Joseph’s Dreams

37 Now Jacob lived in ^(A)the land where his father had lived as a stranger, in the land of Canaan. ² These are the records of the generations of Jacob.

Joseph, when he was ^(B)seventeen years of age, was pasturing the flock with his brothers, while he was still a youth, along with ^(C)the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought back a ^(D)bad report about them to their father. ³ Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his other sons, because he was ^(E)the son of his old age; and he made him a ^[a](F)multicolored tunic. ⁴ And his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers; and so they ^(G)hated him and could not speak to him ^[b]on friendly terms.

⁵ Then Joseph ^[c](H)had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. ⁶ He said to them, “Please listen to this dream which I have ^[d]had; ⁷ for behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf stood up and also remained standing; and behold, your sheaves gathered around and ^(I)bowed down to my sheaf.” ⁸ Then his brothers said to him, “^(J)Are you actually going to reign over us? Or are you really going to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.

⁹ Then he ^[e]had yet another dream, and informed his brothers of it, and said, “Behold, I have ^[f]had yet another dream; and behold, the sun and the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” ¹⁰ He also told it to his father as well as to his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have ^[g]had? Am I and your mother and ^(K)your brothers actually going to come to bow down to the ground before you?” ¹¹ And ^(L)his brothers were jealous of him, but his father ^(M)kept the matter in mind.

¹⁷ Therefore if anyone is ^(A)in Christ, this person is ^(B)a new ^[a]creation; ^(C)the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

⁴ But when the ^(A)kindness of ^(B)God our Savior and His love for mankind ^(C)appeared, ^5 (D)He saved us, ^(E)not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but ^(F)in accordance with His mercy, by the ^(G)washing of regeneration and ^(H)renewing by the Holy Spirit,

³ for His ^(A)divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true ^(B)knowledge of Him who ^(C)called us ^[a]by His own glory and ^[b]excellence. ⁴ Through ^[c]these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent ^(D)promises, so that by them you may become ^(E)partakers of the divine nature, having ^(F)escaped the ^(G)corruption that is in ^(H)the world on account of lust. ⁵ Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith ^(I)supply ^(J)moral ^[d]excellence, and in your moral excellence, ^(K)knowledge, ⁶ and in your knowledge, ^(L)self-control, and in your self-control, ^(M)perseverance, and in your perseverance, ^(N)godliness, ⁷ and in your godliness, ^(O)brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. ⁸ For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they do not make you useless nor ^(P)unproductive in the true ^(Q)knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For the one who lacks these qualities is ^(R)blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his ^(S)purification from his former sins. ¹⁰ Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more diligent to make certain about His ^(T)calling and ^(U)choice of you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never ^(V)stumble; ¹¹ for in this way the entrance into ^(W)the eternal kingdom of our ^(X)Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be ^(Y)abundantly ^(Z)supplied to you.