Bible Readings for January 19, 2015

Today our passages are Genesis 39:1–41:16; Matthew 12:46–13:23; Psalm 17:1-15; and Proverbs 3:33-35. The readings are the Contemporary English Version.  

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Genesis 39-41:16 (Contemporary English Version)

Genesis 39

Joseph and Potiphar's Wife

 ¹The Ishmaelites took Joseph to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, the king's ^[a] official in charge of the palace guard. ^2-3So Joseph lived in the home of Potiphar, his Egyptian owner. Soon Potiphar realized that the LORD was helping Joseph to be successful in whatever he did. ⁴Potiphar liked Joseph and made him his personal assistant, putting him in charge of his house and all of his property. ⁵Because of Joseph, the LORD began to bless Potiphar's family and fields. ⁶Potiphar left everything up to Joseph, and with Joseph there, the only decision he had to make was what he wanted to eat.    Joseph was well-built and handsome, ⁷and Potiphar's wife soon noticed him. She asked him to make love to her, ⁸but he refused and said, "My master isn't worried about anything in his house, because he has placed me in charge of everything he owns. ⁹No one in my master's house is more important than I am. The only thing he hasn't given me is you, and that's because you are his wife. I won't sin against God by doing such a terrible thing as this." ¹⁰She kept begging Joseph day after day, but he refused to do what she wanted or even to go near her.
    ¹¹One day, Joseph went to Potiphar's house to do his work, and none of the other servants were there. ¹²Potiphar's wife grabbed hold of his coat and said, "Make love to me!" Joseph ran out of the house, leaving her hanging onto his coat.
    ¹³When this happened, ¹⁴she called in her servants and said, "Look! This Hebrew has come just to make fools of us. He tried to rape me, but I screamed for help. ¹⁵And when he heard me scream, he ran out of the house, leaving his coat with me."
    ¹⁶Potiphar's wife kept Joseph's coat until her husband came home. ¹⁷Then she said, "That Hebrew slave of yours tried to rape me! ¹⁸But when I screamed for help, he left his coat and ran out of the house."
    ¹⁹Potiphar became very angry ²⁰and threw Joseph in the same prison where the king's prisoners were kept.
   While Joseph was in prison, ²¹the LORD helped him and was good to him. He even made the jailer like Joseph so much that ²²he put him in charge of the other prisoners and of everything that was done in the jail. ²³The jailer did not worry about anything, because the LORD was with Joseph and made him successful in all that he did.
   

Genesis 40

Joseph Tells the Meaning of the Prisoners' Dreams

 ^1-3While Joseph was in prison, both the king's ^[b] personal servant ^[c] and his chief cook made the king angry. So he had them thrown into the same prison with Joseph. ⁴They spent a long time in prison, and Potiphar, the official in charge of the palace guard, made Joseph their servant. ⁵One night each of the two men had a dream, but their dreams had different meanings. ⁶The next morning, when Joseph went to see the men, he could tell they were upset, ⁷and he asked, "Why are you so worried today?"     ⁸"We each had a dream last night," they answered, "and there is no one to tell us what they mean."
   Joseph replied, "Doesn't God know the meaning of dreams? Now tell me what you dreamed."
    ⁹The king's personal servant told Joseph, "In my dream I saw a vine ¹⁰with three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its grapes became ripe. ¹¹I held the king's cup and squeezed the grapes into it, then I gave the cup to the king."
    ¹²Joseph said:
   This is the meaning of your dream. The three branches stand for three days, ¹³and in three days the king will pardon you. He will make you his personal servant again, and you will serve him his wine, just as you used to do. ¹⁴But when these good things happen, please don't forget to tell the king about me, so I can get out of this place. ¹⁵I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and here in Egypt I haven't done anything to deserve being thrown in jail.
    ¹⁶When the chief cook saw that Joseph had given a good meaning to the dream, he told Joseph, "I also had a dream. In it I was carrying three breadbaskets stacked on top of my head. ¹⁷The top basket was full of all kinds of baked things for the king, but birds were eating them."
    ¹⁸Joseph said:
   This is the meaning of your dream. The three baskets are three days, ¹⁹and in three days the king will cut off your head. He will hang your body on a pole, and birds will come and peck at it.
    ²⁰Three days later, while the king was celebrating his birthday with a dinner for his officials, he sent for his personal servant and the chief cook. ²¹He put the personal servant back in his old job ²²and had the cook put to death.
   Everything happened just as Joseph had said it would, ²³but the king's personal servant completely forgot about Joseph.
   

