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17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing[a] by the edge of the Nile. 18 Then seven fat and fine-looking cows were coming up out of the Nile, and they grazed in the reeds.[b] 19 Then[c] seven other cows came up after them; they were scrawny, very bad looking, and lean. I had never seen such bad-looking cows[d] as these in all the land of Egypt! 20 The lean, bad-looking cows ate up the seven[e] fat cows. 21 When they had eaten them,[f] no one would have known[g] that they had done so, for they were just as bad-looking as before. Then I woke up. 22 I also saw in my dream[h] seven heads of grain growing on one stalk, full and good. 23 Then[i] seven heads of grain, withered and thin and burned with the east wind, were sprouting up after them. 24 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads of grain. So I told all this[j] to the diviner-priests, but no one could tell me its meaning.”[k]
25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Both dreams of Pharaoh have the same meaning.[l] God has revealed[m] to Pharaoh what he is about to do.[n] 26 The seven good cows represent seven years, and the seven good heads of grain represent seven years. Both dreams have the same meaning.[o] 27 The seven lean, bad-looking cows that came up after them represent seven years, as do the seven empty heads of grain burned with the east wind. They represent[p] seven years of famine. 28 This is just what I told[q] Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29 Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the whole land of Egypt. 30 But seven years of famine will occur[r] after them, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will devastate[s] the land. 31 The previous abundance of the land will not be remembered[t] because of the famine that follows, for the famine will be very severe.[u] 32 The dream was repeated to Pharaoh[v] because the matter has been decreed[w] by God, and God will make it happen soon.[x]
33 “So now Pharaoh should look[y] for a wise and discerning man[z] and give him authority[aa] over all the land of Egypt. 34 Pharaoh should do[ab] this—he should appoint[ac] officials[ad] throughout the land to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt[ae] during the seven years of abundance. 35 They should gather all the excess food[af] during these good years that are coming. By Pharaoh’s authority[ag] they should store up grain so the cities will have food,[ah] and they should preserve it.[ai] 36 This food should be held in storage for the land in preparation for the seven years of famine that will occur throughout the land of Egypt. In this way the land will survive the famine.”[aj]
37 This advice made sense to Pharaoh and all his officials.[ak] 38 So Pharaoh asked his officials, “Can we find a man like Joseph,[al] one in whom the Spirit of God is present?”[am] 39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Because God has enabled you to know all this, there is no one as wise and discerning[an] as you are! 40 You will oversee my household, and all my people will submit to your commands.[ao] Only I, the king, will be greater than you.[ap]
41 “See here,” Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I place[aq] you in authority over all the land of Egypt.”[ar] 42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his own hand and put it on Joseph’s. He clothed him with fine linen[as] clothes and put a gold chain around his neck. 43 Pharaoh[at] had him ride in the chariot used by his second-in-command,[au] and they cried out before him, “Kneel down!”[av] So he placed him over all the land of Egypt. 44 Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your permission[aw] no one[ax] will move his hand or his foot[ay] in all the land of Egypt.” 45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah.[az] He also gave him Asenath[ba] daughter of Potiphera, priest of On,[bb] to be his wife. So Joseph took charge of[bc] all the land of Egypt.
46 Now Joseph was 30 years old[bd] when he began serving[be] Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph was commissioned by[bf] Pharaoh and was in charge of[bg] all the land of Egypt. 47 During the seven years of abundance the land produced large, bountiful harvests.[bh] 48 Joseph[bi] collected all the excess food[bj] in the land of Egypt during the seven years and stored it in the cities.[bk] In every city he put the food gathered from the fields around it. 49 Joseph stored up a vast amount of grain, like the sand of the sea,[bl] until he stopped measuring it because it was impossible to measure.
50 Two sons were born to Joseph before the famine came.[bm] Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, was their mother.[bn] 51 Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh,[bo] saying,[bp] “Certainly[bq] God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s house.” 52 He named the second child Ephraim,[br] saying,[bs] “Certainly[bt] God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”
53 The seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt came to an end. 54 Then the seven years of famine began,[bu] just as Joseph had predicted. There was famine in all the other lands, but throughout the land of Egypt there was food. 55 When all the land of Egypt experienced the famine, the people cried out to Pharaoh for food. Pharaoh said to all the people of Egypt,[bv] “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.”
56 While the famine was over all the earth,[bw] Joseph opened the storehouses[bx] and sold grain to the Egyptians. The famine was severe throughout the land of Egypt. 57 People from every country[by] came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain because the famine was severe throughout the earth.
Joseph’s Brothers in Egypt
42 When Jacob heard[bz] there was grain in Egypt, he[ca] said to his sons, “Why are you looking at each other?”[cb] 2 He then said, “Look, I hear that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy grain for us[cc] so that we may live[cd] and not die.”[ce]
3 So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers,[cf] for he said,[cg] “What if some accident[ch] happens[ci] to him?” 5 So Israel’s sons came to buy grain among the other travelers,[cj] for the famine was severe in the land of Canaan.
