Genesis 38-40
1 It came to pass at that time that Judah departed from his brothers, and visited a certain Adullamite whose name was Hirah. 2 Then Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua, and he married her and went in to her. 3 So she conceived and bore a son, and called his name Er. 4 She conceived again and bore a son, and called his name Onan. 5 She conceived yet again and bore a son, and called his name Shelah. She was at Chezib when she bore them.
6 Then Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. 7 But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the sight of the Lord, and God killed him. 8 So Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife and marry her, and as her brother-in-law raise up seed to your brother.” 9 But Onan knew the seed would not be his; and it came to pass that whenever he went in to his brother’s wife, he emitted his semen on the ground, lest he should give seed to his brother. 10 But the thing he did appeared evil in the sight of the Lord; therefore, He also put him to death. 11 Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father’s house till my son Shelah is grown.” For he said, “Lest he also die like his brothers.” So Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house.
12 Now in the process of time, the daughter of Shua, Judah’s wife, died; and Judah was comforted and went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah, he and his shepherd, Hirah the Adullamite. 13 So it was told Tamar, saying, “Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.” 14 Thus she took off her widow’s garments, covered herself with a veil, made herself beautiful, and sat down near the gates of Ainan on the way past Timnah; for she saw Shelah was grown, and she was not given to him as a wife. 15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, because she had covered her face and he did not recognize her. 16 Then he turned to her by the way, and said, “Let me come in to you”; for he did not know she was his daughter-in-law. So she said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?” 17 He replied, “I will send a young goat from the flocks.” So she said, “Will you give me a pledge till you send it?” 18 Then he said, “What pledge shall I give you?” So she said, “Your ring and cord, and the staff in your hand.” Then he gave them to her, and went in to her, and she conceived by him. 19 So she arose and went away, and laid aside her veil and put on the garments of her widowhood.
20 Thus Judah sent the young goat by the hand of his shepherd the Adullamite to receive his pledge from the woman, but he did not find her. 21 Then he asked the men of that place, saying, “Where is the prostitute who was in Ainan by the roadside?” They replied, “There was no prostitute here.” 22 So he returned to Judah and said, “I cannot find her. Also, the men of the place said no prostitute had been there.” 23 Then Judah said, “Let her have them, lest we should become a laughingstock; for I sent this young goat but you did not find her.”
24 Thus it came to pass, about three months after, that Judah was told, saying, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has committed fornication and is pregnant because of her adultery.” So Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned.” 25 When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, “By the man to whom these belong, I am with child.” So she said, “Determine whose these are—the ring, the cord, and the staff.” 26 So Judah acknowledged them and said, “She has been more righteous than I, because I did not give her to Shelah my son.” But he never knew her again.
27 Then it came to pass, at the time for giving birth, that behold, twins were in her womb. 28 So it was, when she was giving birth, that the one put out his hand; and the midwife took a scarlet thread and bound it on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.” 29 Then it happened, as he drew back his hand, that his brother came out unexpectedly; and she said, “How did you break through? This breach be upon you.” Therefore she called his name Perez. 30 Afterward his brother came out, with the scarlet thread on his hand; and she called his name Zerah.
Joseph Imprisoned in Egypt
1 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt, and Potiphar, Pharaoh’s eunuch and captain of the guard, an Egyptian, had bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there. 2 The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was living in the house of his lord the Egyptian. 3 So his lord saw that the Lord was with him and the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand. 4 Thus Joseph found grace in his sight and was pleasing to him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and put everything he had under Joseph’s authority. 5 So it was, from the time he made him overseer of his house and all he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was on all he had in the house and in the field. 6 Thus he left all he had in Joseph’s hand, and did not know what he had except for the bread he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.
7 Then it came to pass after these things that his lord’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.” 8 But he refused and said to his lord’s wife, “Look, my lord does not know what is with me in the house and has committed all he has to my hand. 9 There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” 10 So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to have relations with her. 11 But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside, 12 she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside.
13 So it was, when she saw he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside, 14 she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, “See, he brought in to us a Hebrew to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. 15 Thus it happened, when he heard that I lifted my voice and cried out, he left his garment with me, and fled and went outside.” 16 So she kept his garment with her until his lord came home. 17 Then she spoke to him with words like these, saying, “The Hebrew servant you brought to us came in to me to mock me; 18 so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, he left his garment with me and fled outside.” 19 So it was, when his lord heard the words his wife spoke to him, saying, “Your servant did to me after this manner,” his anger was aroused. 20 Then Joseph’s lord took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were confined.
