Genesis 38-41

Genesis 38

¹At that time, Judah went down from his brothers, and visited a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.

²There, Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite man named Shua. He took her, and went in to her.

³She conceived, and bore a son; and he named him Er.

⁴She conceived again, and bore a son; and she named him Onan.

⁵She yet again bore a son, and named him Shelah. He was at Chezib when she bore him.

⁶Judah took a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.

⁷Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the LORD’s sight. So the LORD killed him.

⁸Judah 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.”

⁹Onan knew that the offspring wouldn’t be his; and when he went in to his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground, lest he should give offspring to his brother.

¹⁰The thing which he did was evil in the LORD’s sight, and he killed him also.

¹¹Then 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.

¹²After 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.

¹³Tamar was told, “Behold, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.”

¹⁴She took off the garments of her widowhood, and covered herself with her veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the gate of Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she wasn’t given to him as a wife.

¹⁵When Judah saw her, he thought that she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face.

¹⁶He 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?”

¹⁷He said, “I will send you a young goat from the flock.” She said, “Will you give me a pledge, until you send it?”

¹⁸He 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.

¹⁹She arose, and went away, and put off her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.

²⁰Judah 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.

²¹Then 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.”

²²He returned to Judah, and said, “I haven’t found her; and also the men of the place said, ‘There has been no prostitute here.’”

²³Judah said, “Let her keep it, lest we be shamed. Behold, I sent this young goat, and you haven’t found her.”

²⁴About 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.”

²⁵When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, “I am with child by the man who owns these.” She also said, “Please discern whose these are—the signet, and the cords, and the staff.”

²⁶Judah 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.

²⁷In the time of her travail, behold, twins were in her womb.

²⁸When she travailed, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This came out first.”

²⁹As 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.

³⁰Afterward his brother came out, who had the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah.

Genesis 39

¹Joseph 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.

²The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man. He was in the house of his master the Egyptian.

³His master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did prosper in his hand.

⁴Joseph found favor in his sight. He ministered to him, and Potiphar made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.

⁵From the time that he made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake. The LORD’s blessing was on all that he had, in the house and in the field.

⁶He 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.

⁷After these things, his master’s wife set her eyes on Joseph; and she said, “Lie with me.”

⁸But 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.

⁹No 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?”

¹⁰As she spoke to Joseph day by day, he didn’t listen to her, to lie by her, or to be with her.

¹¹About this time, he went into the house to do his work, and there were none of the men of the house inside.

¹²She caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me!” He left his garment in her hand, and ran outside.

¹³When she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and had run outside,

¹⁴she 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.

¹⁵When he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment by me, and ran outside.”

¹⁶She laid up his garment by her, until his master came home.

¹⁷She spoke to him according to these words, saying, “The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought to us, came in to me to mock me,

¹⁸and as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment by me, and ran outside.”

¹⁹When 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.

²⁰Joseph’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.

²¹But the LORD was with Joseph, and showed kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

²²The 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.

²³The keeper of the prison didn’t look after anything that was under his hand, because the LORD was with him; and that which he did, the LORD made it prosper.

Genesis 40

¹After these things, the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker offended their lord, the king of Egypt.

²Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cup bearer and the chief baker.

³He put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound.

⁴The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he took care of them. They stayed in prison many days.

⁵They both dreamed a dream, each man his dream, in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the cup bearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were bound in the prison.

⁶Joseph came in to them in the morning, and saw them, and saw that they were sad.

⁷He asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in custody in his master’s house, saying, “Why do you look so sad today?”

⁸They said to him, “We have dreamed a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it.” Joseph said to them, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Please tell it to me.”

⁹The chief cup bearer told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, “In my dream, behold, a vine was in front of me,

¹⁰and in the vine were three branches. It was as though it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters produced ripe grapes.

¹¹Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.”

¹²Joseph said to him, “This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days.

¹³Within three more days, Pharaoh will lift up your head, and restore you to your office. You will give Pharaoh’s cup into his hand, the way you did when you were his cup bearer.

¹⁴But remember me when it is well with you. Please show kindness to me, and make mention of me to Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house.

¹⁵For indeed, I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon.”

¹⁶When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph, “I also was in my dream, and behold, three baskets of white bread were on my head.

¹⁷In the uppermost basket there were all kinds of baked food for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them out of the basket on my head.”

¹⁸Joseph answered, “This is its interpretation. The three baskets are three days.

¹⁹Within three more days, Pharaoh will lift up your head from off you, and will hang you on a tree; and the birds will eat your flesh from off you.”