6 Now Joseph was the ruler of the country, the one who sold grain to all the people of the country.[ck] Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down[cl] before him with[cm] their faces to the ground. 7 When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger[cn] to them and spoke to them harshly. He asked, “Where do you come from?” They answered,[co] “From the land of Canaan, to buy grain for food.”[cp]
8 Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. 9 Then Joseph remembered the dreams he had dreamed about them, and he said to them, “You are spies;[cq] you have come to see if our land is vulnerable!”[cr]
10 But they exclaimed,[cs] “No, my lord! Your servants have come to buy grain for food! 11 We are all the sons of one man; we are honest men! Your servants are not spies.”
12 “No,” he insisted, “but you have come to see if our land is vulnerable.”[ct] 13 They replied, “Your servants are from a family of twelve brothers.[cu] We are the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is with our father at this time,[cv] and one is no longer alive.”[cw]
14 But Joseph told them, “It is just as I said to you:[cx] You are spies! 15 You will be tested in this way: As surely as Pharaoh lives,[cy] you will not depart from this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 16 One of you must go and get[cz] your brother, while[da] the rest of you remain in prison.[db] In this way your words may be tested to see if[dc] you are telling the truth.[dd] If not, then, as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!” 17 He imprisoned[de] them all for three days.
The Parable of the Weeds
24 He presented them with another parable:[a] “The kingdom of heaven is like a person who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, an enemy came and sowed darnel[b] among the wheat and went away. 26 When[c] the plants sprouted and produced grain, then the darnel also appeared. 27 So the slaves[d] of the landowner[e] came and said to him, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the darnel come from?’ 28 He said, ‘An enemy has done this!’ So[f] the slaves replied, ‘Do you want us to go and gather it?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, since in gathering the darnel you may uproot the wheat along with it. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At[g] harvest time I will tell the reapers, “First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burned, but then gather[h] the wheat into my barn.”’”
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
31 He gave[i] them another parable:[j] “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed[k] that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest garden plant and becomes a tree,[l] so that the wild birds[m] come and nest in its branches.”[n]
The Parable of the Yeast
33 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with[o] three measures[p] of flour until all the dough had risen.”[q]
The Purpose of Parables
34 Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the crowds; he did not speak to them without a parable. 35 This fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet:[r]
“I will open my mouth in parables,
I will announce what has been hidden from the foundation of the world.”[s]
Explanation for the Disciples
36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him saying, “Explain to us the parable of the darnel[t] in the field.” 37 He[u] answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world and the good seed are the people[v] of the kingdom. The poisonous weeds[w] are the people[x] of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 As[y] the poisonous weeds[z] are collected and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom everything that causes sin as well as all lawbreakers.[aa] 42 They will throw them into the fiery furnace,[ab] where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.[ac] The one who has ears had better listen![ad]
Parables on the Kingdom of Heaven
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure, hidden in a field, that a person found and hid. Then because of joy he went and sold all that he had and bought that field.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. 46 When he found a pearl of great value, he went out and sold everything he had and bought it.
Psalm 18[a]
For the music director, by the Lord’s servant David, who sang[b] to the Lord the words of this song when[c] the Lord rescued him from the power[d] of all his enemies, including Saul.[e]
18 He said:[f]
“I love[g] you, Lord, my source of strength![h]
2 The Lord is my high ridge,[i] my stronghold,[j] my deliverer.
My God is my rocky summit where[k] I take shelter,[l]
my shield, the horn that saves me,[m] and my refuge.[n]
3 I called[o] to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,[p]
and I was delivered from my enemies.
4 The waves[q] of death engulfed me,
the currents[r] of chaos[s] overwhelmed me.[t]
5 The ropes of Sheol tightened around me,[u]
the snares of death trapped me.[v]
6 In my distress I called to the Lord;
I cried out to my God.[w]
From his heavenly temple[x] he heard my voice;
he listened to my cry for help.[y]
7 The earth heaved and shook.[z]
The roots of the mountains[aa] trembled;[ab]
they heaved because he was angry.
8 Smoke ascended from[ac] his nose;[ad]
fire devoured as it came from his mouth.[ae]
He hurled down fiery coals.[af]
9 He made the sky sink[ag] as he descended;
a thick cloud was under his feet.
10 He mounted[ah] a winged angel[ai] and flew;
he glided[aj] on the wings of the wind.[ak]
11 He shrouded himself in darkness,[al]
in thick rain clouds.[am]
12 From the brightness in front of him came
hail and fiery coals.[an]
13 The Lord thundered[ao] in[ap] the sky;
the Most High[aq] shouted.[ar]
14 He shot his[as] arrows and scattered them,[at]
many lightning bolts[au] and routed them.[av]
15 The depths[aw] of the sea[ax] were exposed;
the inner regions[ay] of the world were uncovered
by[az] your battle cry,[ba] Lord,
by the powerful breath from your nose.[bb]
Admonition to Follow Righteousness and Avoid Wickedness[a]
4 Listen, children,[b] to a father’s instruction,[c]
and pay attention so that you may gain[d] discernment.
2 Because I hereby give[e] you good instruction,
do not forsake my teaching.
3 When I was a son to my father,[f]
a tender, only child[g] before my mother,
4 he taught me, and he said to me:
“Let your heart lay hold of my words;
keep my commands so that[h] you will live.
5 Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding;
do not forget and do not turn aside from the words I speak.[i]
6 Do not forsake wisdom,[j] and she will protect you;
love her, and she will guard you.
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