Judah and Tamar

1 It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and ^oturned aside to a certain ^pAdullamite, whose name was Hirah. 2 There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was ^qShua. He took her and went in to her, 3 and she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name ^rEr. 4 She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name ^rOnan. 5 Yet again she bore a son, and she called his name ^rShelah. Judah¹ was in Chezib when she bore him.

6 And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. 7 But Er, Judah’s firstborn, ^swas wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord put him to death. 8 Then Judah said to Onan, “Go in to ^tyour brother’s wife and ^uperform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.” 9 But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his. So whenever he went in to his brother’s wife he would waste the semen on the ground, so as not to give offspring to his brother. 10 And what he did was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and he put him to death also. 11 Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, ^v“Remain a widow in your father’s house, till Shelah my son grows up”—for he feared that he would die, like his brothers. So Tamar went and remained ^win her father’s house.

12 In the course of time the wife of Judah, Shua’s daughter, died. When Judah ^xwas comforted, he went up to ^yTimnah to his sheepshearers, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. 13 And when Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,” 14 she took off her widow’s garments ^zand covered herself with a veil, wrapping herself up, and sat at the entrance to ^aEnaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that Shelah was grown up, ^band she had not been given to him in marriage. 15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. 16 He turned to her at the roadside and said, “Come, let me come in to you,” for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?” 17 He answered, “I will send you a young goat from the flock.” And she said, “If you give me a pledge, until you send it—” 18 He said, “What pledge shall I give you?” She replied, ^c“Your signet and your cord and your staff that is in your hand.” So he gave them to her and went in to her, and she conceived by him. 19 Then she arose and went away, and taking off ^dher veil she put on the garments of her widowhood.

20 When Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite to take back the pledge from the woman’s hand, he did not find her. 21 And he asked the men of the place, “Where is the cult prostitute² who was at ^eEnaim at the roadside?” And they said, “No cult prostitute has been here.” 22 So he returned to Judah and said, “I have not found her. Also, the men of the place said, ‘No cult prostitute has been here.’” 23 And Judah replied, “Let her keep the things as her own, or we shall be laughed at. You see, I sent this young goat, and you did not find her.”

24 About three months later Judah was told, “Tamar your daughter-in-law ^fhas been immoral.³ Moreover, she is pregnant by immorality.”⁴ And Judah said, “Bring her out, and ^glet her be burned.” 25 As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, “By the man to whom these belong, I am pregnant.” And she said, “Please identify whose these are, ^hthe signet and the cord and the staff.” 26 Then Judah identified them and said, ⁱ“She is more righteous than I, since ^jI did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not know her again.

27 When the time of her labor came, there were twins in her womb. 28 And when she was in labor, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.” 29 But as he drew back his hand, behold, his brother came out. And she said, “What a breach you have made for yourself!” Therefore his name was called ^kPerez.⁵ 30 Afterward his brother came out with the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called ^kZerah.

Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife

1 Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and ^lPotiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, ^mhad bought him from the ⁿIshmaelites who had brought him down there. 2 ^oThe Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord ^pcaused all that he did to succeed in his hands. 4 So Joseph ^qfound favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house ^rand put him in charge of all that he had. 5 From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house ^sfor Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had, in house and field. 6 So he left all that he had in Joseph’s charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate.

Now Joseph was ^thandsome in form and appearance. 7 And after a time his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.” 8 But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and ^uhe has put everything that he has in my charge. 9 He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and ^vsin against God?” 10 And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he ^wwould not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her.

11 But one day, when he went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house was there in the house, 12 ^xshe caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house. 13 And as soon as she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled out of the house, 14 she called to the men of her household and said to them, “See, he has brought among us a Hebrew to laugh at us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. 15 And as soon as he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside me and fled and got out of the house.” 16 Then she laid up his garment by her until his master came home, 17 and she told him the same story, saying, “The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought among us, came in to me to laugh at me. 18 But as soon as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment beside me and fled out of the house.”

19 As soon as his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, “This is the way your servant treated me,” his anger was kindled. 20 And Joseph’s master took him and ^yput him into the ^zprison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. 21 But ^athe Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love ^band gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22 And the keeper of the prison ^cput Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. 23 The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge, because ^dthe Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed.

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

1 At that time ^wJesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and ^xthey began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, ^y“Look, your disciples are doing ^zwhat is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” 3 He said to them, ^a“Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate ^bthe bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read ^cin the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? 6 I tell you, ^dsomething greater than the temple is here. 7 And if you had known ^ewhat this means, ^f‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For ^gthe Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

A Man with a Withered Hand

9 He went on from there and ^hentered their synagogue. 10 And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, ⁱ“Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—^jso that they might accuse him. 11 He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, ^kif it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 ^lOf how much more value is a man than a sheep! So ^mit is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And ⁿthe man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.

God’s Chosen Servant

15 Jesus, aware of this, ^owithdrew from there. And ^pmany followed him, and he healed them all 16 and ^qordered them not to make him known. 17 ^rThis was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:

Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit

22 ^wThen a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. 23 ^xAnd all the people were amazed, and said, ^x“Can this be the Son of David?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, ^y“It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” 25 ^zKnowing their thoughts, ^ahe said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, ^bby whom do ^cyour sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 28 But if it is ^dby the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then ^ethe kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or ^fhow can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed ^ghe may plunder his house. 30 ^hWhoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31 ⁱTherefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but ^jthe blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 And whoever speaks a word ^kagainst the Son of Man ^lwill be forgiven, but ^jwhoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in ^mthis age or in the age to come.

A Tree Is Known by Its Fruit

33 ⁿ“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, ^ofor the tree is known by its fruit. 34 ^pYou brood of vipers! How can you speak good, ^qwhen you are evil? ^rFor out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 ^rThe good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, ^son the day of judgment ^tpeople will give account for ^uevery careless word they speak, 37 for ^vby your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

The Sign of Jonah

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, ^wwe wish to see a sign from you.” 39 But he answered them, ^x“An evil and ^yadulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For ^zjust as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, ^aso will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 ^bThe men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and ^ccondemn it, for ^dthey repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, ^esomething greater than Jonah is here. 42 ^fThe queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, ^esomething greater than Solomon is here.

Return of an Unclean Spirit

43 “When ^gthe unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through ^hwaterless places seeking rest, but finds none. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and ⁱthe last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this ^jevil generation.”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers

46 While he was still speaking to the people, behold, ^khis mother and his ^lbrothers¹ stood outside, asking to speak to him.² 48 But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For ^mwhoever ⁿdoes the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”