Genesis 46; Genesis 47; Genesis 48; Matthew 13:1-30

1 Israel packed up everything he owned and traveled to Beer-sheba. There he offered sacrifices to his father Isaac's God.

2 God said to Israel in a vision at night, "Jacob! Jacob!" and he said, "I'm here."

3 He said, "I am El, your father's God. Don't be afraid to go down to Egypt because I will make a great nation of you there.

4 I will go down to Egypt with you, and I promise to bring you out again. Joseph will close your eyes when you die."

5 Then Jacob left Beer-sheba. Israel's sons put their father Jacob, their children, and their wives on the wagons Pharaoh had sent to carry him.

6 They took their livestock and their possessions that they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and arrived in Egypt, Jacob and all of his children with him.

7 His sons and grandsons, his daughters and his granddaughters—all of his descendants he brought with him to Egypt.

8 These are the names of the Israelites who went to Egypt, including Jacob and his sons. Jacob's oldest son was Reuben.

9 Reuben's sons were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

10 Simeon's sons were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, whose mother was a Canaanite.

11 Levi's sons were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

12 Judah's sons were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah. Er and Onan both died in the land of Canaan. Perez's sons were Hezron and Hamul.

13 Issachar's sons were Tola, Puvah, Iob, and Shimron.

14 Zebulun's sons were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.

15 These are the sons Leah bore to Jacob in Paddan-aram. Her daughter was Dinah. All of these persons, including his sons and daughters, totaled 33.

16 Gad's sons were Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.

17 Asher's sons were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah. Beriah's sons were Heber and Malchiel.

18 These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah. She bore these to Jacob, a total of 16 persons.

19 The sons of Jacob's wife Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.

20 To Joseph, in the land of Egypt, were born Manasseh and Ephraim. Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of Heliopolis, bore them to him.

21 Benjamin's sons were Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.

22 These are Rachel's sons who were born to Jacob, a total of 14 persons.

23 Dan's son was Hushim.

24 Naphtali's sons were Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.

25 These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel. She bore these to Jacob, a total of 7 persons.

26 All of the persons going to Egypt with Jacob—his own children, excluding Jacob's sons' wives—totaled 66 persons.

27 Joseph's sons born to him in Egypt were 2 persons. Thus, all of the persons in Jacob's household going to Egypt totaled 70.

28 Israel had sent Judah ahead to Joseph so that Joseph could explain the way to Goshen. Then they arrived in the land of Goshen.

29 Joseph hitched up his chariot and went to meet his father Israel in Goshen. When he arrived, he threw his arms around his neck and wept, embracing him for a long time.

30 Israel said to Joseph, "I can die now after seeing your face. You are really still alive!"

31 Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's household, "Let me go up and inform Pharaoh and tell him, ‘My brothers and my father's household who were in the land of Canaan have arrived.

32 The men are shepherds, because they own livestock. They've brought with them their flocks and herds and everything they own.'

33 When Pharaoh summons you and says, ‘What do you do?'

34 say, ‘Your servants have owned livestock since we were young, both we and our ancestors,' so that you will be able to settle in the land of Goshen, since Egyptians think all shepherds are beneath their dignity."

1 Joseph went to inform Pharaoh and said, "My father and brothers with their flocks, herds, and everything they own have come from the land of Canaan and are now in the land of Goshen."

2 From all of his brothers, he selected five men and presented them before Pharaoh.

3 Pharaoh said to Joseph's brothers, "What do you do?" They said to Pharaoh, "Your servants are shepherds, both we and our ancestors."

4 They continued, "We've come to the land as immigrants because the famine is so severe in the land of Canaan that there are no more pastures for your servants' flocks. Please allow your servants to settle in the land of Goshen."

5 Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since your father and brothers have arrived,

6 the land of Egypt is available to you. Settle your father and brothers in the land's best location. Let them live in the land of Goshen. And if you know capable men among them, put them in charge of my own livestock."

7 Joseph brought his father Jacob and gave him an audience with Pharaoh. Jacob blessed Pharaoh,

8 and Pharaoh said to Jacob, "How old are you?"

