From the Pit to Potiphar's House

1. Jacob lived in the land of his father’s travels, in the land of Canaan. 2. This is the history of the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. Joseph brought an evil report of them to their father. 3. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age, and he made him a coat of many colors. 4. His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, and they hated him, and couldn’t speak peaceably to him. 5. Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers, and they hated him all the more. 6. He said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: 7. for behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and behold, your sheaves came around, and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8. His brothers said to him, “Will you indeed reign over us? Or will you indeed have dominion over us?” They hated him all the more for his dreams and for his words. 9. He dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brothers, and said, “Behold, I have dreamed yet another dream: and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed down to me.” 10. He told it to his father and to his brothers. His father rebuked him, and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Will I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves down to you to the earth?” 11. His brothers envied him, but his father kept this saying in mind. 12. His brothers went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem. 13. Israel said to Joseph, “Aren’t your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them.” He said to him, “Here I am.” 14. He said to him, “Go now, see whether it is well with your brothers, and well with the flock; and bring me word again.” So he sent him out of the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. 15. A certain man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field. The man asked him, “What are you looking for?” 16. He said, “I am looking for my brothers. Tell me, please, where they are feeding the flock.” 17. The man said, “They have left here, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” Joseph went after his brothers, and found them in Dothan. 18. They saw him afar off, and before he came near to them, they conspired against him to kill him. 19. They said to one another, “Behold, this dreamer comes. 20. Come now therefore, and let’s kill him, and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say, ‘An evil animal has devoured him.’ We will see what will become of his dreams.” 21. Reuben heard it, and delivered him out of their hand, and said, “Let’s not take his life.” 22. Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him”—that he might deliver him out of their hand, to restore him to his father. 23. When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped Joseph of his coat, the coat of many colors that was on him; 24. and they took him, and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty. There was no water in it. 25. They sat down to eat bread, and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing spices and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt. 26. Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27. Come, and let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not let our hand be on him; for he is our brother, our flesh.” His brothers listened to him. 28. Midianites who were merchants passed by, and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. They brought Joseph into Egypt. 29. Reuben returned to the pit; and saw that Joseph wasn’t in the pit; and he tore his clothes. 30. He returned to his brothers, and said, “The child is no more; and I, where will I go?” 31. They took Joseph’s coat, and killed a male goat, and dipped the coat in the blood. 32. They took the coat of many colors, and they brought it to their father, and said, “We have found this. Examine it, now, whether it is your son’s coat or not.” 33. He recognized it, and said, “It is my son’s coat. An evil animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces.” 34. Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days. 35. All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. He said, “For I will go down to Sheol to my son mourning.” His father wept for him. 36. The Midianites sold him into Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, the captain of the guard. 1. At that time, Judah went down from his brothers, and visited a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. 2. Judah saw there a certain Canaanite man named Shua’s daughter. He took her, and went in to her. 3. She conceived, and bore a son; and he named him Er. 4. She conceived again, and bore a son; and she named him Onan. 5. She yet again bore a son, and named him Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bore him. 6. Judah took a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. 7. Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in Yahweh’s sight. Yahweh killed him. 8. Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.” 9. Onan knew that the offspring wouldn’t be his; and when he went in to his brother’s wife, he spilled it on the ground, lest he should give offspring to his brother. 10. The thing which he did was evil in Yahweh’s sight, and he killed him also. 11. Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father’s house, until Shelah, my son, is grown up”; for he said, “Lest he also die, like his brothers.” Tamar went and lived in her father’s house. 12. After many days, Shua’s daughter, the wife of Judah, died. Judah was comforted, and went up to his sheep shearers to Timnah, he and his friend Hirah, the Adullamite. 13. Tamar was told, “Behold, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.” 14. She took off her the garments of her widowhood, and covered herself with her veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the gate of Enaim, which is by the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she wasn’t given to him as a wife. 15. When Judah saw her, he thought that she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. 16. He turned to her by the way, and said, “Please come, let me come in to you,” for he didn’t know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?” 17. He said, “I will send you a young goat from the flock.” She said, “Will you give me a pledge, until you send it?” 18. He said, “What pledge will I give you?” She said, “Your signet and your cord, and your staff that is in your hand.” He gave them to her, and came in to her, and she conceived by him. 19. She arose, and went away, and put off her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood. 20. Judah sent the young goat by the hand of his friend, the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman’s hand, but he didn’t find her. 21. Then he asked the men of her place, saying, “Where is the prostitute, that was at Enaim by the road?” They said, “There has been no prostitute here.” 22. He returned to Judah, and said, “I haven’t found her; and also the men of the place said, ‘There has been no prostitute here.’” 23. Judah said, “Let her keep it, lest we be shamed. Behold, I sent this young goat, and you haven’t found her.” 24. About three months later, Judah was told, “Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has played the prostitute. Moreover, behold, she is with child by prostitution.” Judah said, “Bring her out, and let her be burned.” 25. When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, “By the man, whose these are, I am with child.” She also said, “Please discern whose are these—the signet, and the cords, and the staff.” 