411 Now it happened at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream , and behold , he was standing by the Nile . 2 And lo , from the Nile there came up seven cows , sleek and fat ; and they grazed in the marsh grass . 3 Then behold , seven other cows came up after them from the Nile , ugly and gaunt e , and they stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile . 4 The ugly and gaunt e cows ate up the seven sleek and fat cows . Then Pharaoh awoke . 5 He fell asleep and dreamed a second time ; and behold , seven ears of grain came up on a single stalk , plump and good . 6 Then behold , seven ears , thin and scorched by the east wind , sprouted up after them. 7 The thin ears swallowed up the seven plump and full ears . Then Pharaoh awoke , and behold , it was a dream . 8 Now in the morning his spirit was troubled , so he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt , and all its wise men . And Pharaoh told them his dreams , but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh .
9 Then the chief cupbearer spoke to Pharaoh , saying , "I would make mention today of my own offenses . 10 "Pharaoh was furious with his servants , and he put me in confinement in the house of the captain of the bodyguard , both me and the chief baker . 11 " We had a dream on the same night , he and I; each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream . 12 "Now a Hebrew youth was with us there , a servant of the captain of the bodyguard , and we related them to him, and he interpreted our dreams for us. To each one he interpreted according to his own dream . 13 "And just as he interpreted for us, so it happened ; he restored me in my office , but he hanged him." 14 Then Pharaoh sent and called for Joseph , and they hurriedly brought him out of the dungeon ; and when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes , he came to Pharaoh . 15 Pharaoh said to Joseph , "I have had a dream , but no one can interpret it; and I have heard it said about you, that when you hear a dream you can interpret it." 16 Joseph then answered Pharaoh , saying , " It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer ."
17 So Pharaoh spoke to Joseph , "In my dream , behold , I was standing on the bank of the Nile ; 18 and behold , seven cows , fat and sleek came up out of the Nile , and they grazed in the marsh grass . 19 "Lo , seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and gaunt e , such as I had never seen for ugliness in all the land of Egypt ; 20 and the lean and ugly cows ate up the first seven fat cows . 21 "Yet when they had devoured e them, it could not be detected that they had devoured e them, for they were just as ugly as before . Then I awoke . 22 "I saw also in my dream , and behold , seven ears , full and good , came up on a single stalk ; 23 and lo , seven ears , withered , thin , and scorched by the east wind , sprouted up after them; 24 and the thin ears swallowed the seven good ears . Then I told it to the magicians , but there was no one who could explain it to me." 25 Now Joseph said to Pharaoh , "Pharaoh's dreams are one and the same; God has told to Pharaoh what e He is about to do . 26 "The seven good cows are seven years ; and the seven good ears are seven years ; the dreams are one and the same. 27 "The seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years , and the seven thin ears scorched by the east wind will be seven years of famine . 28 "It is as I have spoken to Pharaoh : God has shown to Pharaoh what He is about to do . 29 "Behold , seven years of great abundance are coming in all the land of Egypt ; 30 and after them seven years of famine will come , and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt , and the famine will ravage the land . 31 "So the abundance will be unknown e in the land because e of that subsequent famine ; for it will be very severe . 32 "Now as for the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh twice , it means that the matter is determined by God , and God will quickly bring it about .
33 "Now let Pharaoh look for a man discerning and wise , and set him over the land of Egypt . 34 "Let Pharaoh take action to appoint overseers in charge of the land , and let him exact a fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven years of abundance . 35 "Then let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming , and store up the grain for food in the cities under Pharaoh's authority , and let them guard it. 36 "Let the food become as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which will occur in the land of Egypt , so that the land will not perish during the famine ."
37 Now the proposal seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his servants . 38 Then Pharaoh said to his servants , "Can we find a man like this , in whom is a divine spirit ?" 39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph , "Since God has informed you of all this , there is no one so discerning and wise as you are. 40 " You shall be over my house , and according to your command all my people shall do homage ; only in the throne I will be greater than you." 41 Pharaoh said to Joseph , "See , I have set you over all the land of Egypt ." 42 Then Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand , and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put the gold necklace around his neck . 43 He had him ride in his second chariot ; and they proclaimed before him, "Bow the knee !" And he set him over all the land of Egypt . 44 Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph , "Though I am Pharaoh , yet without your permission no one shall raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt ." 45 Then Pharaoh named e Joseph Zaphenath-paneah ; and he gave him Asenath , the daughter of Potiphera priest of On , as his wife . And Joseph went forth over the land of Egypt .
