God the Supreme Ruler^[a]

Judah

⁴ The Lord says, “The people of Judah have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them. They have despised my teachings and have not kept my commands. They have been led astray by the same false gods that their ancestors served. ⁵ So I will send fire upon Judah and burn down the fortresses of Jerusalem.”

God's Judgment on Israel

⁶ The Lord says, “The people of Israel have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them. They sell into slavery honest people who cannot pay their debts, the poor who cannot repay even the price of a pair of sandals. ⁷ They trample^[a] down the weak and helpless and push the poor out of the way. A man and his father have intercourse with the same slave woman, and so profane my holy name. ⁸ At every place of worship people sleep on clothing that they have taken from the poor as security for debts. In the temple of their God they drink wine which they have taken from those who owe them money.

^9 (A)“And yet, my people, it was for your sake that I totally destroyed the Amorites, who were as tall as cedar trees and as strong as oaks. ¹⁰ I brought you out of Egypt, led you through the desert for forty years, and gave you the land of the Amorites to be your own. ^11 (B)I chose some of your sons to be prophets and some of your young men to be nazirites.^[b] Isn't this true, people of Israel? I, the Lord, have spoken.

^9 (A)“Jacob's sons became jealous of their brother Joseph and sold him to be a slave in Egypt. But God was with him ^10 (B)and brought him safely through all his troubles. When Joseph appeared before the king of Egypt, God gave him a pleasing manner and wisdom, and the king made Joseph governor over the country and the royal household. ^11 (C)Then there was a famine all over Egypt and Canaan, which caused much suffering. Our ancestors could not find any food, ¹² and when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent his sons, our ancestors, on their first visit there. ^13 (D)On the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and the king of Egypt came to know about Joseph's family. ^14 (E)So Joseph sent a message to his father Jacob, telling him and the whole family, seventy-five people in all, to come to Egypt. ^15 (F)Then Jacob went to Egypt, where he and his sons died. ^16 (G)Their bodies were taken to Shechem, where they were buried in the grave which Abraham had bought from the clan of Hamor for a sum of money.

A Prayer for Guidance and Protection^[a]

Joseph Is Made Governor over Egypt

³⁷ The king and his officials approved this plan, ³⁸ and he said to them, “We will never find a better man than Joseph, a man who has God's spirit in him.” ³⁹ The king said to Joseph, “God has shown you all this, so it is obvious that you have greater wisdom and insight than anyone else. ^40 (A)I will put you in charge of my country, and all my people will obey your orders. Your authority will be second only to mine. ⁴¹ I now appoint you governor over all Egypt.” ^42 (B)The king removed from his finger the ring engraved with the royal seal and put it on Joseph's finger. He put a fine linen robe on him, and placed a gold chain around his neck. ⁴³ He gave him the second royal chariot to ride in, and his guard of honor went ahead of him and cried out, “Make way! Make way!” And so Joseph was appointed governor over all Egypt. ⁴⁴ The king said to him, “I am the king—and no one in all Egypt shall so much as lift a hand or a foot without your permission.” ^45-46 He gave Joseph the Egyptian name Zaphenath Paneah, and he gave him a wife, Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, a priest in the city of Heliopolis.

Joseph was thirty years old when he began to serve the king of Egypt. He left the king's court and traveled all over the land. ⁴⁷ During the seven years of plenty the land produced abundant crops, ⁴⁸ all of which Joseph collected and stored in the cities. In each city he stored the food from the fields around it. ⁴⁹ There was so much grain that Joseph stopped measuring it—it was like the sand of the sea.

^9 (A)“Jacob's sons became jealous of their brother Joseph and sold him to be a slave in Egypt. But God was with him ^10 (B)and brought him safely through all his troubles. When Joseph appeared before the king of Egypt, God gave him a pleasing manner and wisdom, and the king made Joseph governor over the country and the royal household. ^11 (C)Then there was a famine all over Egypt and Canaan, which caused much suffering. Our ancestors could not find any food, ¹² and when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent his sons, our ancestors, on their first visit there. ^13 (D)On the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and the king of Egypt came to know about Joseph's family. ^14 (E)So Joseph sent a message to his father Jacob, telling him and the whole family, seventy-five people in all, to come to Egypt. ^15 (F)Then Jacob went to Egypt, where he and his sons died. ^16 (G)Their bodies were taken to Shechem, where they were buried in the grave which Abraham had bought from the clan of Hamor for a sum of money.