Genesis 39; Genesis 40; Matthew 11

1 Now Joseph had been taken to Egypt. An Egyptian [named] Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him there.

2 The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, serving in the household of his Egyptian master.

3 When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made everything he did successful,

4 Joseph found favor in his master's sight and became his personal attendant. Potiphar also put him in charge of his household and placed all that he owned under his authority.

5 From the time that he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house because of Joseph. The Lord's blessing was on all that he owned, in his house and in his fields.

6 He left all that he owned under Joseph's authority; he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome.

7 After some time his master's wife looked longingly at Joseph and said, "Sleep with me."

8 But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Look, my master does not concern himself with anything in his house, and he has put all that he owns under my authority.

9 No one in this house is greater than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. So how could I do such a great evil and sin against God?"

10 Although she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her.

11 Now one day he went into the house to do his work, and none of the household servants was there.

12 She grabbed him by his garment and said, "Sleep with me!" But leaving his garment in her hand, he escaped and ran outside.

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

14 she called the household servants. "Look," she said to them, "my husband brought a Hebrew man to us to make fun of us. He came to me so he could sleep with me, and I screamed as loud as I could.

15 When he heard me screaming for help, he left his garment with me and ran outside."

16 She put Joseph's garment beside her until his master came home.

17 Then she told him the same story: "The Hebrew slave you brought to us came to me to make fun of me,

18 but when I screamed for help, he left his garment with me and ran outside."

19 When his master heard the story his wife told him-"These are the things your slave did to me"-he was furious

20 and had him thrown into prison, where the king's prisoners were confined. So Joseph was there in prison.

21 But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him. He granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.

22 The warden put all the prisoners who were in the prison under Joseph's authority, and he was responsible for everything that was done there.

23 The warden did not bother with anything under Joseph's authority, because the Lord was with him, and the Lord made everything that he did successful.

1 After this, the king of Egypt's cupbearer and his baker offended their master, the king of Egypt.

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

3 and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison where Joseph was confined.

4 The captain of the guard assigned Joseph to them, and he became their personal attendant. And they were in custody for some time.

5 The cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, each had a dream. Both had a dream on the same night, and each dream had its own meaning.

6 When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they looked distraught.

7 So he asked Pharaoh's officers who were in custody with him in his master's house, "Why are your faces sad today?"

8 "We had dreams," they said to him, "but there is no one to interpret them." Then Joseph said to them, "Don't interpretations belong to God? Tell me [your dreams]."

9 So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph: "In my dream there was a vine in front of me.

10 On the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms came out and its clusters ripened into grapes.

11 Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh's cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand."

12 "This is its interpretation," Joseph said to him. "The three branches are three days.

13 In just three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position. You will put Pharaoh's cup in his hand the way you used to when you were his cupbearer.

14 But when all goes well for you, remember that I was with you. Please show kindness to me by mentioning me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this prison.

15 For I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing that they should put me in the dungeon."

16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was positive, he said to Joseph, "I also had a dream. Three baskets of white bread were on my head.

17 In the top basket were all sorts of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head."

18 "This is its interpretation," Joseph replied. "The three baskets are three days.

19 In just three days Pharaoh will lift up your head-from off you-and hang you on a tree. Then the birds will eat the flesh from your body."

20 On the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, he gave a feast for all his servants. He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker:

21 he restored the chief cupbearer to his position as cupbearer, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand;

22 but he hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had explained to them.

23 Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.

1 When Jesus had finished giving orders to His 12 disciples, He moved on from there to teach and preach in their towns.

2 When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent [a message] by his disciples

3 and asked Him, "Are You the One who is to come, or should we expect someone else?"

4 Jesus replied to them, "Go and report to John what you hear and see:

5 the blind see, the lame walk, those with skin diseases are healed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news.

6 And if anyone is not offended because of Me, he is blessed."

7 As these men went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the wind?

8 What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothes? Look, those who wear soft clothes are in kings' palaces.

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

10 This is the one it is written about: Look, I am sending My messenger ahead of You; he will prepare Your way before You.

11 "I assure you: Among those born of women no one greater than John the Baptist has appeared, but the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been suffering violence, and the violent have been seizing it by force.

13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John;

14 if you're willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who is to come.

15 Anyone who has ears should listen!

16 "To what should I compare this generation? It's like children sitting in the marketplaces who call out to each other:

17 We played the flute for you, but you didn't dance; we sang a lament, but you didn't mourn!

18 For John did not come eating or drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon!'

19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds."

20 Then He proceeded to denounce the towns where most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent:

21 "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented in sackcloth and ashes long ago!

22 But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.

23 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to Hades. For if the miracles that were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until today.

24 But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you."

25 At that time Jesus said, "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to infants.

26 Yes, Father, because this was Your good pleasure.

27 All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son desires to reveal Him.

28 "Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

29 All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves.

30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."