Genesis 39; Genesis 40; Matthew 11

1 When Joseph had been taken down to Egypt, Potiphar, Pharaoh's chief officer, the commander of the royal guard and an Egyptian, purchased him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there.

2 The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man and served in his Egyptian master's household.

3 His master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made everything he did successful.

4 Potiphar thought highly of Joseph, and Joseph became his assistant; he appointed Joseph head of his household and put everything he had under Joseph's supervision.

5 From the time he appointed Joseph head of his household and of everything he had, the LORD blessed the Egyptian's household because of Joseph. The LORD blessed everything he had, both in the household and in the field.

6 So he handed over everything he had to Joseph and didn't pay attention to anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome.

7 Some time later, his master's wife became attracted to Joseph and said, "Sleep with me."

8 He refused and said to his master's wife, "With me here, my master doesn't pay attention to anything in his household; he's put everything he has under my supervision.

9 No one is greater than I am in this household, and he hasn't denied me anything except you, since you are his wife. How could I do this terrible thing and sin against God?"

10 Every single day she tried to convince him, but he wouldn't agree to sleep with her or even to be with her.

11 One day when Joseph arrived at the house to do his work, none of the household's men were there.

12 She grabbed his garment, saying, "Lie down with me." But he left his garment in her hands and ran outside.

13 When she realized that he had left his garment in her hands and run outside,

14 she summoned the men of her house and said to them, "Look, my husband brought us a Hebrew to ridicule us. He came to me to lie down with me, but I screamed.

15 When he heard me raise my voice and scream, he left his garment with me and ran outside."

16 She kept his garment with her until Joseph's master came home,

17 and she told him the same thing: "The Hebrew slave whom you brought to us, to ridicule me, came to me;

18 but when I raised my voice and screamed, he left his garment with me and ran outside."

19 When Joseph's master heard the thing that his wife told him, "This is what your servant did to me," he was incensed.

20 Joseph's master took him and threw him in jail, the place where the king's prisoners were held. While he was in jail,

21 the LORD was with Joseph and remained loyal to him. He caused the jail's commander to think highly of Joseph.

22 The jail's commander put all of the prisoners in the jail under Joseph's supervision, and he was the one who determined everything that happened there.

23 The jail's commander paid no attention to anything under Joseph's supervision, because the LORD was with him and made everything he did successful.

1 Some time later, both the wine steward and the baker for Egypt's king offended their master, the king of Egypt.

2 Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief wine steward and the chief baker,

3 and he put them under arrest with the commander of the royal guard in the same jail where Joseph was imprisoned.

4 The commander of the royal guard assigned Joseph to assist them. After they had been under arrest for some time,

5 both of them—the wine steward and the baker for Egypt's king who were imprisoned in the jail—had dreams one night, and each man's dream had its own meaning.

6 When Joseph met them in the morning, he saw that they were upset.

7 He asked the officers of Pharaoh who were under arrest with him in his master's house, "Why do you look so distressed today?"

8 They answered, "We've both had dreams, but there's no one to interpret them." Joseph said to them, "Don't interpretations belong to God? Describe your dreams to me."

9 The chief wine steward described his dream to Joseph: "In my dream there was a vine right in front of me,

10 and on the vine were three branches. When it budded, its blossoms appeared, and its clusters ripened into grapes.

11 Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, so I took the grapes, crushed them into Pharaoh's cup, and put the cup in Pharaoh's hand."

12 Joseph said to him, "This is the dream's interpretation: The three branches are three days.

13 After three days, Pharaoh will give you an audience and return you to your position. You will put Pharaoh's cup in his hand, just the way things were before when you were his wine steward.

14 But please, remember me when you are doing well and be loyal to me. Put in a good word for me to Pharaoh, so he sets me free from this prison.

15 I was stolen from the land of the Hebrews, and here too I've done nothing to be thrown into this dungeon."

16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, "It was the same for me. In my dream, there were three baskets of white bread on my head.

17 In the basket on top there were baked goods for Pharaoh's food, but birds were eating them out of the basket on my head."

18 Joseph responded, "This is the dream's interpretation: The three baskets are three days.

19 After three days, Pharaoh will give you an audience and will hang you from a tree where birds will peck your flesh from you."

20 The third day was Pharaoh's birthday, and he gave a party for all of his servants. Before all of his servants, he gave an audience to the chief wine steward and the chief baker.

21 He returned the chief wine steward to his position, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand.

22 But the chief baker he hanged, just as Joseph had said would happen when he interpreted their dreams for them.

23 But the chief wine steward didn't remember Joseph; he forgot all about him.

1 When Jesus finished teaching his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.

2 Now when John heard in prison about the things the Christ was doing, he sent word by his disciples to Jesus, asking,

3 "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?"

4 Jesus responded, "Go, report to John what you hear and see.

5 Those who were blind are able to see. Those who were crippled are walking. People with skin diseases are cleansed. Those who were deaf now hear. Those who were dead are raised up. The poor have good news proclaimed to them.

6 Happy are those who don't stumble and fall because of me."

7 When John's disciples had gone, Jesus spoke to the crowds about John: “What did you go out to the wilderness to see? A stalk blowing in the wind?

8 What did you go out to see? A man dressed up in refined clothes? Look, those who wear refined clothes are in royal palaces.

9 What did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.

10 He is the one of whom it is written: Look, I'm sending my messenger before you, who will prepare your way before you.

11 “I assure you that no one who has ever been born is greater than John the Baptist. Yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven is violently attacked as violent people seize it.

13 All the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John came.

14 If you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.

15 Let the person who has ears, hear.

16 "To what will I compare this generation? It is like a child sitting in the marketplaces calling out to others,

17 ‘We played the flute for you and you didn't dance. We sang a funeral song and you didn't mourn.'

18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.'

19 Yet the Human One came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunk, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.' But wisdom is proved to be right by her works."

20 Then he began to scold the cities where he had done his greatest miracles because they didn't change their hearts and lives.

21 "How terrible it will be for you, Chorazin! How terrible it will be for you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles done among you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have changed their hearts and lives and put on funeral clothes and ashes a long time ago.

22 But I say to you that Tyre and Sidon will be better off on Judgment Day than you.

23 And you, Capernaum, will you be honored by being raised up to heaven? No, you will be thrown down to the place of the dead. After all, if the miracles that were done among you had been done in Sodom, it would still be here today.

24 But I say to you that it will be better for the land of Sodom on the Judgment Day than it will be for you."

25 At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you've hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have shown them to babies.

26 Indeed, Father, this brings you happiness.

27 “My Father has handed all things over to me. No one knows the Son except the Father. And nobody knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wants to reveal him.

28 "Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest.

29 Put on my yoke, and learn from me. I'm gentle and humble. And you will find rest for yourselves.

30 My yoke is easy to bear, and my burden is light."