46 Now Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh , king of Egypt . And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt . 47 During the seven years of plenty the land brought forth abundantly . 48 So he gathered all the food of these seven years which occurred in the land of Egypt and placed the food in the cities ; he placed in every city the food from its own surrounding fields . 49 Thus Joseph stored up grain in great abundance like the sand of the sea , until e he stopped measuring it, for it was beyond measure . 50 Now before the year of famine came , two sons were born to Joseph , whom Asenath , the daughter of Potiphera priest of On , bore to him. 51 Joseph named e the firstborn Manasseh , "For," he said, "God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household ." 52 He named e the second Ephraim , "For," he said, " God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction ." 53 When the seven years of plenty which had been in the land of Egypt came to an end , 54 and the seven years of famine began to come , just as Joseph had said , then there was famine in all the lands , but in all the land of Egypt there was bread . 55 So when all the land of Egypt was famished , the people cried out to Pharaoh for bread ; and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians , "Go to Joseph ; whatever he says to you, you shall do ." 56 When the famine was spread over all the face of the earth , then Joseph opened all the storehouses , and sold to the Egyptians ; and the famine was severe in the land of Egypt . 57 The people of all the earth came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph , because the famine was severe in all the earth .
421 Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt , and Jacob said to his sons , "Why are you staring at one another?" 2 He said , "Behold , I have heard that there is grain in Egypt ; go down there and buy some for us from that place , so that we may live and not die ." 3 Then ten brothers of Joseph went down to buy grain from Egypt . 4 But Jacob did not send Joseph's brother Benjamin with his brothers , for he said , " I am afraid that harm may befall him." 5 So the sons of Israel came to buy grain among those who were coming , for the famine was in the land of Canaan also. 6 Now Joseph was the ruler over the land ; he was the one who sold to all the people of the land . And Joseph's brothers came and bowed down to him with their faces to the ground .
7 When Joseph saw his brothers he recognized them, but he disguised himself to them and spoke to them harshly . And he said to them, "Where have you come from?" And they said , "From the land of Canaan , to buy food ." 8 But Joseph had recognized his brothers , although they did not recognize him. 9 Joseph remembered the dreams which he had about them, and said to them, "You are spies ; you have come to look at the undefended parts of our land ." 10 Then they said to him, "No , my lord , but your servants have come to buy food . 11 "We are all sons of one man ; we are honest men , your servants are not spies ." 12 Yet he said to them, "No , but you have come to look at the undefended parts of our land !" 13 But they said , "Your servants are twelve e brothers in all, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan ; and behold , the youngest is with our father today , and one is no longer alive." 14 Joseph said to them, "It is as I said to you, you are spies ; 15 by this you will be tested : by the life of Pharaoh , you shall not go from this place unless e your youngest brother comes here ! 16 "Send one of you that he may get your brother , while you remain confined , that your words may be tested , whether there is truth in you. But if not, by the life of Pharaoh , surely you are spies ." 17 So he put them all together in prison for three days . 18 Now Joseph said to them on the third day , "Do this and live , for I fear God : 19 if you are honest men , let one of your brothers be confined in your prison e ; but as for the rest of you, go , carry grain for the famine of your households , 20 and bring your youngest brother to me, so your words may be verified , and you will not die ." And they did so .
21 Then they said to one another , " Truly we are guilty concerning our brother , because we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us, yet we would not listen ; therefore e this distress has come upon us." 22 Reuben answered them, saying , " Did I not tell you, 'Do not sin against the boy '; and you would not listen ? Now e comes the reckoning for his blood ." 23 They did not know , however, that Joseph understood , for there was an interpreter between them. 24 He turned away from them and wept . But when he returned to them and spoke to them, he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes . 25 Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain and to restore every man's money in his sack , and to give them provisions for the journey . And thus it was done for them. 26 So they loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed from there . 27 As one of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at the lodging place , he saw his money ; and behold , it was in the mouth of his sack . 28 Then he said to his brothers , "My money has been returned , and behold , it is even in my sack ." And their hearts sank , and they turned trembling to one another , saying , " What is this that God has done to us?"
29 When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan , they told him all that had happened to them, saying , 30 "The man , the lord of the land , spoke harshly with us, and took us for spies of the country . 31 "But we said to him, 'We are honest men ; we are not spies . 32 'We are twelve e brothers , sons of our father ; one is no longer alive, and the youngest is with our father today in the land of Canaan .' 33 "The man , the lord of the land , said to us, ' By this I will know that you are honest men : leave one of your brothers with me and take grain for the famine of your households , and go . 34 'But bring your youngest brother to me that I may know that you are not spies , but honest men . I will give your brother to you, and you may trade in the land .' " 35 Now it came about as they were emptying their sacks , that behold , every man's bundle of money was in his sack ; and when they and their father saw their bundles of money , they were dismayed . 36 Their father Jacob said to them, "You have bereaved me of my children : Joseph is no more , and Simeon is no more , and you would take Benjamin ; all these things are against me." 37 Then Reuben spoke to his father , saying , "You may put my two sons to death if I do not bring him back to you; put him in my care , and I will return him to you." 38 But Jacob said , "My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead , and he alone is left . If harm should befall him on the journey you are taking , then you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow ."
