Genesis 38
38About this time, Judah left home and moved to Adullam, where he stayed with a man named Hirah.H6256H3063H3381H251H5186H376H5726H8034H24372There he saw a Canaanite woman, the daughter of Shua, and he married her. When he slept with her,H3063H7200H1323H376H3669H8034H7770H3947H9353she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, and he named the boy Er.H2029H3205H1121H7121H8034H61474Then she became pregnant again and gave birth to another son, and she named him Onan.H2029H3205H1121H7121H8034H2095And when she gave birth to a third son, she named him Shelah. At the time of Shelah's birth, they were living at Kezib.H3254H3205H1121H7121H8034H7956H3580H32056In the course of time, Judah arranged for his firstborn son, Er, to marry a young woman named Tamar.H3063H3947H802H6147H1060H8034H85597But Er was a wicked man in the LORD's sight, so the LORD took his life.H6147H3063H1060H7451H5869H3068H3068H41918Then Judah said to Er's brother Onan, "Go and marry Tamar, as our law requires of the brother of a man who has died. You must produce an heir for your brother."H3063H559H209H935H251H802H2992H6965H2233H2519But Onan was not willing to have a child who would not be his own heir. So whenever he had intercourse with his brother's wife, he spilled the semen on the ground. This prevented her from having a child who would belong to his brother.H209H3045H2233H518H935H251H802H7843H776H1115H5414H2233H25110But the LORD considered it evil for Onan to deny a child to his dead brother. So the LORD took Onan's life, too.H834H6213H3415H5869H3068H419111Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, "Go back to your parents' home and remain a widow until my son Shelah is old enough to marry you." (But Judah didn't really intend to do this because he was afraid Shelah would also die, like his two brothers.) So Tamar went back to live in her father's home.H559H3063H8559H3618H3427H490H1H1004H7956H1121H1431H559H4191H251H8559H3212H3427H1H100412Some years later Judah's wife died. After the time of mourning was over, Judah and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went up to Timnah to supervise the shearing of his sheep.H7235H3117H1323H7770H3063H802H4191H3063H5162H5927H1494H6629H8553H7453H2437H572613Someone told Tamar, "Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep."H5046H8559H559H2524H5927H8553H1494H662914Tamar was aware that Shelah had grown up, but no arrangements had been made for her to come and marry him. So she changed out of her widow's clothing and covered herself with a veil to disguise herself. Then she sat beside the road at the entrance to the village of Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah.H5493H491H899H5493H3680H6809H5968H3427H5869H6607H1870H8553H7200H7956H1431H5414H80215Judah noticed her and thought she was a prostitute, since she had covered her face.H3063H7200H2803H2181H3680H644016So he stopped and propositioned her. "Let me have sex with you," he said, not realizing that she was his own daughter-in-law. "How much will you pay to have sex with me?" Tamar asked.H5186H1870H559H3051H935H3045H3618H559H5414H93517"I'll send you a young goat from my flock," Judah promised. "But what will you give me to guarantee that you will send the goat?" she asked.H559H7971H5795H1423H6629H559H5414H6162H797118"What kind of guarantee do you want?" he replied. She answered, "Leave me your identification seal and its cord and the walking stick you are carrying." So Judah gave them to her. Then he had intercourse with her, and she became pregnant.H559H834H6162H5414H559H2368H6616H4294H3027H5414H935H202919Afterward she went back home, took off her veil, and put on her widow's clothing as usual.H6965H3212H5493H6809H3847H899H49120Later Judah asked his friend Hirah the Adullamite to take the young goat to the woman and to pick up the things he had given her as his guarantee. But Hirah couldn't find her.H3063H7971H1423H5795H3027H7453H5726H3947H6162H802H3027H467221So he asked the men who lived there, "Where can I find the shrine prostitute who was sitting beside the road at the entrance to Enaim?" "We've never had a shrine prostitute here," they replied.H7592H582H4725H559H6948H5869H1870H559H6948H208822So Hirah returned to Judah and told him, "I couldn't find her anywhere, and the men of the village claim they've never had a shrine prostitute there."H7725H3063H559H3808H4672H582H4725H559H694823"Then let her keep the things I gave her," Judah said. "I sent the young goat as we agreed, but you couldn't find her. We'd be the laughingstock of the village if we went back again to look for