Genesis 41

Joseph Interprets the King's Dreams

 ¹Two years later the king ^[d] of Egypt dreamed he was standing beside the Nile River. ²Suddenly, seven fat, healthy cows came up from the river and started eating grass along the bank. ³Then seven ugly, skinny cows came up out of the river and ⁴ate the fat, healthy cows. When this happened, the king woke up. ⁵The king went back to sleep and had another dream. This time seven full heads of grain were growing on a single stalk. ⁶Later, seven other heads of grain appeared, but they were thin and scorched by the east wind. ⁷The thin heads of grain swallowed the seven full heads. Again the king woke up, and it had only been a dream.     ⁸The next morning the king was upset. So he called in his magicians and wise men and told them what he had dreamed. None of them could tell him what the dreams meant.
    ⁹The king's personal servant said:
   Now I remember what I was supposed to do. ¹⁰When you were angry with me and your chief cook, you threw us both in jail in the house of the captain of the guard. ¹¹One night we both had dreams, and each dream had a different meaning. ¹²A young Hebrew, who was a servant of the captain of the guard, was there with us at the time. When we told him our dreams, he explained what each of them meant, ¹³and everything happened just as he said it would. I got my job back, and the cook was put to death.
    ¹⁴The king sent for Joseph, who was quickly brought out of jail. He shaved, changed his clothes, and went to the king.
    ¹⁵The king said to him, "I had a dream, yet no one can explain what it means. I am told that you can interpret dreams."
    ¹⁶"Your Majesty," Joseph answered, "I can't do it myself, but God can give a good meaning to your dreams."
   

Footnotes:

1. Genesis 39:1 the king's: See the note at 12.15.
2. Genesis 40:1 the king's: See the note at 12.15.
3. Genesis 40:1 personal servant: The Hebrew text has "cup bearer," an important and trusted official in the royal court, who personally served wine to the king.
4. Genesis 41:1 the king: See the note at 12.15.

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Matthew 12:46-13:23 (Contemporary English Version)

Jesus' Mother and Brothers

(Mark 3.31-35; Luke 8.19-21)

 ⁴⁶While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and brothers came and stood outside because they wanted to talk with him. ⁴⁷Someone told Jesus, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside and want to talk with you." ^{[a] 48}Jesus answered, "Who is my mother and who are my brothers?" ⁴⁹Then he pointed to his disciples and said, "These are my mother and my brothers! ⁵⁰Anyone who obeys my Father in heaven is my brother or sister or mother."    

Matthew 13

A Story about a Farmer

(Mark 4.1-9; Luke 8.4-8)

 ¹That same day Jesus left the house and went out beside Lake Galilee, where he sat down to teach. ^{[b] 2}Such large crowds gathered around him that he had to sit in a boat, while the people stood on the shore. ³Then he taught them many things by using stories. He said: A farmer went out to scatter seed in a field. ⁴While the farmer was scattering the seed, some of it fell along the road and was eaten by birds. ⁵Other seeds fell on thin, rocky ground and quickly started growing because the soil wasn't very deep. ⁶But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched and dried up, because they did not have enough roots. ⁷Some other seeds fell where thornbushes grew up and choked the plants. ⁸But a few seeds did fall on good ground where the plants produced a hundred or sixty or thirty times as much as was scattered. ⁹If you have ears, pay attention!    

