Joseph Interprets Two Prisoners’ Dreams

1 Some time after this, the ^ecupbearer of the king of Egypt and his baker committed an offense against their lord the king of Egypt. 2 And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, 3 ^fand he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison where Joseph was confined. 4 The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be with them, and he attended them. They continued for some time in custody.

5 And one night they both dreamed—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison—each his own dream, and each dream with its own interpretation. 6 When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were troubled. 7 So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in custody in his master’s house, ^g“Why are your faces downcast today?” 8 They said to him, ^h“We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them.” And Joseph said to them, ⁱ“Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.”

9 So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph and said to him, “In my dream there was a vine before me, 10 and on the vine there were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and the clusters ripened into grapes. 11 Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.” 12 Then Joseph said to him, ^j“This is its interpretation: ^kthe three branches are three days. 13 In three days Pharaoh will ^llift up your head and restore you to your office, and you shall place Pharaoh’s cup in his hand as formerly, when you were his cupbearer. 14 Only remember me, when it is well with you, and please do me the kindness to mention me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this house. 15 For ^mI was indeed stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and ⁿhere also I have done nothing that they should put me into the pit.”

16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I also had a dream: there were three cake baskets on my head, 17 and in the uppermost basket there were all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating it out of the basket on my head.” 18 And Joseph answered and said, ^o“This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days. 19 ^pIn three days Pharaoh will lift up your head—from you!—and ^qhang you on a tree. And the birds will eat the flesh from you.”

20 On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s ^rbirthday, he made a feast for all his servants and ^slifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. 21 ^tHe restored the chief cupbearer to his position, and ^uhe placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand. 22 But he ^vhanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them. 23 Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

Teaching About Divorce

1 ^zAnd he left there and went ^ato the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan, and crowds gathered to him again. And again, as was his custom, he taught them.

2 And Pharisees came up and in order ^bto test him asked, ^c“Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” 3 He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” 4 They said, ^d“Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.” 5 And Jesus said to them, “Because of your ^ehardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. 6 But ^ffrom the beginning of creation, ‘God made them ^gmale and female.’ 7 ^h‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife,¹ 8 and ⁱthe two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. 9 ^jWhat therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

10 And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. 11 And he said to them, ^k“Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, 12 and ^lif she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

Let the Children Come to Me

13 ^mAnd they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples ⁿrebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, ^o“Let the children come to me; ^pdo not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 15 ^qTruly, I say to you, whoever does not ^rreceive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” 16 And ^she took them in his arms and blessed them, ^tlaying his hands on them.

The Rich Young Man

17 ^uAnd as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and ^vknelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to ^winherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ^x‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” 20 And he said to him, “Teacher, ^yall these I have kept from my youth.” 21 And Jesus, ^zlooking at him, ^aloved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, ^bsell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have ^ctreasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 ^dDisheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

23 And Jesus ^elooked around and said to his disciples, ^f“How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter ^gthe kingdom of God!” 24 And the disciples ^hwere amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, ⁱ“Children, ^jhow difficult it is² to enter ^gthe kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter ^gthe kingdom of God.” 26 And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him,³ “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus ^klooked at them and said, ^l“With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” 28 Peter began to say to him, “See, ^mwe have left everything and followed you.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, ⁿthere is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and ^ofor the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold ^pnow in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, ^qwith persecutions, and in ^rthe age to come eternal life. 31 But ^smany who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time

32 ^tAnd they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and ^uJesus was walking ahead of them. And ^vthey were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, 33 saying, “See, ^wwe are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will ^xcondemn him to death and ^ydeliver him over to the Gentiles. 34 And they will ^zmock him and ^aspit on him, and flog him and kill him. And ^bafter three days he will rise.”

The Request of James and John

35 ^cAnd James and John, ^dthe sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us ^ewhatever we ask of you.” 36 And he said to them, ^f“What do you want me to do for you?” 37 And they said to him, “Grant us ^gto sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, ^hin your glory.” 38 Jesus said to them, ⁱ“You do not know what you are asking. Are you able ^jto drink the cup that I drink, or ^kto be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” 39 And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, ^l“The cup that I drink ^myou will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, ⁿyou will be baptized, 40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, ^obut it is for those for whom it has been ^pprepared.” 41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. 42 ^qAnd Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles ^rlord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 But ^sit shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,⁴ 44 and whoever would be first among you must be ^tslave⁵ of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but ^uto serve, and ^vto give his life as a ransom for ^wmany.”

Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus

46 ^xAnd they came to Jericho. And ^yas he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, ^za blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. 47 And when he heard that it was ^aJesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 And many ^brebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, ^c“Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” 50 And throwing off his ^dcloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus said to him, ^e“What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, ^f“Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” 52 And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; ^gyour faith has ^hmade you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.

Job Replies: My Complaint Is Just

1 Then Job answered and said:

1 Brothers,¹ my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that ^bthey have a zeal for God, ^cbut not according to knowledge. 3 For, being ignorant of ^dthe righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 For ^eChrist is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.²

The Message of Salvation to All

5 For ^fMoses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that ^gthe person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6 But ^hthe righteousness based on faith says, ⁱ“Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the ^jabyss?’” (that is, ^kto bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? ^l“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if ^myou confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and ⁿbelieve in your heart ^othat God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, ^p“Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 ^qFor there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; ^rfor the same Lord is Lord of all, ^sbestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For ^t“everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him ^uof whom they have never heard?³ And how are they to hear ^vwithout someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ^w“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But ^xthey have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ^y“Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So ^zfaith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for

19 But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says,

20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,

21 But of Israel he says, ^g“All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”