Psalm 11

For the director of music. Of David.

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^(A) of the weeds in the field.”

³⁷ He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man.^{(B) 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,^{(C) 39} and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest^(D) is the end of the age,^(E) and the harvesters are angels.^(F)

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^(G) will send out his angels,^(H) 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.^{(I) 43} Then the righteous will shine like the sun^(J) in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.^(K)

The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl

⁴⁴ “The kingdom of heaven is like^(L) 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.^(M)

⁴⁵ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like^(N) 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^(O) a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds^(P) 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^{(Q) 50} and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.^(R)

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^(S)

⁵³ When Jesus had finished these parables,^(T) he moved on from there. ⁵⁴ Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue,^(U) and they were amazed.^(V) “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked. ⁵⁵ “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?^(W) Isn’t his mother’s^(X) name Mary, and aren’t his brothers^(Y) 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^(Z) at him.

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

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

Judah and Tamar

38 At that time, Judah^(A) left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam^(B) named Hirah.^{(C) 2} There Judah met the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua.^(D) He married her and made love to her; ³ she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, who was named Er.^{(E) 4} She conceived again and gave birth to a son and named him Onan.^{(F) 5} She gave birth to still another son and named him Shelah.^(G) It was at Kezib that she gave birth to him.

⁶ Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.^{(H) 7} But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the Lord’s sight;^(I) so the Lord put him to death.^(J)

⁸ Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to raise up offspring for your brother.”^{(K) 9} But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother. ¹⁰ What he did was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death also.^(L)

¹¹ Judah then said to his daughter-in-law^(M) Tamar,^(N) “Live as a widow in your father’s household^(O) until my son Shelah^(P) grows up.”^(Q) For he thought, “He may die too, just like his brothers.” So Tamar went to live in her father’s household.

¹² After a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua,^(R) died. When Judah had recovered from his grief, he went up to Timnah,^(S) to the men who were shearing his sheep,^(T) and his friend Hirah the Adullamite^(U) went with him.

¹³ When Tamar^(V) was told, “Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep,”^{(W) 14} she took off her widow’s clothes,^(X) covered herself with a veil^(Y) to disguise herself, and then sat down^(Z) at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah.^(AA) For she saw that, though Shelah^(AB) had now grown up, she had not been given to him as his wife.

¹⁵ When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute,^(AC) for she had covered her face. ¹⁶ Not realizing^(AD) that she was his daughter-in-law,^(AE) he went over to her by the roadside and said, “Come now, let me sleep with you.”^(AF)

“And what will you give me to sleep with you?”^(AG) she asked.

¹⁷ “I’ll send you a young goat^(AH) from my flock,” he said.

“Will you give me something as a pledge^(AI) until you send it?” she asked.

¹⁸ He said, “What pledge should I give you?”

“Your seal^(AJ) and its cord, and the staff^(AK) in your hand,” she answered. So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.^{(AL) 19} After she left, she took off her veil and put on her widow’s clothes^(AM) again.

²⁰ Meanwhile Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite^(AN) in order to get his pledge^(AO) back from the woman, but he did not find her. ²¹ He asked the men who lived there, “Where is the shrine prostitute^(AP) who was beside the road at Enaim?”

“There hasn’t been any shrine prostitute here,” they said.

²² So he went back to Judah and said, “I didn’t find her. Besides, the men who lived there said, ‘There hasn’t been any shrine prostitute here.’”

²³ Then Judah said, “Let her keep what she has,^(AQ) or we will become a laughingstock.^(AR) After all, I did send her this young goat, but you didn’t find her.”

²⁴ About three months later Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant.”

Judah said, “Bring her out and have her burned to death!”^(AS)

²⁵ As she was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. “I am pregnant by the man who owns these,” she said. And she added, “See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are.”^(AT)

²⁶ Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I,^(AU) since I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah.^(AV)” And he did not sleep with her again.

²⁷ When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb.^{(AW) 28} As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife^(AX) took a scarlet thread and tied it on his wrist^(AY) and said, “This one came out first.” ²⁹ But when he drew back his hand, his brother came out,^(AZ) and she said, “So this is how you have broken out!” And he was named Perez.^{[a](BA) 30} Then his brother, who had the scarlet thread on his wrist,^(BB) came out. And he was named Zerah.^[b](BC)

Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife

39 Now Joseph^(BD) had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard,^(BE) bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.^(BF)

² The Lord was with Joseph^(BG) 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^(BH) and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did,^{(BI) 4} Joseph found favor in his eyes^(BJ) and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household,^(BK) and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.^{(BL) 5} From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household^(BM) of the Egyptian because of Joseph.^(BN) The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field.^{(BO) 6} So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care;^(BP) with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome,^{(BQ) 7} and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”^(BR)

⁸ But he refused.^(BS) “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.^{(BT) 9} No one is greater in this house than I am.^(BU) 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?”^{(BV) 10} And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused^(BW) to go to bed with her or even be with her.

¹¹ One day he went into the house to attend to his duties,^(BX) and none of the household servants^(BY) was inside. ¹² She caught him by his cloak^(BZ) and said, “Come to bed with me!”^(CA) But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.^(CB)

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.^(CC) “Look,” she said to them, “this Hebrew^(CD) has been brought to us to make sport of us!^(CE) He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed.^{(CF) 15} When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”^(CG)

¹⁶ She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. ¹⁷ Then she told him this story:^(CH) “That Hebrew^(CI) slave^(CJ) 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.^{(CK) 20} Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison,^(CL) the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.

But while Joseph was there in the prison, ²¹ the Lord was with him;^(CM) he showed him kindness^(CN) and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.^{(CO) 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.^{(CP) 23} The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s^(CQ) care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.^(CR)