Jan 22nd

It was while she was being brought out that she sent to her father-in-law, saying, “I am with child by the man to whom these things belong.” And she said, “Please recognize this and see, whose signet ring and cords and staff are these?”

And Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I, inasmuch as I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not know her again.

Now it happened at the time she was giving birth, that behold, there were twins in her womb.

And it happened, while she was giving birth, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.”

And then it happened, as he drew back his hand, that behold, his brother came out. So she said, “What a breach you have made for yourself!” So he was named Perez.

Afterward his brother came out who had the scarlet thread on his hand; and he was named Zerah.

Now Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an Egyptian official of Pharaoh, the captain of the bodyguard, bought him from the Ishmaelites, who had brought him down there.

And Yahweh was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian.

Now his master saw that Yahweh was with him and how Yahweh caused all that he did to succeed in his hand.

So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended on him; and he appointed him overseer over his house, and all that he owned he gave in his hand.

Now it happened that from the time he appointed him overseer in his house and over all that he owned, Yahweh blessed the Egyptian’s house on account of Joseph; thus the blessing of Yahweh was upon all that he owned, in the house and in the field.

So he left everything he owned in Joseph’s hand; and with him there he did not concern himself with anything except the food which he ate.

Now Joseph was beautiful in form and beautiful in appearance.

And it happened after these events that his master’s wife set her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.”

But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has given all that he owns into my hand.

There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?”

So it happened that as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he did not listen to her to lie beside her or be with her.

Now it happened one day that he went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the household was there inside.

Then she seized him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me!” And he left his garment in her hand and fled and went outside.

Now it happened, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled outside,

that she called to the men of her household and spoke to them, saying, “See, he has brought in a Hebrew to us to laugh at us; he came in to me to lie with me, and I screamed.

Now it happened that when he heard that I raised my voice and screamed, he left his garment beside me and fled and went outside.”

And she placed his garment beside her until his master came home.

Then she spoke to him with these words, saying, “The Hebrew slave, whom you brought to us, came in to me to laugh at me;

and as I raised my voice and screamed, he left his garment beside me and fled outside.”

Now it happened that when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, “This is what your slave did to me,” his anger burned.

So Joseph’s master took him and put him into the jail, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined; and he was there in the jail.

But Yahweh was with Joseph and extended lovingkindness to him and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer.

So the chief jailer gave into the hand of Joseph all the prisoners who were in the jail; so that whatever was done there, he was the one who did it.

The chief jailer did not supervise anything under Joseph’s hand because Yahweh was with him; and whatever he did, Yahweh made to succeed.

Now it happened that after these things, the cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt.

And Pharaoh was furious with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker.

So he put them in confinement in the house of the captain of the bodyguard, in the jail, the same place where Joseph was imprisoned.

And the captain of the bodyguard appointed Joseph as overseer over them, and he attended to them; and they were in confinement for some time.

Then the cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt, who were confined in jail, both had a dream the same night, each man with his own dream and each dream with its own interpretation.

Now Joseph came to them in the morning and saw them, and behold, they were dejected.

So he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were with him in confinement in his master’s house, saying, “Why are your faces so sad today?”

Then they said to him, “We have had a dream, and there is no one to interpret it.” Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Recount it to me, please.”

So the chief cupbearer recounted his dream to Joseph and said to him, “In my dream, behold, there was a vine in front of me;

and on the vine were three branches. And as it was budding, its blossoms came out, and its clusters produced ripe grapes.

Now Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand; so I took the grapes and squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and I put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.”

Then Joseph said to him, “This is the interpretation of it: the three branches are three days;

within three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office; and you will put Pharaoh’s cup into his hand according to your former custom when you were his cupbearer.

Only remember me when it goes well with you, and please show me lovingkindness by remembering me to Pharaoh and getting me out of this house.

For I was in fact stolen from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing that they should have put me into the pit.”

And the chief baker saw that he had interpreted favorably, so he said to Joseph, “I also saw in my dream, and behold, there were three baskets of white bread on my head;

and in the top basket there were some of all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, and the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.”

Then Joseph answered and said, “This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days;

within three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head off of you and will hang you on a tree, and the birds will eat your flesh off of you.”

Thus it happened on the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast for all his servants; and he lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants.

And he restored the chief cupbearer to his office, and he put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand;

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

Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

Now it happened at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream, and behold, he was standing by the Nile.

And behold, from the Nile there came up seven cows, sleek and fat; and they grazed in the reeds.

Then behold, seven other cows came up after them from the Nile, ugly and thin, and they stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile.

And the ugly and thin cows ate up the seven sleek and fat cows. Then Pharaoh awoke.

He again fell asleep and dreamed a second time; and behold, seven ears of grain came up on a single stalk, plump and good.

And behold, seven ears, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them.

And the thin ears swallowed up the seven plump and full ears. Then Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.

Now it happened that in the morning his spirit was troubled, so he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. And Pharaoh recounted to them his dream, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh.

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, saying, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”

He *said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

And Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

And Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”

Then He warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ.

From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.

And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.”

But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.

For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

And six days later Jesus *brought with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and *led them up on a high mountain by themselves.

And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light.

And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.

And Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three booths here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”

And when the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified.

And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.”

And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone.

And as they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.”

And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

And He answered and said, “Elijah is coming and will restore all things;

but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.”

Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist.