Jan 9 - Genesis 38-42
Genesis
1About the same time, Judah, descending from his brothers, turned toward an Adullamite man, named Hirah2And he saw there the daughter of a man called Shua, of Canaan. And taking her as a wife, he entered to her3And she conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Er4And conceiving offspring again, having given birth to a son, she called him Onan5Likewise, she bore a third, whom she called Shelah, after whose birth, she ceased to bear any more6Then Judah gave a wife to his first born Er, whose name was Tamar7And it also happened that Er, the first born of Judah, was wicked in the sight of the Lord and was killed by him8Therefore, Judah said to his son Onan: "Enter to the wife of your brother, and associate with her, so that you may raise offspring to your brother.9He, knowing that the sons to be born would not be his, when he entered to the wife of his brother, he spilled his seed on the ground, lest children should be born in his brother’s name10And for this reason, the Lord struck him down, because he did a detestable thing11Because of this matter, Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Be a widow in your father’s house, until my son Shelah grows up." For he was afraid, lest he also might die, just as his brothers did. She went away, and she lived in her father’s house12Then, after many days had passed, the daughter of Shua, the wife of Judah, died. And when he accepted consolation after his mourning, he went up to the shearers of his sheep at Timnah, he and Hirah, the herdsman of the Adullamite flock13And it was reported to Tamar that her father-in-law had gone up to Timnah to shear the sheep14And storing away the garments of her widowhood, she took up a veil. And changing her clothing, she sat at the crossroad that leads to Timnah, because Shelah had grown up, and she had not received him as a husband15And when Judah saw her, he thought her to be a harlot. For she had covered her face, lest she be recognized16And entering to her, he said, "Permit me to join with you." For he did not know her to be his daughter-in-law. And she responded, "What will you give to me, to enjoy me as a concubine?17He said, "I will send you a young goat from the flock." And again, she said, "I will allow what you want, if you give me a pledge, until you may send what you promise.18Judah said, "What do you want to be given for a pledge?" She responded, "Your ring and bracelet, and the staff that you hold in your hand." Thereupon, the woman, from one sexual encounter, conceived19And she arose and went away. And storing away the garments that she had taken up, she was clothed in the garments of her widowhood20Then Judah sent a young goat by his shepherd, the Adullamite, so that he might receive the pledge that he had given to the woman. But, when he had not found her21he questioned the men of that place: "Where is the woman who sat at the crossroad?" And they all responded, "There has been no harlot in this place.22He returned to Judah, and he said to him: "I did not find her. Moreover, the men of that place told me that a prostitute had never sat there.23Judah said: "Let her hold herself to blame. Certainly, she is not able to accuse us of a lie. I sent the young goat that I had promised, and you did not find her.24And behold, after three months, they reported to Judah, saying, "Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has committed fornication and her abdomen appears to be enlarged." And Judah said, "Produce her, so that she may be burned.25But when she was led out to the punishment, she sent to her father-in-law, saying: "I conceived by the man to whom these things belong. Recognize whose ring, and bracelet, and staff this is.26But he, acknowledging the gifts, said: "She is more just than I am. For I did not deliver her to my son Shelah." However, he knew her no more27Then, at the moment of birth, there appeared twins in the womb. And so, in the very delivery of the infants, one put forth a hand, on which the midwife tied a scarlet thread, saying28"This one will go out first.29But in truth, drawing back his hand, the other came out. And the woman said, "Why is the partition divided for you?" And for this reason, she called his name Perez30After this, his brother came out, on whose hand was the scarlet thread. And she called him Zerah
1Meanwhile, Joseph was led into Egypt. And Putiphar, a eunuch of Pharaoh, a leader of the army, an Egyptian man, purchased him from the hand of the Ishmaelites, by whom he was brought2And the Lord was with him, and he was a man who prospered in everything that he did. And he lived in the house of his lord3who knew very well that the Lord was with him, and that all the things that were done by him were directed by his hand4And Joseph found favor in the sight of his lord, and he ministered to him. And, having been placed in charge of everything by him, he governed the house that was entrusted to him and all the things that had been delivered to him5And the Lord blessed the house of the Egyptian, because of Joseph, and he multiplied all his substance, as much in the buildings, as in the fields6Neither did he know anything other than the bread that he ate. Now Joseph was beautiful in form, and stately in appearance7And so, after many days, his mistress cast her eyes on Joseph, and she said, "Sleep with me.8And without consenting at all to the wicked act, he said to her: "Behold, my lord has delivered all things to me, and he does not know what he has in his own house9Neither is there