121 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath , and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat . 2 But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, "Look , Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath ." 3 But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he became hungry , he and his companions e , 4 how he entered the house of God , and they ate the consecrated bread , which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone ? 5 "Or have you not read in the Law , that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and are innocent ? 6 "But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here . 7 "But if you had known what this means , ' I DESIRE COMPASSION , AND NOT A SACRIFICE ,' you would not have condemned the innocent . 8 "For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath ."
9 Departing from there , He went into their synagogue . 10 And a man was there whose hand was withered . And they questioned Jesus, asking , " Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath ?"-so that they might accuse Him. 11 And He said to them, " What man is there among you who has a sheep , and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath , will he not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 " How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep ! So then , it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath ." 13 Then He said to the man , "Stretch out your hand !" He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal , like the other .
14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired e against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.
15 But Jesus , aware of this, withdrew from there . Many followed Him, and He healed them all , 16 and warned them not to tell who He was. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet : 18 " BEHOLD , MY SERVANT WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN ; MY BELOVED IN WHOM MY SOUL is WELL-PLEASED ; I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT UPON HIM, AND HE SHALL PROCLAIM JUSTICE TO THE GENTILES . 19 " HE WILL NOT QUARREL , NOR CRY OUT; NOR WILL ANYONE HEAR HIS VOICE IN THE STREETS . 20 " A BATTERED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK OFF, AND A SMOLDERING WICK HE WILL NOT PUT OUT, UNTIL HE LEADS JUSTICE TO VICTORY . 21 " AND IN HIS NAME THE GENTILES WILL HOPE ."
22 Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed him, so that the mute man spoke and saw . 23 All the crowds were amazed , and were saying , "This man cannot be the Son of David , can he?"
(Read Matthew 12:1-8)
Being in the corn-fields, the disciples began to pluck the ears of corn: the law of God allowed it, Deuteronomy 5:14. No law must be understood so as to contradict its own end. And as Christ is the Lord of the sabbath, it is fit the day and the work of it should be dedicated to him.
(Read Matthew 12:9-13)
Christ shows that works of mercy are lawful and proper to be done on the Lord's day. There are more ways of doing well upon sabbath days, than by the duties of worship: attending the sick, relieving the poor, helping those who need speedy relief, teaching the young to care for their souls; these are doing good: and these must be done from love and charity, with humility and self-denial, and shall be accepted, Genesis 4:7. This, like other cures which Christ wrought, had a spiritual meaning. By nature our hands are withered, and we are unable of ourselves to do any thing that is good. Christ only, by the power of his grace, cures us; he heals the withered hand by putting life into the dead soul, works in us both to will and to do: for, with the command, there is a promise of grace given by the word.
(Read Matthew 12:14-21)
The Pharisees took counsel to find some accusation, that Jesus might be condemned to death. Aware of their design, as his time was not come, he retired from that place. Face does not more exactly answer to face in water, than the character of Christ drawn by the prophet, to his temper and conduct as described by the evangelists. Let us with cheerful confidence commit our souls to so kind and faithful a Friend. Far from breaking, he will strengthen the bruised reed; far from quenching the smoking flax, or wick nearly out, he will rather blow it up into a flame. Let us lay aside contentious and angry debates; let us receive one another as Christ receives us. And while encouraged by the gracious kindness of our Lord, we should pray that his Spirit may rest upon us, and make us able to copy his example.
(Read Matthew 12:22-30)
A soul under Satan's power, and led captive by him, is blind in the things of God, and dumb at the throne of grace; sees nothing, and says nothing to the purpose. Satan blinds the eyes by unbelief, and seals up the lips from prayer. The more people magnified Christ, the more desirous the Pharisees were to vilify him. It was evident that if Satan aided Jesus in casting out devils, the kingdom of hell was divided against itself; how then could it stand! And if they said that Jesus cast out devils by the prince of the devils, they could not prove that their children cast them out by any other power. There are two great interests in the world; and when unclean spirits are cast out by the Holy Spirit, in the conversion of sinners to a life of faith and obedience, the kingdom of God is come unto us. All who do not aid or rejoice in such a change are against Christ.
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