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)

Psalm 10^[a]

Get Wisdom at Any Cost

The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast^(A)(B)

³¹ He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like^(C) a mustard seed,^(D) which a man took and planted in his field. ³² Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”^(E)

³³ He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like^(F) yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds^[a] of flour^(G) until it worked all through the dough.”^(H)

³⁴ Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable.^{(I) 35} So was fulfilled^(J) what was spoken through the prophet:

The Parable of the Weeds Explained

³⁶ Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable^(L) of the weeds in the field.”

³⁷ He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man.^{(M) 38} The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one,^{(N) 39} and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest^(O) is the end of the age,^(P) and the harvesters are angels.^(Q)

⁴⁰ “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. ⁴¹ The Son of Man^(R) will send out his angels,^(S) and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. ⁴² They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.^{(T) 43} Then the righteous will shine like the sun^(U) in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.^(V)

The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl

⁴⁴ “The kingdom of heaven is like^(W) treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.^(X)

⁴⁵ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like^(Y) a merchant looking for fine pearls. ⁴⁶ When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

The Parable of the Net

⁴⁷ “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like^(Z) a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds^(AA) of fish. ⁴⁸ When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. ⁴⁹ This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous^{(AB) 50} and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.^(AC)

⁵¹ “Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked.

“Yes,” they replied.

⁵² He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”

A Prophet Without Honor^(AD)

⁵³ When Jesus had finished these parables,^(AE) he moved on from there. ⁵⁴ Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue,^(AF) and they were amazed.^(AG) “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked. ⁵⁵ “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?^(AH) Isn’t his mother’s^(AI) name Mary, and aren’t his brothers^(AJ) James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? ⁵⁶ Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” ⁵⁷ And they took offense^(AK) at him.

But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home.”^(AL)

⁵⁸ And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.