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 <div class="label">41</div><div class="s1">Pharaoh&#8217;s Dreams</div><div class="p"> 1When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile, 2when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. 3After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. 4And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.</div><div class="p"> 5He fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk. 6After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted&#8212;thin and scorched by the east wind. 7The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been a dream.</div><div class="p"> 8In the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.</div><div class="p"> 9Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, &#8220;Today I am reminded of my shortcomings. 10Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard. 11Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. 12Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream. 13And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was impaled.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 14So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh.</div><div class="p"> 15Pharaoh said to Joseph, &#8220;I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 16&#8220;I cannot do it,&#8221; Joseph replied to Pharaoh, &#8220;but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 17Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, &#8220;In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile, 18when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds. 19After them, seven other cows came up&#8212;scrawny and very ugly and lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt. 20The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first. 21But even after they ate them, no one could tell that they had done so; they looked just as ugly as before. Then I woke up.</div><div class="p"> 22&#8220;In my dream I saw seven heads of grain, full and good, growing on a single stalk. 23After them, seven other heads sprouted&#8212;withered and thin and scorched by the east wind. 24The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but none of them could explain it to me.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 25Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, &#8220;The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. 27The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine.</div><div class="p"> 28&#8220;It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, 30but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. 31The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. 32The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon.</div><div class="p"> 33&#8220;And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. 34Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. 35They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. 36This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 37The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. 38So Pharaoh asked them, &#8220;Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God#41:38 Or of the gods?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 39Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, &#8220;Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. 40You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Joseph in Charge of Egypt</div><div class="p"> 41So Pharaoh said to Joseph, &#8220;I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.&#8221; 42Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph&#8217;s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. 43He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command,#41:43 Or in the chariot of his second-in-command; or in his second chariot and people shouted before him, &#8220;Make way#41:43 Or Bow down!&#8221; Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.</div><div class="p"> 44Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, &#8220;I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.&#8221; 45Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On,#41:45 That is, Heliopolis; also in verse 50 to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt.</div><div class="p"> 46Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh&#8217;s presence and traveled throughout Egypt. 47During the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully. 48Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it. 49Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure.</div><div class="p"> 50Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. 51Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh#41:51 Manasseh sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for forget. and said, &#8220;It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father&#8217;s household.&#8221; 52The second son he named Ephraim#41:52 Ephraim sounds like the Hebrew for twice fruitful. and said, &#8220;It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 53The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end, 54and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food. 55When all Egypt began to feel the famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, &#8220;Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 56When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt. 57And all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe everywhere.</div>
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 <div class="p">1That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3Then he told them many things in parables, saying: &#8220;A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop&#8212;a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9Whoever has ears, let them hear.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 10The disciples came to him and asked, &#8220;Why do you speak to the people in parables?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 11He replied, &#8220;Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 13This is why I speak to them in parables:</div><div class="q1"> &#8220;Though seeing, they do not see;</div><div class="q2"> though hearing, they do not hear or understand.</div><div class="m"> 14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:</div><div class="q1"> &#8220;&#8198;&#8216;You will be ever hearing but never understanding;</div><div class="q2"> you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.</div><div class="q1"> 15 For this people&#8217;s heart has become calloused;</div><div class="q2"> they hardly hear with their ears,</div><div class="q2"> and they have closed their eyes.</div><div class="q1"> Otherwise they might see with their eyes,</div><div class="q2"> hear with their ears,</div><div class="q2"> understand with their hearts</div><div class="q1"> and turn, and I would heal them.&#8217; # 13:15 
 Isaiah 6:9,10 (see Septuagint) </div><div class="m"> 16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.</div><div class="p"> 18 &#8220;Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 22The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">The Parable of the Weeds</div><div class="p"> 24Jesus told them another parable: &#8220;The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.</div><div class="p"> 27 &#8220;The owner&#8217;s servants came to him and said, &#8216;Sir, didn&#8217;t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 28 &#8220;&#8198;&#8216;An enemy did this,&#8217; he replied.</div><div class="p"> &#8220;The servants asked him, &#8216;Do you want us to go and pull them up?&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 29 &#8220;&#8198;&#8216;No,&#8217; he answered, &#8216;because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="s1">The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast</div><div class="p"> 31He told them another parable: &#8220;The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> </div>
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