anything which is not in my power, or that he has not delivered to me, except you, for you are his wife. How then can I do this evil act and sin against my God?10With such words as these, throughout each day, the woman was pestering the young man, and he was refusing the adultery11Then it happened, on a certain day, that Joseph entered the house, and he was doing something, without any witnesses12And she, grasping the hem of his garment, said, "Sleep with me." But he, leaving behind the cloak in her hand, fled and went outside13And when the woman saw the garment in her hands and herself being treated with disrespect14she called to herself the men of her house, and she said to them: "Lo, he has brought in a Hebrew man to abuse us. He entered toward me, in order to join with me; and when I had shouted out15and he had heard my voice, he left behind the cloak that I held, and he fled outside.16As a proof, therefore, of her fidelity, she retained the cloak, and she showed it to her husband, when he returned home17And she said: "The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought in to me, approached me to abuse me18And when he had heard me cry out, he left behind the cloak that I held, and he fled outside.19His lord, upon hearing these things, and having excessive trust in the words of his mate, was very angry20And he delivered Joseph into prison, where the prisoners of the king were kept, and he was enclosed in that place21But the Lord was with Joseph, and, having mercy on him, he gave him favor in the sight of the leader of the prison22who delivered into his hand all the prisoners who were held in custody. And whatever was done, was under him23Neither did he himself know anything, having entrusted all things to him. For the Lord was with him, and he directed everything that he did
1While these things were going on, it happened that two eunuchs, the cupbearer of the king of Egypt, and the miller of grain, offended their lord2And Pharaoh, being angry with them, (now the one was in charge of the cupbearers, the other of the millers of grain3sent them to the prison of the leader of the military, in which Joseph also was a prisoner4But the keeper of the prison delivered them to Joseph, who ministered to them also. Some little time passed by, while they were held in custody5And they both saw a similar dream on one night, whose interpretations should be related to one another6And when Joseph had entered to them in the morning, and had seen them sad7he consulted them, saying, "Why is your expression sadder today than usual?8They responded, "We have seen a dream, and there is no one to interpret it for us." And Joseph said to them, "Doesn’t interpretation belong to God? Recount for me what you have seen.9The chief cupbearer explained his dream first. "I saw before me a vine10on which were three shoots, which grew little by little into buds, and, after the flowers, it matured into grapes11And the cup of Pharaoh was in my hand. Therefore, I took the grapes, and I pressed them into the cup that I held, and I handed the cup to Pharaoh.12Joseph responded: "This is the interpretation of the dream. The three shoots are the next three days13after which Pharaoh will remember your service, and he will restore you to your former position. And you will give him the cup according to your office, as you were accustomed to do before14Only remember me, when it will be well with you, and do me this mercy, to suggest to Pharaoh to lead me out of this prison15For I have been stolen from the land of the Hebrews, and here, innocently, I was cast into the pit.16The chief miller of grain, seeing that he had wisely unraveled the dream, said: "I also saw a dream: that I had three baskets of meal above my head17and in one basket, which was the highest, I carried all foods that are made by the art of baking, and the birds ate from it.18Joseph responded: "This is the interpretation of the dream. The three baskets are the next three days19after which Pharaoh will carry away your head, and also suspend you from a cross, and the birds will tear your flesh.20The third day thereafter was the birthday of Pharaoh. And making a great feast for his servants, he remembered, during the banquet, the chief cupbearer and the chief miller of grain21And he restored the one to his place, to present him the cup22the other he hanged on a gallows, and thus the truth of the interpreter of dreams was proven23And although he advanced with so much prosperity, the chief cupbearer forgot his interpreter of dreams
1After two years, Pharaoh saw a dream. He thought himself to be standing above a river2from which ascended seven cows, exceedingly beautiful and stout. And they pastured in marshy places3Likewise, another seven emerged from the river, filthy and thoroughly emaciated. And they pastured on the same bank of the river, in green places4And they devoured those whose appearance and condition of body was so wonderful. Pharaoh, having been awakened5slept again, and he saw another dream. Seven ears of grain sprung up on one stalk, full and well-formed6Likewise, other ears of grain, of the same number, rose up, thin and struck with blight7devouring all the beauty of the first. Pharaoh, when he awakened after his rest8and when morning arrived, being terrified with fear, sent to all the interpreters of Egypt and to all of the wise men. And when they were summoned, he explained to them his dream; but there was no one who could interpret it9Then at last the chief cupbearer, remembering, said, "I confess my sin10The