Why Jesus Used Stories

(Mark 4.10-12; Luke 8.9,10)

 ¹⁰Jesus' disciples came to him and asked, "Why do you use nothing but stories when you speak to the people?"     ¹¹Jesus answered:
   I have explained the secrets about the kingdom of heaven to you, but not to others. ¹²Everyone who has something will be given more. But people who don't have anything will lose even what little they have. ¹³I use stories when I speak to them because when they look, they cannot see, and when they listen, they cannot hear or understand. ¹⁴So God's promise came true, just as the prophet Isaiah had said,
   "These people will listen
   and listen,
   but never understand.
   They will look and look,
   but never see.
    ¹⁵All of them have
   stubborn minds!
   Their ears are stopped up,
   and their eyes are covered.
   They cannot see or hear
   or understand.
   If they could,
   they would turn to me,
   and I would heal them."
    ¹⁶But God has blessed you, because your eyes can see and your ears can hear! ¹⁷Many prophets and good people were eager to see what you see and to hear what you hear. But I tell you that they did not see or hear.
   

Jesus Explains the Story about the Farmer

(Mark 4.13-20; Luke 8.11-15)

 ¹⁸Now listen to the meaning of the story about the farmer:     ¹⁹The seeds that fell along the road are the people who hear the message about the kingdom, but don't understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches the message from their hearts. ²⁰The seeds that fell on rocky ground are the people who gladly hear the message and accept it right away. ²¹But they don't have deep roots, and they don't last very long. As soon as life gets hard or the message gets them in trouble, they give up.
    ²²The seeds that fell among the thornbushes are also people who hear the message. But they start worrying about the needs of this life and are fooled by the desire to get rich. So the message gets choked out, and they never produce anything. ²³The seeds that fell on good ground are the people who hear and understand the message. They produce as much as a hundred or sixty or thirty times what was planted.
   

Footnotes:

1. Matthew 12:47 with you: Some manuscripts do not have verse 47.
2. Matthew 13:1 sat down to teach: See the note at 5.1.

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Psalm 17:1-15 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 17

(A prayer by David.)

The Prayer of an Innocent Person

 ¹I am innocent, LORD!    Won't you listen as I pray
   and beg for help?
   I am honest!
   Please hear my prayer.
    ²Only you can say
   that I am innocent,
   because only your eyes
   can see the truth.
    ³You know my heart,
   and even during the night
   you have tested me
   and found me innocent.
   I have made up my mind
   never to tell a lie.
    ⁴I don't do like others.
   I obey your teachings
   and am not cruel.
    ⁵I have followed you,
   without ever stumbling.
    ⁶I pray to you, God,
   because you will help me.
   Listen and answer my prayer!
    ⁷Show your wonderful love.
   Your mighty arm protects those
   who run to you
   for safety
   from their enemies.
    ⁸Protect me as you would
   your very own eyes;
   hide me in the shadow
   of your wings.
    ⁹Don't let my brutal enemies
   attack from all sides
   and kill me.
    ¹⁰They refuse to show mercy,
   and they keep bragging.
    ¹¹They have caught up with me!
   My enemies are everywhere,
   eagerly hoping to smear me
   in the dirt.
    ¹²They are like hungry lions
   hunting for food,
   or like young lions
   hiding in ambush.
    ¹³Do something, LORD!
   Attack and defeat them.
   Take your sword and save me
   from those evil people.
    ¹⁴Use your powerful arm
   and rescue me
   from the hands of mere humans
   whose world won't last. ^[a] You provide food
   for those you love.
   Their children have plenty,
   and their grandchildren
   will have more than enough.
    ¹⁵I am innocent, LORD,
   and I will see your face!
   When I awake, all I want
   is to see you as you are.
   

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 17:14 last: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 14.

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Proverbs 3:33-35 (Contemporary English Version)

³³He places a curse on the home
   of everyone who is evil,
   but he blesses the home
   of every good person.
    ³⁴The LORD sneers at those
   who sneer at him,
   but he is kind to everyone
   who is humble.
    ³⁵You will be praised
   if you are wise,
   but you will be disgraced
   if you are a stubborn fool.

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Verse of the Day

“Treat others as you want them to treat you. This is what the Law and the Prophets are all about.” - Matthew 7:12

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

 

American pastor, activist, humanitarian, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”