Old/New Testament
Joseph Is Sold to Potiphar in Egypt
39 The traders[a] who bought Joseph took him down to Egypt. They sold him to the captain of Pharaoh’s guard, Potiphar. 2 The Lord helped Joseph become a successful man. Joseph lived in the house of his master, Potiphar the Egyptian.
3 Potiphar saw that the Lord was with Joseph and that the Lord helped Joseph be successful in everything he did. 4 So Potiphar was very happy with Joseph. He allowed Joseph to work for him and to help him rule the house. Joseph was the ruler over everything Potiphar owned. 5 After Joseph was made the ruler over the house, the Lord blessed the house and everything that Potiphar owned. The Lord also blessed everything that grew in Potiphar’s fields. The Lord did this because of Joseph. 6 So Potiphar allowed Joseph to take responsibility for everything in the house. Potiphar didn’t have to worry about anything except deciding what to eat.
Joseph Refuses Potiphar’s Wife
Joseph was a very handsome, good-looking man. 7 After some time, the wife of Joseph’s master began to pay special attention to him. One day she said to him, “Sleep with me.”
8 But Joseph refused. He said, “My master trusts me with everything in his house. He has given me responsibility for everything here. 9 My master has made me almost equal to him in his house. I cannot sleep with his wife! That is wrong! It is a sin against God.”
10 The woman talked with Joseph every day, but he refused to sleep with her. 11 One day Joseph went into the house to do his work. He was the only man in the house at the time. 12 His master’s wife grabbed his coat and said to him, “Come to bed with me.” But Joseph ran out of the house so fast that he left his coat in her hand.
13 The woman saw that Joseph had left his coat in her hand and had run out of the house. 14 She called to the men outside and said, “Look! This Hebrew slave was brought here to make fun of us. He came in and tried to attack me, but I screamed. 15 My scream scared him and he ran away, but he left his coat with me.” 16 Then she kept his coat until her husband, Joseph’s master, came home. 17 She told her husband the same story. She said, “This Hebrew slave you brought here tried to attack me! 18 But when he came near me, I screamed. He ran away, but he left his coat.”
19 Joseph’s master listened to what his wife said, and he became very angry. 20 So Potiphar put Joseph into the prison where the king’s enemies were held, and that is where Joseph remained.
Joseph in Prison
21 The Lord was with Joseph and continued to show his kindness to him, so the commander of the prison guards began to like Joseph. 22 The commander of the guards put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners. Joseph was their leader, but he still did the same work they did. 23 The commander of the guards trusted Joseph with everything that was in the prison. This happened because the Lord was with Joseph. The Lord helped Joseph be successful in everything he did.
Joseph Explains Two Dreams
40 Later, two of Pharaoh’s servants did something wrong to Pharaoh. These servants were the baker and the man who served wine to Pharaoh. 2 Pharaoh became angry with his baker and wine server, 3 so he put them in the same prison as Joseph. Potiphar, the commander of Pharaoh’s guards, was in charge of this prison. 4 The commander put the two prisoners under Joseph’s care. The two men continued to stay in prison for some time. 5 One night both of the prisoners had a dream. The baker and the wine server each had his own dream, and each dream had its own meaning. 6 Joseph went to them the next morning and saw that the two men were worried. 7 He asked them, “Why do you look so worried today?”
8 The two men answered, “We both had dreams last night, but we don’t understand what we dreamed. There is no one to explain the dreams to us.”
Joseph said to them, “God is the only one who can understand and explain dreams. So I beg you, tell me your dreams.”
The Wine Server’s Dream
9 So the wine server told Joseph his dream. The server said, “I dreamed I saw a vine. 10 On the vine there were three branches. I watched the branches grow flowers and then become grapes. 11 I was holding Pharaoh’s cup, so I took the grapes and squeezed the juice into the cup. Then I gave the cup to Pharaoh.”
12 Then Joseph said, “I will explain the dream to you. The three branches mean three days. 13 Before the end of three days, Pharaoh will forgive you and allow you to go back to your work. You will do the same work for Pharaoh as you did before. 14 But when you are free, remember me. Be good to me and help me. Tell Pharaoh about me so that I can get out of this prison. 15 I was kidnapped and taken from the land of my people, the Hebrews. I have done nothing wrong! I should not be in prison.”
The Baker’s Dream
16 The baker saw that the other servant’s dream was good, so he said to Joseph, “I also had a dream. I dreamed there were three baskets of bread on my head. 17 In the top basket there were all kinds of baked food for the king, but birds were eating this food.”