21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him grace in the sight of the chief prison keeper. 22 So the chief keeper of the prison put under Joseph’s authority both the prison and all the prisoners, and whatever they did there. 23 The chief keeper of the prison did not look into anything under Joseph’s authority, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.
Joseph Interprets the Dreams of the Prisoners
1 Now it came to pass after these things, that the king of Egypt’s chief cupbearer and chief baker offended their lord, the king of Egypt. 2 So Pharaoh was angry with his two eunuchs, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker. 3 Thus he put them in custody with the chief bodyguard in the prison, the place where Joseph was confined. 4 Then the chief jailer committed them to Joseph, and he attended them; so they were in custody for a while.
5 Then the king of Egypt’s chief cupbearer and the chief baker, who were confined in the prison, had a dream, both of them, each man’s dream in one night and each man’s dream with its own interpretation. 6 So Joseph came in to them in the morning and looked at them, and saw they were troubled. 7 Thus he asked Pharaoh’s eunuchs, who were with him in the custody of his lord, saying, “Why do you look so sad today?” 8 So they said to him, “We each had a dream, and there is no one to interpret it.” Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Therefore, relate them to me.” 9 Then the chief cupbearer related his dream to Joseph, and said to him, “Behold, in my dream a vine was before me, 10 and in the vine were three branches; it was as though it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and its clusters brought forth ripe grapes. 11 Then Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.”
12 And Joseph said to him, “This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days. 13 Now within three days Pharaoh will remember your position and restore your office of chief cupbearer; and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand according to the former manner, when you were his cupbearer. 14 But remember me when it is well with you, and have mercy on me; make mention of me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this prison. 15 For indeed I was stolen away from the land of the Hebrews; and I also have done nothing for them to put me into the dungeon.”
16 When the chief baker saw the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph, “I also had a dream, and there were three white baskets on my head. 17 In the uppermost basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them out of the basket on my head.” 18 So Joseph answered and said, “This is the interpretation of it: The three baskets are three days. 19 Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head from you and hang you on a tree; and the birds will eat your flesh from you.”
20 Now it came to pass on the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast for all his servants; and he remembered the positions of his chief cupbearer and chief baker among his servants. 21 Then he restored the chief cupbearer to his position, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand. 22 But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them. 23 Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.
Psalms 17:18–32
18 He will deliver me from my strong enemies,
And from those who hate me,
Because they were too strong for me.
19 They overran me in the day of my misfortune,
But the Lord became my support,
20 And He led me into a wide place;
He will deliver me, because He willed it for me.
He will deliver me from my strong enemies
And from those who hate me.
21 The Lord will reward me according to my righteousness;
And according to the purity of my hands He will recompense me,
22 Because I kept the ways of the Lord
And did not act impiously against my God;
23 For all His judgments are before me,
And I did not remove His ordinances from me.
24 I will also be blameless before Him,
And I will keep myself from my lawlessness.
25 The Lord will reward me according to my righteousness,
According to the purity of my hands before His eyes.
26 With the holy You will be holy;
And with the innocent man You will be innocent;
27 And with the elect You will be elect;
And with the crooked You will be crooked.
28 For You will save a humble people,
And You will humble the eyes of the arrogant.
29 For You will light my lamp, O Lord;
O my God, You will enlighten my darkness.
30 For in You I shall be delivered from ordeals,
And in my God I shall leap over a wall.
31 My God, His way is blameless;
The teachings of the Lord are tried by fire;
He is the shield of all who set their hope on Him.
32 For who is God besides the Lord?
And who is God besides our God?
Proverbs 3:11–16
11 My son, do not despise the instruction of the Lord,
Neither grow weary under His reproof.
12 For whom the Lord loves He instructs,
And chastises every son He receives.
13 Blessed is a man who finds wisdom,
And a mortal who sees discernment;
14 For the profits gained from wisdom are better
Than the treasures of gold and silver.
15 And wisdom is more valuable than precious stones,
And nothing evil will withstand her;
16 She is well known to all who come near her,
And no honor is worthy of her.
Matthew 10:1–23
1 And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.
2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;
3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;
4 Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.
5 These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.
6 “But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
7 “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
8 “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
9 “Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts,
10 “nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.
11 “Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out.
12 “And when you go into a household, greet it.
13 “If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.
14 “And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.
15 “Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!
16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
17 “But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues.
18 “You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.
19 “But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak;
20 “for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
21 “Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.
22 “And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.23 “When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.