9 Jacob said to Pharaoh, "I've been a traveler for 130 years. My years have been few and difficult. They don't come close to the years my ancestors lived during their travels."

10 Jacob blessed Pharaoh and left Pharaoh's presence.

11 Joseph settled his father and brothers and gave them property in the land of Egypt, in the best location in the land of Rameses, just as Pharaoh had ordered.

12 Joseph provided food for his father, his brothers, and his father's entire household, in proportion to the number of children.

13 There was no food in the land because the famine was so severe. The land of Egypt and the land of Canaan dried up from the famine.

14 Joseph collected all of the silver to be found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan for the grain, which people came to buy, and he deposited it in Pharaoh's treasury.

15 The silver from the land of Egypt and from the land of Canaan had been spent, and all of the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, "Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes, just because the silver is gone?"

16 Joseph said, "Give me your livestock, and I will give you food for your livestock if the silver is gone."

17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food for the horses, flocks, cattle, and donkeys. He got them through that year with food in exchange for all of their livestock.

18 When that year was over, they came to him the next year and said to him, "We can't hide from my master that the silver is spent and that we've given the livestock to my master. All that's left for my master is our corpses and our farmland.

19 Why should we die before your eyes, we and our farmland too? Buy us and our farms for food, and we and our farms will be under Pharaoh's control. Give us seed so that we can stay alive and not die, and so that our farmland won't become unproductive."

20 So Joseph bought all of Egypt's farmland for Pharaoh because every Egyptian sold his field when the famine worsened. So the land became Pharaoh's.

21 He moved the people to the cities from one end of Egypt to the other.

22 However, he didn't buy the farmland of the priests because Pharaoh allowed the priests a subsidy, and they were able to eat from the subsidy Pharaoh gave them. Therefore, they didn't have to sell their farmland.

23 Joseph said to the people, "Since I've now purchased you and your farmland for Pharaoh, here's seed for you. Plant the seed on the land.

24 When the crop comes in, you must give one-fifth to Pharaoh. You may keep four-fifths for yourselves, for planting fields, and for feeding yourselves, those in your households, and your children."

25 The people said, "You've saved our lives. If you wish, we will be Pharaoh's slaves."

26 So Joseph made a law that still exists today: Pharaoh receives one-fifth from Egypt's farmland. Only the priests' farmland didn't become Pharaoh's.

27 Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen. They settled in it, had many children, and became numerous.

28 After Jacob had lived in the land of Egypt for seventeen years, and after he had lived a total of 147 years,

29 Israel's death approached. He summoned his son Joseph and said to him, "If you would be so kind, lay your hand under my thigh, and be loyal and true to me. Don't bury me in Egypt.

30 When I lie down with my fathers, carry me from Egypt and bury me in their grave." Joseph said, "I will do just as you say."

31 Israel said, "Give me your word!" and Joseph gave his word. Then Israel slumped down at the head of the bed.

1 After this happened, Joseph was told,"Your father is getting weaker," so he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim with him.

2 When Jacob was informed,"Your son Joseph is here now," he pulled himself together and sat up in bed.

3 Jacob said to Joseph, "God Almighty appeared to me in Luz in the land of Canaan. He blessed me

4 and said to me, ‘I am about to give you many children, to increase your numbers, and to make you a large group of peoples. I will give this land to your descendants following you as an enduring possession.'

5 Now, your two sons born to you in the land of Egypt before I arrived in Egypt are my own. Ephraim and Manasseh are just like Reuben and Simeon to me.

6 Your family who is born to you after them are yours, but their inheritance will be determined under their brothers' names.

7 When I came back from Paddan-aram, Rachel died, to my sorrow, on the road in the land of Canaan, with some distance yet to go to Ephrathah, so I buried her there near the road to Ephrathah, which is Bethlehem."

8 When Israel saw Joseph's sons, he said, "Who are these?"

9 Joseph told his father, "They're my sons, whom God gave me here." Israel said, "Bring them to me and I will bless them."

10 Because Israel's eyesight had failed from old age and he wasn't able to see, Joseph brought them close to him, and he kissed and embraced them.