18 Joseph answered, “I will tell you what the dream means. The three baskets mean three days. 19 Before the end of three days, the king will take you out of this prison and cut off your head! He will hang your body on a pole, and the birds will eat it.”
Joseph Is Forgotten
20 Three days later it was Pharaoh’s birthday. He gave a party for all his servants. At the party Pharaoh allowed the wine server and the baker to leave the prison. 21 He freed the wine server and gave him his job back, and once again the wine server put a cup of wine in Pharaoh’s hand. 22 But Pharaoh hanged the baker, and everything happened the way Joseph said it would. 23 But the wine server did not remember to help Joseph. He said nothing about him to Pharaoh. The wine server forgot about Joseph.
John Sends Men to Ask Jesus a Question(A)
11 When Jesus finished these instructions for his twelve followers, he left there. He went to the towns in Galilee to teach the people and tell them God’s message.
2 When John was in prison, he heard about the things that were happening—things the Messiah would do. So he sent some of his followers to Jesus. 3 They asked him, “Are you the one we have been expecting, or should we wait for someone else?”
4 Jesus answered, “Go tell John what you have heard and seen: 5 The blind can see. The crippled can walk. People with leprosy are healed. The deaf can hear. The dead are brought back to life. And the Good News is being told to the poor. 6 Great blessings belong to those who don’t have a problem accepting me.”
7 When John’s followers left, Jesus began talking to the people about John. He said, “What did you people go out to the desert to see? Someone who is weak, like a stem of grass[a] blowing in the wind? 8 Really, what did you expect to see? Someone dressed in fine clothes? Of course not. People who wear fine clothes are all in kings’ palaces. 9 So what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, John is a prophet. But I tell you, he is more than that. 10 This Scripture was written about him:
‘Listen! I will send my messenger ahead of you.
He will prepare the way for you.’ (B)
11 “The truth is that John the Baptizer is greater than anyone who has ever come into this world. But even the least important person in God’s kingdom is greater than John. 12 Since the time John the Baptizer came until now, God’s kingdom has been going forward strongly.[b] And people have been trying to take control of it by force. 13 Before John came, the Law of Moses and all the prophets told about the things that would happen. 14 And if you believe what they said, then John is Elijah.[c] He is the one they said would come. 15 You people who hear me, listen!
16 “What can I say about the people who live today? What are they like? The people today are like children sitting in the marketplace. One group of children calls to the other group,
17 ‘We played flute music for you,
but you did not dance;
we sang a funeral song,
but you were not sad.’
18 Why do I say people are like that? Because John came, not eating like other people or drinking wine, and people say, ‘He has a demon inside him.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and people say, ‘Look at him! He eats too much and drinks too much wine. He’s a friend of tax collectors and other sinners.’ But wisdom is shown to be right by what it does.”
Jesus Warns People Who Refuse to Believe(C)
20 Then Jesus criticized the cities where he did most of his miracles. He criticized these cities because the people there did not change their lives and stop sinning. 21 Jesus said, “It will be bad for you Chorazin! It will be bad for you Bethsaida! I did many miracles in you. If these same miracles had happened in Tyre and Sidon, the people there would have changed their lives a long time ago. They would have worn sackcloth and put ashes on themselves to show that they were sorry for their sins. 22 But I tell you, on the day of judgment it will be worse for you than for Tyre and Sidon.
23 “And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No! You will be thrown down to the place of death. I did many miracles in you. If these same miracles had happened in Sodom, the people there would have stopped sinning, and it would still be a city today. 24 But I tell you, it will be worse for you in the day of judgment than for Sodom.”
Jesus Offers Rest to His People(D)
25 Then Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. I am thankful that you have hidden these things from those who are so wise and so smart. But you have shown them to people who are like little children. 26 Yes, Father, you did this because it’s what you really wanted to do.
27 “My Father has given me everything. No one knows the Son—only the Father knows the Son. And no one knows the Father—only the Son knows the Father. And the only people who will know about the Father are those the Son chooses to tell.
28 “Come to me all of you who are tired from the heavy burden you have been forced to carry. I will give you rest. 29 Accept my teaching.[d] Learn from me. I am gentle and humble in spirit. And you will be able to get some rest. 30 Yes, the teaching that I ask you to accept is easy. The load I give you to carry is light.”
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International