her."H3063H559H3947H937H7971H1423H467224About three months later, Judah was told, "Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has acted like a prostitute. And now, because of this, she's pregnant." "Bring her out, and let her be burned!" Judah demanded.H7969H2320H5046H3063H559H8559H3618H2181H2030H2183H3063H559H3318H831325But as they were taking her out to kill her, she sent this message to her father-in-law: "The man who owns these things made me pregnant. Look closely. Whose seal and cord and walking stick are these?"H3318H7971H2524H559H376H2030H559H5234H2858H6616H429426Judah recognized them immediately and said, "She is more righteous than I am, because I didn't arrange for her to marry my son Shelah." And Judah never slept with Tamar again.H3063H5234H559H6663H5414H7956H1121H3045H325427When the time came for Tamar to give birth, it was discovered that she was carrying twins.H6256H3205H8380H99028While she was in labor, one of the babies reached out his hand. The midwife grabbed it and tied a scarlet string around the child's wrist, announcing, "This one came out first."H3205H5414H3027H3205H3947H7194H3027H8144H559H3318H722329But then he pulled back his hand, and out came his brother! "What!" the midwife exclaimed. "How did you break out first?" So he was named Perez.H7725H3027H251H3318H559H6555H6556H8034H7121H655730Then the baby with the scarlet string on his wrist was born, and he was named Zerah.H310H3318H251H8144H3027H8034H7121H2226
Genesis 39
39When Joseph was taken to Egypt by the Ishmaelite traders, he was purchased by Potiphar, an Egyptian officer. Potiphar was captain of the guard for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.H3130H3381H4714H6318H5631H6547H8269H2876H376H4713H7069H3027H3459H33812The LORD was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master.H3068H3130H6743H376H1004H113H47133Potiphar noticed this and realized that the LORD was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did.H113H7200H3068H3068H6213H6743H30274This pleased Potiphar, so he soon made Joseph his personal attendant. He put him in charge of his entire household and everything he owned.H3130H4672H2580H5869H8334H6485H1004H3426H5414H30275From the day Joseph was put in charge of his master's household and property, the LORD began to bless Potiphar's household for Joseph's sake. All his household affairs ran smoothly, and his crops and livestock flourished.H227H6485H1004H3426H3068H1288H4713H1004H3130H1558H1293H3068H3426H1004H77046So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he didn't worry about a thing—except what kind of food to eat! Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man,H5800H3130H3027H3045H3972H518H3899H398H3130H8389H3303H47587and Potiphar's wife soon began to look at him lustfully. "Come and sleep with me," she demanded.H310H1697H113H802H5375H5869H3130H559H79018But Joseph refused. "Look," he told her, "my master trusts me with everything in his entire household.H3985H559H113H802H113H3045H1004H5414H3426H30279No one here has more authority than I do. He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God."H1419H1004H3808H2820H3972H834H859H802H6213H1419H7451H2398H43010She kept putting pressure on Joseph day after day, but he refused to sleep with her, and he kept out of her way as much as possible.H1696H3130H3117H3117H8085H7901H68111One day, however, no one else was around when he went in to do his work.H3117H935H1004H6213H4399H376H582H100412She came and grabbed him by his cloak, demanding, "Come on, sleep with me!" Joseph tore himself away, but he left his cloak in her hand as he ran from the house.H8610H899H559H7901H5800H899H3027H5127H3318H235113When she saw that she was holding his cloak and he had fled,H7200H5800H899H3027H5127H235114she called out to her servants. Soon all the men came running. "Look!" she said. "My husband has brought this Hebrew slave here to make fools of us! He came into my room to rape me, but I screamed.H7121H582H1004H559H559H7200H935H376H5680H6711H935H7901H7121H1419H696315When he heard me scream, he ran outside and got away, but he left his cloak behind with me."H8085H7311H6963H7121H5800H899H681H5127H3318H235116She kept the cloak with her until her husband came home.H3240H899H681H113H935H100417Then she told him her story. "That Hebrew slave you've brought into our house tried to come in and fool around with me," she said.H1696H1697H559H5680H5650H935H935H671118"But when I screamed, he ran outside, leaving his cloak with me!"H7311H6963H7121H5800H899H681H5127H235119Potiphar was furious when he heard his wife's story about how Joseph had