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Genesis 39

Joseph and Potiphar's Wife

   Joseph was well-built and handsome, ⁷and Potiphar's wife soon noticed him. She asked him to make love to her, ⁸but he refused and said, "My master isn't worried about anything in his house, because he has placed me in charge of everything he owns. ⁹No one in my master's house is more important than I am. The only thing he hasn't given me is you, and that's because you are his wife. I won't sin against God by doing such a terrible thing as this." ¹⁰She kept begging Joseph day after day, but he refused to do what she wanted or even to go near her.

    ¹¹One day, Joseph went to Potiphar's house to do his work, and none of the other servants were there. ¹²Potiphar's wife grabbed hold of his coat and said, "Make love to me!" Joseph ran out of the house, leaving her hanging onto his coat.

    ¹³When this happened, ¹⁴she called in her servants and said, "Look! This Hebrew has come just to make fools of us. He tried to rape me, but I screamed for help. ¹⁵And when he heard me scream, he ran out of the house, leaving his coat with me."

    ¹⁶Potiphar's wife kept Joseph's coat until her husband came home. ¹⁷Then she said, "That Hebrew slave of yours tried to rape me! ¹⁸But when I screamed for help, he left his coat and ran out of the house."

    ¹⁹Potiphar became very angry ²⁰and threw Joseph in the same prison where the king's prisoners were kept.

   While Joseph was in prison, ²¹the LORD helped him and was good to him. He even made the jailer like Joseph so much that ²²he put him in charge of the other prisoners and of everything that was done in the jail. ²³The jailer did not worry about anything, because the LORD was with Joseph and made him successful in all that he did.

Genesis 40

Joseph Tells the Meaning of the Prisoners' Dreams

    ⁸"We each had a dream last night," they answered, "and there is no one to tell us what they mean."

   Joseph replied, "Doesn't God know the meaning of dreams? Now tell me what you dreamed."

    ⁹The king's personal servant told Joseph, "In my dream I saw a vine ¹⁰with three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its grapes became ripe. ¹¹I held the king's cup and squeezed the grapes into it, then I gave the cup to the king."

    ¹²Joseph said:

   This is the meaning of your dream. The three branches stand for three days, ¹³and in three days the king will pardon you. He will make you his personal servant again, and you will serve him his wine, just as you used to do. ¹⁴But when these good things happen, please don't forget to tell the king about me, so I can get out of this place. ¹⁵I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and here in Egypt I haven't done anything to deserve being thrown in jail.

    ¹⁶When the chief cook saw that Joseph had given a good meaning to the dream, he told Joseph, "I also had a dream. In it I was carrying three breadbaskets stacked on top of my head. ¹⁷The top basket was full of all kinds of baked things for the king, but birds were eating them."

    ¹⁸Joseph said:

   This is the meaning of your dream. The three baskets are three days, ¹⁹and in three days the king will cut off your head. He will hang your body on a pole, and birds will come and peck at it.

    ²⁰Three days later, while the king was celebrating his birthday with a dinner for his officials, he sent for his personal servant and the chief cook. ²¹He put the personal servant back in his old job ²²and had the cook put to death.

   Everything happened just as Joseph had said it would, ²³but the king's personal servant completely forgot about Joseph.

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Matthew 11

John the Baptist

(Luke 7.18-35)

    ⁴Jesus answered, "Go and tell John what you have heard and seen. ⁵The blind are now able to see, and the lame can walk. People with leprosy ^[b] are being healed, and the deaf can hear. The dead are raised to life, and the poor are hearing the good news. ⁶God will bless everyone who doesn't reject me because of what I do." ⁷As John's followers were going away, Jesus spoke to the crowds about John:

   What sort of person did you go out into the desert to see? Was he like tall grass blown about by the wind? ⁸What kind of man did you go out to see? Was he someone dressed in fine clothes? People who dress like that live in the king's palace. ⁹What did you really go out to see? Was he a prophet? He certainly was. I tell you that he was more than a prophet. ¹⁰In the Scriptures God says about him, "I am sending my messenger ahead of you to get things ready for you." ¹¹I tell you that no one ever born on this earth is greater than John the Baptist. But whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John.

    ¹²From the time of John the Baptist until now, violent people have been trying to take over the kingdom of heaven by force. ¹³All the Books of the Prophets and the Law of Moses ^[c] told what was going to happen up to the time of John. ¹⁴And if you believe them, John is Elijah, the prophet you are waiting for. ¹⁵If you have ears, pay attention! ¹⁶You people are like children sitting in the market and shouting to each other,

    ¹⁷"We played the flute,

   but you would not dance!

   We sang a funeral song,

   but you would not mourn!"

    ¹⁸John the Baptist did not go around eating and drinking, and you said, "That man has a demon in him!" ¹⁹But the Son of Man goes around eating and drinking, and you say, "That man eats and drinks too much! He is even a friend of tax collectors ^[d] and sinners." Yet Wisdom is shown to be right by what it does.

The Unbelieving Towns

(Luke 10.13-15)

    ²¹You people of Chorazin are in for trouble! You people of Bethsaida are in for trouble too! If the miracles that took place in your towns had happened in Tyre and Sidon, the people there would have turned to God long ago. They would have dressed in sackcloth and put ashes on their heads. ^{[e] 22}I tell you that on the day of judgment the people of Tyre and Sidon will get off easier than you will. ²³People of Capernaum, do you think you will be honored in heaven? You will go down to hell! If the miracles that took place in your town had happened in Sodom, that town would still be standing. ²⁴So I tell you that on the day of judgment the people of Sodom will get off easier than you.

Come to Me and Rest

(Luke 10.21,22)

   My Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I am grateful that you hid all this from wise and educated people and showed it to ordinary people. ²⁶Yes, Father, that is what pleased you.

    ²⁷My Father has given me everything, and he is the only one who knows the Son. The only one who truly knows the Father is the Son. But the Son wants to tell others about the Father, so that they can know him too.

    ²⁸If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take the yoke ^[f] I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest. ³⁰This yoke is easy to bear, and this burden is light.