king, being angry with his servants, ordered me and the chief miller of grain to be forced into the prison of the leader of the military11There, in one night, both of us saw a dream presaging the future12In that place, there was a Hebrew, a servant of the same commander of the military, to whom we explained our dreams13Whatever we heard was proven afterwards by the event of the matter. For I was restored to my office, and he was suspended on a cross.14Immediately, by the king’s authority, Joseph was led out of prison, and they shaved him. And changing his apparel, they presented him to him15And he said to him, "I have seen dreams, and there is no one who can unfold them. I have heard that you are very wise at interpreting these.16Joseph responded, "Apart from me, God will respond favorably to Pharaoh.17Therefore, Pharaoh explained what he had seen: "I thought myself to be standing on the bank of a river18and seven cows climbed up from the river, exceedingly beautiful and full of flesh. And they grazed in a pasture of a marshy greenery19And behold, there followed after these, another seven cows, with such deformity and emaciation as I had never seen in the land of Egypt20These devoured and consumed the first21giving no indication of being full. But they remained in the same state of emaciation and squalor. Awakening, but being weighed down into sleep again22I saw a dream. Seven ears of grain sprang up on one stalk, full and very beautiful23Likewise, another seven, thin and struck with blight, rose up from the stalk24And they devoured the beauty of the first. I explained this dream to the interpreters, and there is no one who can unfold it.25Joseph responded: "The dream of the king is one. What God will do, he has revealed to Pharaoh26The seven beautiful cows, and the seven full ears of grain, are seven years of abundance. And so the force of the dreams is understood to be the same27Likewise, the seven thin and emaciated cows, which ascended after them, and the seven thin ears of grain, which were struck with the burning wind, are seven approaching years of famine28These will be fulfilled in this order29Behold, there will arrive seven years of great fertility throughout the entire land of Egypt30After this, there will follow another seven years, of such great barrenness that all the former abundance will be delivered into oblivion. For the famine will consume all the land31and the greatness of this destitution will cause the greatness of the abundance to be lost32Now, as to what you saw the second time, it is a dream pertaining to the same thing. It is an indication of its firmness, because the word of God shall be done, and it shall be completed swiftly33Now therefore, let the king provide a wise and industrious man, and place him over the land of Egypt34so that he may appoint overseers throughout all the regions. And let a fifth part of the fruits, throughout the seven fertile year35that now have already begun to occur, be gathered into storehouses. And let all the grain be stored away, under the power of Pharaoh, and let it be kept in the cities36And let it be prepared for the future famine of seven years, which will oppress Egypt, and then the land will not be consumed by destitution.37The counsel pleased Pharaoh and all his ministers38And he said to them, "Would we be able to find another such man, who is full of the Spirit of God?39Therefore, he said to Joseph: "Because God has revealed to you all that you have said, would I be able to find anyone wiser and as much like you40You will be over my house, and to the authority of your mouth, all the people will show obedience. Only in one way, in the throne of the kingdom, will I go before you.41And again, Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Behold, I have appointed you over the entire land of Egypt.42And he took the ring from his own hand, and he gave it into his hand. And he clothed him with a robe of fine linen, and he placed a necklace of gold around his neck43And he caused him to ascend upon his second swift chariot, with the herald proclaiming that everyone should bend their knee before him, and that they should know that he was governor over the entire land of Egypt44Likewise, the king said to Joseph: "I am Pharaoh: apart from your authority, no one will move hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.45And he changed his name and called him, in the Egyptian tongue: ‘Savior of the world.’ And he gave him as a wife, Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of Heliopolis. And so Joseph went out into the land of Egypt46(Now he was thirty years old when he stood in the sight of king Pharaoh.) And he traveled throughout the regions of Egypt47And the fertility of the seven years arrived. And when the grain fields were reduced to sheaves, these were gathered into the storehouses of Egypt48And now all the abundance of grain was stored away in every city49And there was such a great abundance of wheat that it was comparable to the sands of the sea, and its bounty exceeded all measure50Then, before the famine arrived, Joseph had two sons born, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of Heliopolis, bore for him51And he called the name of the firstborn Manasseh, saying, "God has caused me to forget all my labors and the house of my father.52Likewise, he named the second Ephraim, saying, "God has caused me to increase in the land of my poverty.53And so, when the seven years of fertility that occurred in Egypt had passed54the seven years of destitution, which Joseph had predicted, began to arrive. And the famine prevailed throughout the whole world, but there was bread in all the land of Egypt55And being hungry, the people cried out to Pharaoh, asking for provisions. And he said to them: "Go to Joseph. And do whatever he will tell you.56Then the famine increased daily in all the land. And Joseph opened all of the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. For the famine had oppressed them also57And all the provinces came to Egypt, to buy food and to temper the misfortune of their destitution