²⁰On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he made a feast for all his servants, and he lifted up the head of the chief cup bearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants.

²¹He restored the chief cup bearer to his position again, and he gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand;

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

²³Yet the chief cup bearer didn’t remember Joseph, but forgot him.

Genesis 41

¹At the end of two full years, Pharaoh dreamed, and behold, he stood by the river.

²Behold, seven cattle came up out of the river. They were sleek and fat, and they fed in the marsh grass.

³Behold, seven other cattle came up after them out of the river, ugly and thin, and stood by the other cattle on the brink of the river.

⁴The ugly and thin cattle ate up the seven sleek and fat cattle. So Pharaoh awoke.

⁵He slept and dreamed a second time; and behold, seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, healthy and good.

⁶Behold, seven heads of grain, thin and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them.

⁷The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy and full ears. Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.

⁸In the morning, his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all of Egypt’s magicians and wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh.

⁹Then the chief cup bearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying, “I remember my faults today.

¹⁰Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, with the chief baker.

¹¹We dreamed a dream in one night, he and I. Each man dreamed according to the interpretation of his dream.

¹²There was with us there a young man, a Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard, and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams. He interpreted to each man according to his dream.

¹³As he interpreted to us, so it was. He restored me to my office, and he hanged him.”

¹⁴Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon. He shaved himself, changed his clothing, and came in to Pharaoh.

¹⁵Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have dreamed a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you, that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”

¹⁶Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It isn’t in me. God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”

¹⁷Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, “In my dream, behold, I stood on the brink of the river;

¹⁸and behold, seven fat and sleek cattle came up out of the river. They fed in the marsh grass;

¹⁹and behold, seven other cattle came up after them, poor and very ugly and thin, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for ugliness.

²⁰The thin and ugly cattle ate up the first seven fat cattle;

²¹and when they had eaten them up, it couldn’t be known that they had eaten them, but they were still ugly, as at the beginning. So I awoke.

²²I saw in my dream, and behold, seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, full and good;

²³and behold, seven heads of grain, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them.

²⁴The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads of grain. I told it to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.”

²⁵Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dream of Pharaoh is one. What God is about to do he has declared to Pharaoh.

²⁶The seven good cattle are seven years; and the seven good heads of grain are seven years. The dream is one.

²⁷The seven thin and ugly cattle that came up after them are seven years, and also the seven empty heads of grain blasted with the east wind; they will be seven years of famine.

²⁸That is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do.

²⁹Behold, seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt are coming.

³⁰Seven years of famine will arise after them, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will consume the land,

³¹and the plenty will not be known in the land by reason of that famine which follows; for it will be very grievous.

³²The dream was doubled to Pharaoh, because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

³³“Now therefore let Pharaoh look for a discreet and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt.

³⁴Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint overseers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt’s produce in the seven plenteous years.

³⁵Let them gather all the food of these good years that come, and store grain under the hand of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it.

³⁶The food will be to supply the land against the seven years of famine, which will be in the land of Egypt; so that the land will not perish through the famine.”

³⁷The thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.

³⁸Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?”

³⁹Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Because God has shown you all of this, there is no one so discreet and wise as you.

⁴⁰You shall be over my house. All my people will be ruled according to your word. Only in the throne I will be greater than you.”

⁴¹Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Behold, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.”

⁴²Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand, and put it on Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in robes of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck.

⁴³He made him ride in the second chariot which he had. They cried before him, “Bow the knee!” He set him over all the land of Egypt.

⁴⁴Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh. Without you, no man shall lift up his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt.”

⁴⁵Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphenath-Paneah. He gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On as a wife. Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.

⁴⁶Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.

⁴⁷In the seven plenteous years the earth produced abundantly.

⁴⁸He gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities. He stored food in each city from the fields around that city.

⁴⁹Joseph laid up grain as the sand of the sea, very much, until he stopped counting, for it was without number.

⁵⁰To Joseph were born two sons before the year of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore to him.

⁵¹Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh, “For”, he said, “God has made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house.”

⁵²The name of the second, he called Ephraim: “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”

⁵³The seven years of plenty, that were in the land of Egypt, came to an end.

⁵⁴The seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.

⁵⁵When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread, and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph. What he says to you, do.”

⁵⁶The famine was over all the surface of the earth. Joseph opened all the store houses, and sold to the Egyptians. The famine was severe in the land of Egypt.

⁵⁷All countries came into Egypt, to Joseph, to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all the earth.