11 Israel said to Joseph, "I didn't expect I'd see your face, but now God has shown me your children too."

12 Then Joseph took them from Israel's knees, and he bowed low with his face to the ground.

13 Joseph took both of them, Ephraim in his right hand at Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand at Israel's right hand, and brought them close to him.

14 But Israel put out his right hand and placed it on the head of Ephraim, the younger one, and his left hand on Manasseh's head, crossing his hands because Manasseh was the oldest son.

15 He blessed them and said, "May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, may the God who was my shepherd from the beginning until this day,

16 may the divine messenger who protected me from all harm, bless the young men. Through them may my name be kept alive and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac. May they grow into a great multitude throughout the land."

17 When Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on Ephraim's head, he was upset and grasped his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head.

18 Joseph said to his father, "No, my father! This is the oldest son. Put your right hand on his head."

19 But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know. He'll become a people too, and he'll also be great. But his younger brother will be greater than he will, and his descendants will become many nations."

20 Israel blessed them that day, saying, "Through you, Israel will pronounce blessings, saying, ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.'" So Israel put Ephraim before Manasseh.

21 Then Israel said to Joseph, "I'm about to die. God will be with you and return you to the land of your fathers.

22 I'm giving you one portion more than to your brothers, a portion that I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow."

1 That day Jesus went out of the house and sat down beside the lake.

2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he climbed into a boat and sat down. The whole crowd was standing on the shore.

3 He said many things to them in parables: "A farmer went out to scatter seed.

4 As he was scattering seed, some fell on the path, and birds came and ate it.

5 Other seed fell on rocky ground where the soil was shallow. They sprouted immediately because the soil wasn't deep.

6 But when the sun came up, it scorched the plants, and they dried up because they had no roots.

7 Other seed fell among thorny plants. The thorny plants grew and choked them.

8 Other seed fell on good soil and bore fruit, in one case a yield of one hundred to one, in another case a yield of sixty to one, and in another case a yield of thirty to one.

9 Everyone who has ears should pay attention."

10 Jesus' disciples came and said to him, "Why do you use parables when you speak to the crowds?"

11 Jesus replied, “Because they haven't received the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but you have.

12 For those who have will receive more and they will have more than enough. But as for those who don't have, even the little they have will be taken away from them.

13 This is why I speak to the crowds in parables: although they see, they don't really see; and although they hear, they don't really hear or understand.

14 What Isaiah prophesied has become completely true for them: You will hear, to be sure, but never understand; and you will certainly see but never recognize what you are seeing.

15 For this people's senses have become calloused, and they've become hard of hearing, and they've shut their eyes so that they won't see with their eyes or hear with their ears or understand with their minds, and change their hearts and lives that I may heal them.

16 “Happy are your eyes because they see. Happy are your ears because they hear.

17 I assure you that many prophets and righteous people wanted to see what you see and hear what you hear, but they didn't.

18 "Consider then the parable of the farmer.

19 Whenever people hear the word about the kingdom and don't understand it, the evil one comes and carries off what was planted in their hearts. This is the seed that was sown on the path.

20 As for the seed that was spread on rocky ground, this refers to people who hear the word and immediately receive it joyfully.

21 Because they have no roots, they last for only a little while. When they experience distress or abuse because of the word, they immediately fall away.

22 As for the seed that was spread among thorny plants, this refers to those who hear the word, but the worries of this life and the false appeal of wealth choke the word, and it bears no fruit.

23 As for what was planted on good soil, this refers to those who hear and understand, and bear fruit and produce—in one case a yield of one hundred to one, in another case a yield of sixty to one, and in another case a yield of thirty to one."

24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like someone who planted good seed in his field.

25 While people were sleeping, an enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat and went away.

26 When the stalks sprouted and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared.

27 “The servants of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Master, didn't you plant good seed in your field? Then how is it that it has weeds?'

28 “‘An enemy has done this,' he answered. “The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and gather them?'

29 "But the landowner said, ‘No, because if you gather the weeds, you'll pull up the wheat along with them.

30 Let both grow side by side until the harvest. And at harvesttime I'll say to the harvesters, First gather the weeds and tie them together in bundles to be burned. But bring the wheat into my barn. '"