²² Then a blind and dumb man under the power of a demon was brought to Jesus, and He cured him, so that the blind and dumb man both spoke and saw.

²³ And all the [crowds of] people were stunned with bewildered wonder and said, This cannot be the Son of David, can it?

²⁴ But the Pharisees, hearing it, said, This ^[a]Man drives out demons only by and with the help of Beelzebub, the prince of demons.

²⁵ And knowing their thoughts, He said to them, Any kingdom that is divided against itself is being brought to desolation and laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will last or continue to stand.

²⁶ And if Satan drives out Satan, he has become divided against himself and disunified; how then will his kingdom last or continue to stand?

²⁷ And if I drive out the demons by [help of] Beelzebub, by whose [help] do your sons drive them out? ^[b]For this reason they shall be your judges.

²⁸ But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you [^[c]before you expected it].

²⁹ Or how can a person go into a strong man’s house and carry off his goods (the entire equipment of his house) without first binding the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.

³⁰ He who is not with Me [definitely ^[d]on My side] is against Me, and he who does not [definitely] gather with Me and for ^[e]My side scatters.

³¹ Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy (every evil, abusive, ^[f]injurious speaking, or indignity against sacred things) can be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the [Holy] Spirit shall not and ^[g]cannot be forgiven.

³² And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Spirit, the Holy One, will not be forgiven, either in this world and age or in the world and age to come.

³³ Either make the tree sound (healthy and good), and its fruit sound (healthy and good), or make the tree rotten (diseased and bad), and its fruit rotten (diseased and bad); for the tree is known and recognized and judged by its fruit.

³⁴ You offspring of vipers! How can you speak good things when you are evil (wicked)? For out of the fullness (the overflow, the ^[h]superabundance) of the heart the mouth speaks.

³⁵ The good man from his inner good treasure ^[i]flings forth good things, and the evil man out of his inner evil storehouse ^[j]flings forth evil things.

³⁶ But I tell you, on the day of judgment men will have to give account for every ^[k]idle (inoperative, nonworking) word they speak.

³⁷ For by your words you will be justified and acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned and sentenced.

³⁸ Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, Teacher, we desire to see a sign or miracle from You [proving that You are what You claim to be].

³⁹ But He replied to them, An evil and adulterous generation (a generation ^[l]morally unfaithful to God) seeks and demands a sign; but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

⁴⁰ For even as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.^(A)

⁴¹ The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, Someone more and greater than Jonah is here!^(B)

⁴² The queen of the South will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, Someone more and greater than Solomon is here.^(C)

⁴³ But when the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, it roams through dry [arid] places in search of rest, but it does not find any.

⁴⁴ Then it says, I will go back to my house from which I came out. And when it arrives, it finds the place unoccupied, swept, put in order, and decorated.

⁴⁵ Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and make their home there. And the last condition of that man becomes worse than the first. So also shall it be with this wicked generation.

⁴⁶ Jesus was still speaking to the people when behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak to Him.

^47 [m]Someone said to Him, Listen! Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak to You.

⁴⁸ But He replied to the man who told Him, Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?

⁴⁹ And stretching out His hand toward [not only the twelve disciples but all] ^[n]His adherents, He said, Here are My mother and My brothers.

⁵⁰ For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother!

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40 Now some time later the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their lord, Egypt’s king.

² And Pharaoh was angry with his officers, the chief of the butlers and the chief of the bakers.

³ He put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison where Joseph was confined.

⁴ And the captain of the guard put them in Joseph’s charge, and he served them; and they continued in custody for some time.

⁵ And they both dreamed a dream in the same night, each man according to [the personal significance of] the interpretation of his dream—the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison.

⁶ When Joseph came to them in the morning and looked at them, he saw that they were sad and depressed.

⁷ So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were in custody with him in his master’s house, Why do you look so dejected and sad today?