26. Judah acknowledged them, and said, “She is more righteous than I, because I didn’t give her to Shelah, my son.” He knew her again no more. 27. In the time of her travail, behold, twins were in her womb. 28. When she travailed, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This came out first.” 29. As he drew back his hand, behold, his brother came out, and she said, “Why have you made a breach for yourself?” Therefore his name was called Perez. 30. Afterward his brother came out, that had the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah. 1. Joseph was brought down to Egypt. Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the hand of the Ishmaelites that had brought him down there. 2. Yahweh was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man. He was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 3. His master saw that Yahweh was with him, and that Yahweh made all that he did prosper in his hand. 4. Joseph found favor in his sight. He ministered to him, and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand. 5. From the time that he made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, Yahweh blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake. Yahweh’s blessing was on all that he had, in the house and in the field. 6. He left all that he had in Joseph’s hand. He didn’t concern himself with anything, except for the food which he ate. Joseph was well-built and handsome. 7. After these things, his master’s wife set her eyes on Joseph; and she said, “Lie with me.” 8. But he refused, and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, my master doesn’t know what is with me in the house, and he has put all that he has into my hand. 9. No one is greater in this house than I am, and he has not kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” 10. As she spoke to Joseph day by day, he didn’t listen to her, to lie by her, or to be with her. 11. About this time, he went into the house to do his work, and there were none of the men of the house inside. 12. She caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me!” He left his garment in her hand, and ran outside. 13. When she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and had run outside, 14. she called to the men of her house, and spoke to them, saying, “Behold, he has brought a Hebrew in to us to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice. 15. When he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment by me, and ran outside.” 16. She laid up his garment by her, until his master came home. 17. She spoke to him according to these words, saying, “The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought to us, came in to me to mock me, 18. and as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment by me, and ran outside.” 19. When his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, “This is what your servant did to me,” his wrath was kindled. 20. Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were bound, and he was there in custody. 21. But Yahweh was with Joseph, and showed kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22. The keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever they did there, he was responsible for it. 23. The keeper of the prison didn’t look after anything that was under his hand, because Yahweh was with him; and that which he did, Yahweh made it prosper.

1. The beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2. As it is written in the prophets, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you: 3. the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord! Make his paths straight!’” 4. John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching the baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins. 5. All the country of Judea and all those of Jerusalem went out to him. They were baptized by him in the Jordan river, confessing their sins. 6. John was clothed with camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist. He ate locusts and wild honey. 7. He preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and loosen. 8. I baptized you in water, but he will baptize you in the Holy Spirit.” 9. In those days, Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10. Immediately coming up from the water, he saw the heavens parting, and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11. A voice came out of the sky, “You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 12. Immediately the Spirit drove him out into the wilderness. 13. He was there in the wilderness forty days tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals; and the angels were serving him. 14. Now after John was taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the Good News of God’s Kingdom, 15. and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and God’s Kingdom is at hand! Repent, and believe in the Good News.” 16. Passing along by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17. Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you into fishers for men.” 18. Immediately they left their nets, and followed him. 19. Going on a little further from there, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John, his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets. 20. Immediately he called them, and they left their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired servants, and went after him. 21. They went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath day he entered into the synagogue and taught. 22. They were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as having authority, and not as the scribes. 23. Immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, 24. saying, “Ha! What do we have to do with you, Jesus, you Nazarene? Have you come to destroy us? I know you who you are: the Holy One of God!” 25. Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” 26. The unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. 27. They were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching? For with authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him!” 28. The report of him went out immediately everywhere into all the region of Galilee and its surrounding area. 29. Immediately, when they had come out of the synagogue, they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30. Now Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. 31. He came and took her by the hand, and raised her up. The fever left her, and she served them. 32. At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to him all who were sick, and those who were possessed by demons. 33. All the city was gathered together at the door. 34. He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. He didn’t allow the demons to speak, because they knew him. 35. Early in the morning, while it was still dark, he rose up and went out, and departed into a deserted place, and prayed there. 36. Simon and those who were with him followed after him; 37. and they found him, and told him, “Everyone is looking for you.” 38. He said to them, “Let’s go elsewhere into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because I came out for this reason.” 39. He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out demons. 40. A leper came to him, begging him, kneeling down to him, and saying to him, “If you want to, you can make me clean.” 41. Being moved with compassion, he stretched out his hand, and touched him, and said to him, “I want to. Be made clean.” 42. When he had said this, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was made clean. 