream. He said to him, “In my dream I saw a vine in front of me, ¹⁰ and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed,^(BE) and its clusters ripened into grapes. ¹¹ Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup and put the cup in his hand.”

¹² “This is what it means,^(BF)” Joseph said to him. “The three branches are three days.^{(BG) 13} Within three days^(BH) Pharaoh will lift up your head^(BI) and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer.^{(BJ) 14} But when all goes well with you, remember me^(BK) and show me kindness;^(BL) mention me to Pharaoh^(BM) and get me out of this prison. ¹⁵ I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews,^(BN) and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon.”^(BO)

¹⁶ When the chief baker^(BP) saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation,^(BQ) he said to Joseph, “I too had a dream: On my head were three baskets^(BR) of bread.^{[a] 17} In the top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.”

¹⁸ “This is what it means,” Joseph said. “The three baskets are three days.^{(BS) 19} Within three days^(BT) Pharaoh will lift off your head^(BU) and impale your body on a pole.^(BV) And the birds will eat away your flesh.”^(BW)

²⁰ Now the third day^(BX) was Pharaoh’s birthday,^(BY) and he gave a feast for all his officials.^(BZ) He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker^(CA) in the presence of his officials: ²¹ He restored the chief cupbearer^(CB) to his position,^(CC) so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand^(CD)— ²² but he impaled the chief baker,^(CE) just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation.^(CF)

²³ The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.^(CG)

Pharaoh’s Dreams

41 When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream:^(CH) He was standing by the Nile,^{(CI) 2} when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat,^(CJ) and they grazed among the reeds.^{(CK) 3} After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. ⁴ And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.^(CL)

⁵ He fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain,^(CM) healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk. ⁶ After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted—thin and scorched by the east wind.^{(CN) 7} The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up;^(CO) it had been a dream.

⁸ In the morning his mind was troubled,^(CP) so he sent for all the magicians^(CQ) and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.^(CR)

⁹ Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I am reminded of my shortcomings.^{(CS) 10} Pharaoh was once angry with his servants,^(CT) and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard.^{(CU) 11} Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own.^{(CV) 12} Now a young Hebrew^(CW) was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard.^(CX) We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream.^{(CY) 13} And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was impaled.^(CZ)”

¹⁴ So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon.^(DA) When he had shaved^(DB) and changed his clothes,^(DC) he came before Pharaoh.

¹⁵ Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it.^(DD) But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”^(DE)

¹⁶ “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”^(DF)

¹⁷ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile,^{(DG) 18} when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds.^{(DH) 19} After them, seven other cows came up—scrawny and very ugly and lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt. ²⁰ The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first. ²¹ But even after they ate them, no one could tell that they had done so; they looked just as ugly as before. Then I woke up.

²² “In my dream I saw seven heads of grain, full and good, growing on a single stalk. ²³ After them, seven other heads sprouted—withered and thin and scorched by the east wind. ²⁴ The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but none of them could explain it to me.^(DI)”

²⁵ Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same.^(DJ) God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.^{(DK) 26} The seven good cows^(DL) are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. ²⁷ The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine.^(DM)

²⁸ “It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do.^{(DN) 29} Seven years of great abundance^(DO) are coming throughout the land of Egypt, ³⁰ but seven years of famine^(DP) will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land.^{(DQ) 31} The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. ³² The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided^(DR) by God, and God will do it soon.^(DS)

³³ “And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man^(DT) and put him in charge of the land of Egypt.^{(DU) 34} Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners^(DV) over the land to take a fifth^(DW) of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance.^{(DX) 35} They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food.^{(DY) 36} This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt,^(DZ) so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.”

³⁷ The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials.^{(EA) 38} So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God^[b]?”^(EB)

³⁹ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you,^(EC) there is no one so discerning and wise as you.^{(ED) 40} You shall be in charge of my palace,^(EE) and all my people are to submit to your orders.^(EF) Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.^(EG)”

Joseph in Charge of Egypt

⁴¹ So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.”^{(EH) 42} Then Pharaoh took his signet ring^(EI) from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes^(EJ) of fine linen^(EK) and put a gold chain around his neck.^{(EL) 43} He had him ride in a chariot^(EM) as his second-in-command,^[c](EN) and people shouted before him, “Make way^[d]!”^(EO) Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.^(EP)

⁴⁴ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.”^{(EQ) 45} Pharaoh gave Joseph^(ER) the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest^(ES) of On,^[e](ET) to be his wife.^(EU) And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt.

⁴⁶ Joseph was thirty years old^(EV) when he entered the service^(EW) of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout Egypt. ⁴⁷ During the seven years of abundance^(EX) the land produced plentifully. ⁴⁸ Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities.^(EY) In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it. ⁴⁹ Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea;^(EZ) it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure.

⁵⁰ Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.^{(FA) 51} Joseph named his firstborn^(FB) Manasseh^[f](FC) and said, “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” ⁵² The second son he named Ephraim^[g](FD) and said, “It is because God has made me fruitful^(FE) in the land of my suffering.”

⁵³ The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end, ⁵⁴ and the seven years of famine^(FF) began,^(FG) just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food. ⁵⁵ When all Egypt began to feel the famine,^(FH) the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.”^(FI)

⁵⁶ When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians,^(FJ) for the famine^(FK) was severe throughout Egypt.^{(FL) 57} And all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph,^(FM) because the famine was severe everywhere.^(FN)

Zacchaeus the Tax Collector

19 Jesus entered Jericho^(A) and was passing through. ² A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. ³ He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. ⁴ So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig^(B) tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.^(C)

⁵ When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” ⁶ So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

⁷ All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”^(D)

⁸ But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord,^(E) “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything,^(F) I will pay back four times the amount.”^(G)

⁹ Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.^{(H) 10} For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”^(I)

The Parable of the Ten Minas^(J)

¹¹ While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God^(K) was going to appear at once.^{(L) 12} He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. ¹³ So he called ten of his servants^(M) and gave them ten minas.^[a] ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’

¹⁴ “But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’

¹⁵ “He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.

¹⁶ “The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’

¹⁷ “‘Well done, my good servant!’^(N) his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’^(O)

¹⁸ “The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more.’

¹⁹ “His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities.’

²⁰ “Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. ²¹ I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’^(P)

²² “His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words,^(Q) you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow?^{(R) 23} Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’

²⁴ “Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’

²⁵ “‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’

²⁶ “He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away.^{(S) 27} But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.’”

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King^(T)(U)

²⁸ After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.^{(V) 29} As he approached Bethphage and Bethany^(W) at the hill called the Mount of Olives,^(X) he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, ³⁰ “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. ³¹ If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”

³² Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them.^{(Y) 33} As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”

³⁴ They replied, “The Lord needs it.”

³⁵ They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. ³⁶ As he went along, people spread their cloaks^(Z) on the road.

³⁷ When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives,^(AA) the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

³⁹ Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”^(AD)

⁴⁰ “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”^(AE)

⁴¹ As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it^{(AF) 42} and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. ⁴³ The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side.^{(AG) 44} They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls.^(AH) They will not leave one stone on another,^(AI) because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming^(AJ) to you.”

Jesus at the Temple^(AK)

⁴⁵ When Jesus entered the temple courts, he began to drive out those who were selling. ⁴⁶ “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be a house of prayer’^[c];^(AL) but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’^[d]”^(AM)

⁴⁷ Every day he was teaching at the temple.^(AN) But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him.^{(AO) 48} Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words.