Genesis chapter 37

And Jacob dwelled in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.

These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought to his father their evil report.

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.

And when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him.

And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brothers: and they hated him yet the more.

And he said to them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:

For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, see, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.

And his brothers said to him, Shall you indeed reign over us? or shall you indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.

And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brothers, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.

And he told it to his father, and to his brothers: and his father rebuked him, and said to him, What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow down ourselves to you to the earth?

And his brothers envied him; but his father observed the saying.

And his brothers went to feed their father's flock in Shechem.

And Israel said to Joseph, Do not your brothers feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send you to them. And he said to him, Here am I.

And he said to him, Go, I pray you, see whether it be well with your brothers, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seek you?

And he said, I seek my brothers: tell me, I pray you, where they feed their flocks.

And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brothers, and found them in Dothan.

And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near to them, they conspired against him to slay him.

And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer comes.

Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast has devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.

And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him.

And Reuben said to them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand on him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.

And it came to pass, when Joseph was come to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colors that was on him;

And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.

And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spices and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.

And Judah said to his brothers, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?

Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be on him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brothers were content.

Then there passed by Midianites merchants; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.

And Reuben returned to the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.

And he returned to his brothers, and said, The child is not; and I, where shall I go?

And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;

And they sent the coat of many colors, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be your son's coat or no.

And he knew it, and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast has devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.

And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth on his loins, and mourned for his son many days.

And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave to my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.

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

Genesis chapter 38

And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brothers, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.

And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and went in to her.

And she conceived, and bore a son; and he called his name Er.

And she conceived again, and bore a son; and she called his name Onan.

And she yet again conceived, and bore a son; and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bore him.

And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar.

And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him.

And Judah said to Onan, Go in to your brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to your brother.

And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in to his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother.

And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: why he slew him also.

Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow at your father's house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his brothers did. And Tamar went and dwelled in her father's house.

And in process of time the daughter of Shuah Judah's wife died; and Judah was comforted, and went up to his sheep shearers to Timnath, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.

And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold your father in law goes up to Timnath to shear his sheep.

And she put her widow's garments off from her, and covered her with a veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which is by the way to Timnath; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given to him to wife.

When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face.

And he turned to her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray you, let me come in to you; (for he knew not that she was his daughter in law. ) And she said, What will you give me, that you may come in to me?

And he said, I will send you a kid from the flock. And she said, Will you give me a pledge, till you send it?

And he said, What pledge shall I give you? And she said, Your signet, and your bracelets, and your staff that is in your hand. And he gave it her, and came in to her, and she conceived by him.

And she arose, and went away, and laid by her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.

And Judah sent the kid by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman's hand: but he found her not.

Then he asked the men of that place, saying, Where is the harlot, that was openly by the way side? And they said, There was no harlot in this place.

And he returned to Judah, and said, I cannot find her; and also the men of the place said, that there was no harlot in this place.

And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and you have not found her.

And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar your daughter in law has played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by prostitution. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.

When she was brought forth, she sent to her father in law, saying, By the man, whose these are, am I with child: and she said, Discern, I pray you, whose are these, the signet, and bracelets, and staff.

And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She has been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more.

And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb.

And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand: and the midwife took and bound on his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first.

And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, How have you broken forth? this breach be on you: therefore his name was called Pharez.

And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread on his hand: and his name was called Zarah.

Psalm chapter 7

Shiggaion of David, which he sang unto the LORD, concerning the words of Cush the Benjamite. O LORD my God, in you do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me:

Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.

O LORD my God, if I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands;

If I have rewarded evil to him that was at peace with me; (yes, I have delivered him that without cause is my enemy: )

Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yes, let him tread down my life on the earth, and lay my honor in the dust. Selah.

Arise, O LORD, in your anger, lift up yourself because of the rage of my enemies: and awake for me to the judgment that you have commanded.

So shall the congregation of the people compass you about: for their sakes therefore return you on high.

The LORD shall judge the people: judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to my integrity that is in me.

Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God tries the hearts and reins.

My defense is of God, which saves the upright in heart.

God judges the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.

If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he has bent his bow, and made it ready.

He has also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordains his arrows against the persecutors.

Behold, he travails with iniquity, and has conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood.

He made a pit, and dig it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made.

His mischief shall return on his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down on his own pate.

I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.

Luke chapter 15

Then drew near to him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.

And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receives sinners, and eats with them.

And he spoke this parable to them, saying,

What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, does not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?

And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.

I say to you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repents, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, does not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?

And when she has found it, she calls her friends and her neighbors together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.

Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repents.

And he said, A certain man had two sons:

And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me. And he divided to them his living.

And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.

And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.

And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave to him.

And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before you,

And am no more worthy to be called your son: make me as one of your hired servants.

And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight, and am no more worthy to be called your son.

But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:

And bring here the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:

For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.

And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.

And he said to him, Your brother is come; and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has received him safe and sound.

And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and entreated him.

And he answering said to his father, See, these many years do I serve you, neither transgressed I at any time your commandment: and yet you never gave me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:

But as soon as this your son was come, which has devoured your living with harlots, you have killed for him the fatted calf.

And he said to him, Son, you are ever with me, and all that I have is yours.

It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this your brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

Genesis chapter 37

Genesis chapter 38

Psalm chapter 7

Luke chapter 15

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