43. He strictly warned him, and immediately sent him out, 44. and said to him, “See you say nothing to anybody, but go show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing the things which Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.” 45. But he went out, and began to proclaim it much, and to spread about the matter, so that Jesus could no more openly enter into a city, but was outside in desert places: and they came to him from everywhere. 1. When he entered again into Capernaum after some days, it was heard that he was in the house. 2. Immediately many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even around the door; and he spoke the word to them. 3. Four people came, carrying a paralytic to him. 4. When they could not come near to him for the crowd, they removed the roof where he was. When they had broken it up, they let down the mat that the paralytic was lying on. 5. Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” 6. But there were some of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, 7. “Why does this man speak blasphemies like that? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8. Immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you reason these things in your hearts? 9. Which is easier, to tell the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven;’ or to say, ‘Arise, and take up your bed, and walk?’ 10. But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11. “I tell you, arise, take up your mat, and go to your house.” 12. He arose, and immediately took up the mat, and went out in front of them all; so that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!” 13. He went out again by the seaside. All the multitude came to him, and he taught them. 14. As he passed by, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he arose and followed him. 15. He was reclining at the table in his house, and many tax collectors and sinners sat down with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many, and they followed him. 16. The scribes and the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why is it that he eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?” 17. When Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” 18. John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, and they came and asked him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples don’t fast?” 19. Jesus said to them, “Can the groomsmen fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they can’t fast. 20. But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then will they fast in that day. 21. No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, or else the patch shrinks and the new tears away from the old, and a worse hole is made. 22. No one puts new wine into old wineskins, or else the new wine will burst the skins, and the wine pours out, and the skins will be destroyed; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins.” 23. He was going on the Sabbath day through the grain fields, and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of grain. 24. The Pharisees said to him, “Behold, why do they do that which is not lawful on the Sabbath day?” 25. He said to them, “Did you never read what David did, when he had need, and was hungry—he, and those who were with him? 26. How he entered into God’s house at the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the show bread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and gave also to those who were with him?” 27. He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28. Therefore the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.” 1. He entered again into the synagogue, and there was a man there who had his hand withered. 2. They watched him, whether he would heal him on the Sabbath day, that they might accuse him. 3. He said to the man who had his hand withered, “Stand up.” 4. He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath day to do good, or to do harm? To save a life, or to kill?” But they were silent. 5. When he had looked around at them with anger, being grieved at the hardening of their hearts, he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored as healthy as the other. 6. The Pharisees went out, and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him. 7. Jesus withdrew to the sea with his disciples, and a great multitude followed him from Galilee, from Judea, 8. from Jerusalem, from Idumaea, beyond the Jordan, and those from around Tyre and Sidon. A great multitude, hearing what great things he did, came to him. 9. He spoke to his disciples that a little boat should stay near him because of the crowd, so that they wouldn’t press on him. 10. For he had healed many, so that as many as had diseases pressed on him that they might touch him. 11. The unclean spirits, whenever they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, “You are the Son of God!” 12. He sternly warned them that they should not make him known. 13. He went up into the mountain, and called to himself those whom he wanted, and they went to him. 14. He appointed twelve, that they might be with him, and that he might send them out to preach, 15. and to have authority to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons: 16. Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); 17. James the son of Zebedee; and John, the brother of James, (whom he called Boanerges, which means, Sons of Thunder); 18. Andrew; Philip; Bartholomew; Matthew; Thomas; James, the son of Alphaeus; Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot; 19. and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. Then he came into a house. 20. The multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. 21. When his friends heard it, they went out to seize him: for they said, “He is insane.” 22. The scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul,” and, “By the prince of the demons he casts out the demons.” 23. He summoned them, and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24. If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26. If Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he can’t stand, but has an end. 27. But no one can enter into the house of the strong man to plunder, unless he first binds the strong man; and then he will plunder his house. 28. Most certainly I tell you, all sins of the descendants of man will be forgiven, including their blasphemies with which they may blaspheme; 29. but whoever may blaspheme against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation.” 30. —because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.” 31. His mother and his brothers came, and standing outside, they sent to him, calling him. 32. A multitude was sitting around him, and they told him, “Behold, your mother, your brothers, and your sisters are outside looking for you.” 33. He answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34. Looking around at those who sat around him, he said, “Behold, my mother and my brothers! 35. For whoever does the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.”

1. In Yahweh, I take refuge. How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain!” 2. For, behold, the wicked bend their bows. They set their arrows on the strings, that they may shoot in darkness at the upright in heart. 3. If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? 4. Yahweh is in his holy temple. Yahweh is on his throne in heaven. His eyes observe. His eyes examine the children of men. 5. Yahweh examines the righteous, but the wicked and him who loves violence his soul hates. 6. On the wicked he will rain blazing coals; fire, sulfur, and scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup. 7. For Yahweh is righteous. He loves righteousness. The upright shall see his face.