treated her.H113H8085H1697H802H1696H559H1697H6213H5650H639H273420So he took Joseph and threw him into the prison where the king's prisoners were held, and there he remained.H3130H113H3947H5414H1004H5470H4725H4428H615H631H1004H547021But the LORD was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the LORD made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden.H3068H3130H5186H2617H5414H2580H5869H8269H1004H547022Before long, the warden put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison.H8269H1004H5470H5414H3130H3027H615H1004H5470H6213H621323The warden had no more worries, because Joseph took care of everything. The LORD was with him and caused everything he did to succeed.H8269H1004H5470H7200H3972H3027H3068H6213H3068H6743
Genesis 40
40Some time later, Pharaoh's chief cup-bearer and chief baker offended their royal master.H310H1697H8248H4428H4714H644H2398H113H4428H47142Pharaoh became angry with these two officials,H6547H7107H5921H8147H5631H8269H8248H8269H6443and he put them in the prison where Joseph was, in the palace of the captain of the guard.H5414H4929H1004H8269H2876H1004H5470H4725H3130H6314They remained in prison for quite some time, and the captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, who looked after them.H8269H2876H6485H3130H8334H3117H49295While they were in prison, Pharaoh's cup-bearer and baker each had a dream one night, and each dream had its own meaning.H2492H2472H8147H376H2472H259H3915H376H6623H2472H8248H644H4428H4714H631H1004H54706When Joseph saw them the next morning, he noticed that they both looked upset.H3130H935H1242H7200H21967"Why do you look so worried today?" he asked them.H7592H6547H5631H4929H113H1004H559H6440H7451H31178And they replied, "We both had dreams last night, but no one can tell us what they mean." "Interpreting dreams is God's business," Joseph replied. "Go ahead and tell me your dreams."H559H2492H2472H6622H3130H559H6623H430H56089So the chief cup-bearer told Joseph his dream first. "In my dream," he said, "I saw a grapevine in front of me.H8269H8248H5608H2472H3130H559H2472H1612H644010The vine had three branches that began to bud and blossom, and soon it produced clusters of ripe grapes.H1612H7969H8299H6524H5322H5927H811H1310H602511I was holding Pharaoh's wine cup in my hand, so I took a cluster of grapes and squeezed the juice into the cup. Then I placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand."H6547H3563H3027H3947H6025H7818H6547H3563H5414H3563H6547H370912"This is what the dream means," Joseph said. "The three branches represent three days.H3130H559H6623H7969H8299H7969H311713Within three days Pharaoh will lift you up and restore you to your position as his chief cup-bearer.H5750H7969H3117H6547H5375H7218H7725H3653H5414H6547H3563H3027H7223H4941H824814And please remember me and do me a favor when things go well for you. Mention me to Pharaoh, so he might let me out of this place.H2142H3190H6213H2617H2142H6547H3318H100415For I was kidnapped from my homeland, the land of the Hebrews, and now I'm here in prison, but I did nothing to deserve it."H1589H776H5680H6213H3972H7760H95316When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given the first dream such a positive interpretation, he said to Joseph, "I had a dream, too. In my dream there were three baskets of white pastries stacked on my head.H8269H644H7200H6622H2896H559H3130H637H2472H7969H2751H5536H721817The top basket contained all kinds of pastries for Pharaoh, but the birds came and ate them from the basket on my head."H5945H5536H3978H4639H644H6547H5775H398H5536H5921H721818"This is what the dream means," Joseph told him. "The three baskets also represent three days.H3130H6030H559H6623H7969H5536H7969H311719Three days from now Pharaoh will lift you up and impale your body on a pole. Then birds will come and peck away at your flesh."H7969H3117H6547H5375H7218H8518H6086H5775H398H132020Pharaoh's birthday came three days later, and he prepared a banquet for all his officials and staff. He summoned his chief cup-bearer and chief baker to join the other officials.H7992H3117H6547H3117H3205H6213H4960H5650H5375H7218H8269H8248H8269H644H8432H565021He then restored the chief cup-bearer to his former position, so he could again hand Pharaoh his cup.H7725H8269H8248H4945H7725H5414H3563H6547H370922But Pharaoh impaled the chief baker, just as Joseph had predicted when he interpreted his dream.H8518H8269H644H3130H662223Pharaoh's chief cup-bearer, however, forgot all about Joseph, never giving him another thought.H8269H8248H2142H3130H7911
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