⁸ And they said to him, We have dreamed dreams, and there is no one to interpret them. And Joseph said to them, Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me [your dreams], I pray you.

⁹ And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph and said to him, In my dream I saw a vine before me,

¹⁰ And on the vine were three branches. Then it was as though it budded; its blossoms burst forth and the clusters of them brought forth ripe grapes [almost all at once].

¹¹ And Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup; then I gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.

¹² And Joseph said to him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days.

¹³ Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will again put Pharaoh’s cup into his hand, as when you were his butler.

¹⁴ But think of me when it shall be well with you and show kindness, I beg of you, to me, and mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this house.

¹⁵ For truly I was carried away from the land of the Hebrews by unlawful force, and here too I have done nothing for which they should put me into the dungeon.

¹⁶ When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph, I also dreamed, and behold, I had three cake baskets on my head.

¹⁷ And in the uppermost basket were some of all kinds of baked food for Pharaoh, but the birds [of prey] were eating out of the basket on my head.

¹⁸ And Joseph answered, This is the interpretation of it: The three baskets are three days.

¹⁹ Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head but will have you beheaded and hung on a tree, and [you will not so much as be given burial, but] the birds will eat your flesh.

²⁰ And on the third day, Pharaoh’s birthday, he made a feast for all his servants; and he lifted up the heads of the chief butler and the chief baker [by inviting them also] among his servants.

²¹ And he restored the chief butler to his butlership, and the butler gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand;

²² But [Pharaoh] hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them.

²³ But [even after all that] the chief butler gave no thought to Joseph, but forgot [all about] him.

41 After two full years, Pharaoh dreamed that he stood by the river [Nile].

² And behold, there came up out of the river [Nile] seven well-favored cows, sleek and handsome and fat; and they grazed in the reed grass [in a marshy pasture].

³ And behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the river [Nile], ill favored and gaunt and ugly, and stood by the fat cows on the bank of the river [Nile].

⁴ And the ill-favored, gaunt, and ugly cows ate up the seven well-favored and fat cows. Then Pharaoh awoke.

⁵ But he slept and dreamed the second time; and behold, seven ears of grain came out on one stalk, plump and good.

⁶ And behold, after them seven ears [of grain] sprouted, thin and blighted by the east wind.

⁷ And the seven thin ears [of grain] devoured the seven plump and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.

⁸ So when morning came his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians and all the wise men of Egypt. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but not one could interpret them to [him].

⁹ Then the chief butler said to Pharaoh, I remember my faults today.

¹⁰ When Pharaoh was angry with his servants and put me in custody in the captain of the guard’s house, both me and the chief baker,

¹¹ We dreamed a dream in the same night, he and I; we dreamed each of us according to [the significance of] the interpretation of his dream.

¹² And there was there with us a young man, a Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard and chief executioner; and we told him our dreams, and he interpreted them to us, to each man according to the significance of his dream.

¹³ And as he interpreted to us, so it came to pass; I was restored to my office [as chief butler], and the baker was hanged.

¹⁴ Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon. But Joseph [first] shaved himself, changed his clothes, and made himself presentable; then he came into Pharaoh’s presence.

¹⁵ And Pharaoh said to Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it; and I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream and interpret it.

¹⁶ Joseph answered Pharaoh, It is not in me; God [not I] will give Pharaoh a [favorable] answer of peace.

¹⁷ And Pharaoh said to Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood on the bank of the river [Nile];

¹⁸ And behold, there came up out of the river [Nile] seven fat, sleek, and handsome cows, and they grazed in the reed grass [of a marshy pasture].

¹⁹ And behold, seven other cows came up after them, undernourished, gaunt, and ugly [just skin and bones; such emaciated animals] as I have never seen in all of Egypt.

²⁰ And the lean and ill favored cows ate up the seven fat cows that had come first.

²¹ And when they had eaten them up, it could not be detected and known that they had eaten them, for they were still as thin and emaciated as at the beginning. Then I awoke. [But again I fell asleep and dreamed.]

