The Parable of the Weeds

²⁴ Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like^(A) a man who sowed good seed in his field. ²⁵ But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. ²⁶ When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

²⁷ “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

²⁸ “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

²⁹ “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”^(B)

The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast^(C)(D)

³¹ He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like^(E) a mustard seed,^(F) 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.”^(G)

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

The Cupbearer and the Baker

40 Some time later, the cupbearer^(A) and the baker^(B) of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt. ² Pharaoh was angry^(C) with his two officials,^(D) the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, ³ and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard,^(E) in the same prison where Joseph was confined. ⁴ The captain of the guard^(F) assigned them to Joseph,^(G) and he attended them.

After they had been in custody^(H) 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^(I) the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own.^(J)

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^(K) with him in his master’s house, “Why do you look so sad today?”^(L)

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

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

⁹ So the chief cupbearer^(O) 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,^(P) 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,^(Q)” Joseph said to him. “The three branches are three days.^{(R) 13} Within three days^(S) Pharaoh will lift up your head^(T) 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.^{(U) 14} But when all goes well with you, remember me^(V) and show me kindness;^(W) mention me to Pharaoh^(X) and get me out of this prison. ¹⁵ I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews,^(Y) and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon.”^(Z)

¹⁶ When the chief baker^(AA) saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation,^(AB) he said to Joseph, “I too had a dream: On my head were three baskets^(AC) 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.^{(AD) 19} Within three days^(AE) Pharaoh will lift off your head^(AF) and impale your body on a pole.^(AG) And the birds will eat away your flesh.”^(AH)

²⁰ Now the third day^(AI) was Pharaoh’s birthday,^(AJ) and he gave a feast for all his officials.^(AK) He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker^(AL) in the presence of his officials: ²¹ He restored the chief cupbearer^(AM) to his position,^(AN) so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand^(AO)— ²² but he impaled the chief baker,^(AP) just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation.^(AQ)

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