Day 19 of 365

Gen 37:1–36

1 Jacob lived in the land of his father's travels, in the land of Canaan.

2 This is the history of the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. Joseph brought an evil report of them to their father.

3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age, and he made him a coat of many colors.

4 His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, and they hated him, and couldn't speak peaceably to him.

5 Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers, and they hated him all the more.

6 He said to them, "Please hear this dream which I have dreamed:

7 for behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and behold, your sheaves came around, and bowed down to my sheaf."

8 His brothers said to him, "Will you indeed reign over us? Or will you indeed have dominion over us?" They hated him all the more for his dreams and for his words.

9 He dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brothers, and said, "Behold, I have dreamed yet another dream: and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed down to me."

10 He told it to his father and to his brothers. His father rebuked him, and said to him, "What is this dream that you have dreamed? Will I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves down to you to the earth?"

11 His brothers envied him, but his father kept this saying in mind.

12 His brothers went to feed their father's flock in Shechem.

13 Israel said to Joseph, "Aren't your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them." He said to him, "Here I am."

14 He said to him, "Go now, see whether it is well with your brothers, and well with the flock; and bring me word again." So he sent him out of the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

15 A certain man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field. The man asked him, "What are you looking for?"

16 He said, "I am looking for my brothers. Tell me, please, where they are feeding the flock."

17 The man said, "They have left here, for I heard them say, 'Let us go to Dothan.'" Joseph went after his brothers, and found them in Dothan.

18 They saw him afar off, and before he came near to them, they conspired against him to kill him.

19 They said one to another, "Behold, this dreamer comes.

20 Come now therefore, and let's kill him, and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say, 'An evil animal has devoured him.' We will see what will become of his dreams."

21 Reuben heard it, and delivered him out of their hand, and said, "Let's not take his life."

22 Reuben said to them, "Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him"-that he might deliver him out of their hand, to restore him to his father.

23 It happened, when Joseph came to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his coat, the coat of many colors that was on him;

24 and they took him, and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty. There was no water in it.

25 They sat down to eat bread, and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing spices and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.

26 Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?

27 Come, and let's sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not let our hand be on him; for he is our brother, our flesh." His brothers listened to him.

28 Midianites who were merchants passed by, and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. They brought Joseph into Egypt.

29 Reuben returned to the pit; and saw that Joseph wasn't in the pit; and he tore his clothes.

30 He returned to his brothers, and said, "The child is no more; and I, where will I go?"

31 They took Joseph's coat, and killed a male goat, and dipped the coat in the blood.

32 They took the coat of many colors, and they brought it to their father, and said, "We have found this. Examine it, now, whether it is your son's coat or not."

33 He recognized it, and said, "It is my son's coat. An evil animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces."

34 Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days.

35 All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. He said, "For I will go down to Sheol to my son mourning." His father wept for him.

36 The Midianites sold him into Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, the captain of the guard.

Matt 13:1–27

1 On that day Jesus went out of the house, and sat by the seaside.

2 And great multitudes gathered to him, so that he entered into a boat, and sat, and all the multitude stood on the beach.

3 And he spoke to them many things in parables, saying, "Behold, a farmer went out to sow.

4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell by the roadside, and the birds came and devoured them.

5 And others fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of earth.

6 But when the sun had risen, they were scorched. Because they had no root, they withered away.

7 Others fell among thorns. The thorns grew up and choked them.

8 Still others fell on good soil, and yielded fruit: some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty.

9 He who has ears, let him hear."

10 Then the disciples came, and said to him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?"

11 And he answered them, "To you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it is not given to them.

12 For whoever has, to him will be given, and he will have abundance, but whoever does not have, from him will be taken away even that which he has.

13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing, they do not hear, neither do they understand.

14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says, 'By hearing you will hear, and will in no way understand; Seeing you will see, and will in no way perceive:

15 for this people's heart has grown callous, and their ears are dull of hearing, and they have closed their eyes; or else perhaps they might perceive with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and should turn again; and I would heal them.'

16 "But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear.

17 For truly I tell you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things which you see, and did not see them; and to hear the things which you hear, and did not hear them.

18 "Hear, then, the parable of the farmer.

19 When anyone hears the word of the Kingdom, and does not understand it, the evil one comes, and snatches away that which has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown by the roadside.

20 And what was sown on the rocky places, this is he who hears the word, and immediately with joy receives it;

21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while. When oppression or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.

22 And what was sown among the thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.

23 And what was sown on the good ground, this is he who hears the word, and understands it, who truly bears fruit, and brings forth, some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty."

24 He set another parable before them, saying, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field,

25 but while people slept, his enemy came and sowed tares also among the wheat, and went away.

26 But when the blade sprang up and brought forth fruit, then the tares appeared also.

27 So the servants of the householder came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where did these tares come from?'

Prov 5:1–14

1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom. Turn your ear to my understanding:

2 that you may maintain discretion, that your lips may preserve knowledge.

3 For the lips of an adulteress drip honey. Her mouth is smoother than oil,

4 But in the end she is as bitter as wormwood, and as sharp as a two-edged sword.

5 Her feet go down to death. Her steps lead straight to Sheol.

6 She gives no thought to the way of life. Her ways are crooked, and she doesn't know it.

7 Now therefore, my sons, listen to me. Do not depart from the words of my mouth.

8 Remove your way far from her. Do not come near the door of her house,

9 lest you give your honor to others, and your years to the cruel one;

10 lest strangers feast on your wealth, and your labors enrich another man's house.

11 You will groan at your latter end, when your flesh and your body are consumed,

12 and say, "How I have hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;

13 neither have I obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor turned my ear to those who instructed me!

14 I have come to the brink of utter ruin, in the midst of the gathered assembly."