²² And I saw in my dream, and behold, seven ears [of grain] growing on one stalk, plump and good.

²³ And behold, seven [other] ears, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprouted after them.

²⁴ And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears. Now I told this to the magicians, but there was no one who could tell me what it meant.

²⁵ Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, The [two] dreams are one; God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do.

²⁶ The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears [of grain] are seven years; the [two] dreams are one [in their meaning].

²⁷ And the seven thin and ill favored cows that came up after them are seven years, and also the seven empty ears [of grain], blighted and shriveled by the east wind; they are seven years of hunger and famine.

²⁸ This is the message just as I have told Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do.

²⁹ Take note! Seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt are coming.

³⁰ Then there will come seven years of hunger and famine, and [there will be so much want that] all the great abundance of the previous years will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and hunger (destitution, starvation) will exhaust (consume, finish) the land.

³¹ And the plenty will become quite unknown in the land because of that following famine, for it will be very woefully severe.

³² That the dream was sent twice to Pharaoh and in two forms indicates that this thing which God will very soon bring to pass is fully prepared and established by God.

³³ So now let Pharaoh seek out and provide a man discreet, understanding, proficient, and wise and set him over the land of Egypt [as governor].

³⁴ Let Pharaoh do this; then let him select and appoint officers over the land, and take one-fifth [of the produce] of the [whole] land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years [year by year].

³⁵ And let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and lay up grain under the direction and authority of Pharaoh, and let them retain food [in fortified granaries] in the cities.

³⁶ And that food shall be put in store for the country against the seven years of hunger and famine that are to come upon the land of Egypt, so that the land may not be ruined and cut off by the famine.

³⁷ And the plan seemed good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants.

³⁸ And Pharaoh said to his servants, Can we find this man’s equal, a man in whom is the spirit of God?

³⁹ And Pharaoh said to Joseph, Forasmuch as [your] God has shown you all this, there is nobody as intelligent and discreet and understanding and wise as you are.

⁴⁰ You shall have charge over my house, and all my people shall be governed according to your word [with reverence, submission, and obedience]. Only in matters of the throne will I be greater than you are.

⁴¹ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.

⁴² And Pharaoh took off his [signet] ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in [official] vestments of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck;

⁴³ He made him to ride in the second chariot which he had, and [officials] cried before him, Bow the knee! And he set him over all the land of Egypt.

⁴⁴ And Pharaoh said to Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without you shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.

⁴⁵ And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphenath-paneah and he gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph made an [inspection] tour of all the land of Egypt.

⁴⁶ Joseph [who had been in Egypt thirteen years] was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went [about his duties] through all the land of Egypt.

⁴⁷ In the seven abundant years the earth brought forth by handfuls [for each seed planted].

⁴⁸ And he gathered up all the [surplus] food of the seven [good] years in the land of Egypt and stored up the food in the cities; he stored away in each city the food from the fields around it.

⁴⁹ And Joseph gathered grain as the sand of the sea, very much, until he stopped counting, for it could not be measured.

⁵⁰ Now to Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, whom Asenath daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On, bore to him.

⁵¹ And Joseph called the firstborn Manasseh [making to forget], For God, said he, has made me forget all my toil and hardship and all my father’s house.

⁵² And the second he called Ephraim [to be fruitful], For [he said] God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.

⁵³ When the seven years of plenty were ended in the land of Egypt,

⁵⁴ The seven years of scarcity and famine began to come, as Joseph had said they would; the famine was in all [the surrounding] lands, but in all of Egypt there was food.

⁵⁵ But when all the land of Egypt was weakened with hunger, the people [there] cried to Pharaoh for food; and Pharaoh said to [them] all, Go to Joseph; what he says to you, do.

⁵⁶ When the famine was over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians; for the famine grew extremely distressing in the land of Egypt.

⁵⁷ And all countries came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all [the known] earth.