1Then Jacob, hearing that food was being sold in Egypt, said to his sons: "Why are you negligent2I have heard that wheat is being sold in Egypt. Go down and buy necessities for us, so that we may be able to live, and not be consumed by destitution.3And so, when ten brothers of Joseph went down to buy grain in Egypt4Benjamin was kept at home by Jacob, who said to his brothers, "Lest perhaps he may suffer harm on the journey.5And they entered into the land of Egypt with the others who traveled to buy. For the famine was in the land of Canaan6And Joseph was governor in the land of Egypt, and grain was sold under his direction to the people. And when his brothers had reverenced hi7and he had recognized them, he spoke harshly, as if to foreigners, questioning them: "Where did you come from?" And they responded, "From the land of Canaan, to buy necessary provisions.8And although he knew his brothers, he was not known by them9And remembering the dreams, which he had seen in another time, he said to them: "You are scouts. You have come in order to see which parts of the land are weaker.10And they said: "It is not so, my lord. But your servants have arrived in order to buy food11We are all sons of one man. We have come in peace, nor do any of your subjects devise evil.12And he answered them: "It is otherwise. You have come to examine the unguarded parts of this land.13But they said: "We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is with our father; the other is not living.14He said: "This is just as I have said. You are scouts15I will now continue to put you to the test. By the health of Pharaoh, you will not depart from here, until your youngest brother arrives16Send one of you and bring him. But you will be in chains, until what you have said is proven to be either true or false. Otherwise, by the health of Pharaoh, you are scouts.17Therefore, he delivered them into custody for three days18Then, on the third day, he brought them out of prison, and he said: "Do as I have said, and you will live. For I fear God19If you are peaceful, let one of your brothers be bound in prison. Then you may go away and carry the grain that you have bought to your houses20And bring your youngest brother to me, so that I may be able to test your words, and you may not die." They did as he had said21and they spoke to one another: "We deserve to suffer these things, because we have sinned against our brother, seeing the anguish of his soul, when he begged us and we would not listen. For that reason, this tribulation has come upon us.22And Reuben, one of them, said: "Did not I say to you, ‘Do not sin against the boy,’ and you would not listen to me? See, his blood is exacted.23But they did not know that Joseph understood, because he was speaking to them through an interpreter24And he turned himself away briefly and wept. And returning, he spoke to them25And taking Simeon, and binding him in their presence, he ordered his ministers to fill their sacks with wheat, and to replace each one’s money in their sacks, and to give them, in addition, provisions for the way. And they did so26Then, having loaded their donkeys with the grain, they set out27And one of them, opening a sack to give his beast of burden fodder at the inn, looked upon the money at the sack’s mouth28and he said to his brothers: "My money has returned to me. See, it is held in the sack." And they were astonished and troubled, and they said to one another, "What is this that God has done to us?29And they went to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, and they explained to him all the things that had befallen them, saying30"The lord of the land spoke harshly to us, and he considered us to be scouts of the province31And we answered him: ‘We are peaceful, and we do not intend any treachery32We are twelve brothers conceived of one father. One is not living; the youngest is with our father in the land of Canaan.33And he said to us: ‘Thus will I prove that you are peaceful. Release one of your brothers to me, and take necessary provisions for your houses, and go away34and bring your youngest brother to me, so that I may know that you are not scouts. And this one, who is held in chains, you may be able to receive again. And thereafter, you shall have permission to buy what you want.’ 35Having said this, when they poured out their grain, each found his money tied to the mouth of his sack. And all were terrified together36Their father Jacob said, "You have caused me to be without children. Joseph is not living, Simeon is held in chains, and Benjamin you would carry away. All these evils have fallen back upon me.37And Reuben answered him, "Put my two sons to death, if I do not lead him back to you. Deliver him into my hand, and I will restore him to you.38But he said: "My son will not go down with you. His brother is dead, and he is left alone. If any adversity will befall him in the land to which you travel, you would lead my grey hairs down with sorrow to the grave.