Old Testament

Genesis 37-38

^37:1Jacob lived in the land of his father's travels, in the land of Canaan. ^37:2This 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. ^37:3Now 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. ^37:4His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, and they hated him, and couldn't speak peaceably to him.

^37:5Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers, and they hated him all the more. ^37:6He said to them, "Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: ^37:7for, 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."

^37:8His 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. ^37:9He 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." ^37:10He 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?" ^37:11His brothers envied him; but his father kept this saying in mind.

^37:12His brothers went to feed their father's flock in Shechem. ^37:13Israel 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."

^37:14He 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. ^37:15A certain man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, "What are you looking for?"

^37:16He said, "I am looking for my brothers. Tell me, please, where they are feeding the flock."

^37:17The 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. ^37:18They saw him afar off, and before he came near to them, they conspired against him to kill him. ^37:19They said one to another, "Behold, this dreamer comes. ^37:20Come 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."

^37:21Reuben heard it, and delivered him out of their hand, and said, "Let's not take his life." ^37:22Reuben 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. ^37:23It happened, when Joseph came to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his coat, the coat of many colors that was on him; ^37:24and they took him, and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty. There was no water in it.

^37:25They 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. ^37:26Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? ^37:27Come, 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. ^37:28Midianites 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.

^37:29Reuben returned to the pit; and saw that Joseph wasn't in the pit; and he tore his clothes. ^37:30He returned to his brothers, and said, "The child is no more; and I, where will I go?" ^37:31They took Joseph's coat, and killed a male goat, and dipped the coat in the blood. ^37:32They 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."

^37:33He recognized it, and said, "It is my son's coat. An evil animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces." ^37:34Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his loins, and mourned for his son many days. ^37:35All 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. ^37:36The Midianites sold him into Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, the captain of the guard.

^38:1It happened at that time, that Judah went down from his brothers, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. ^38:2Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua. He took her, and went in to her. ^38:3She conceived, and bore a son; and he named him Er. ^38:4She conceived again, and bore a son; and she named him Onan. ^38:5She yet again bore a son, and named him Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bore him. ^38:6Judah took a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. ^38:7Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of Yahweh. Yahweh killed him. ^38:8Judah said to Onan, "Go in to your brother's wife, and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her, and raise up seed to your brother." ^38:9Onan knew that the seed wouldn't be his; and it happened, when he went in to his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest he should give seed to his brother. ^38:10The thing which he did was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and he killed him also. ^38:11Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, "Remain a widow in your father's house, until Shelah, my son, is grown up;" for he said, "Lest he also die, like his brothers." Tamar went and lived in her father's house.

^38:12After many days, Shua's daughter, the wife of Judah, died. Judah was comforted, and went up to his sheep-shearers to Timnah, he and his friend Hirah, the Adullamite. ^38:13It was told Tamar, saying, "Behold, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep." ^38:14She took off of her the garments of her widowhood, and covered herself with her veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the gate of Enaim, which is by the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she wasn't given to him as a wife. ^38:15When Judah saw her, he thought that she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. ^38:16He turned to her by the way, and said, "Please come, let me come in to you:" for he didn't know that she was his daughter-in-law.

She said, "What will you give me, that you may come in to me?"

^38:17He said, "I will send you a kid of the goats from the flock."

She said, "Will you give me a pledge, until you send it?"

^38:18He said, "What pledge will I give you?"

She said, "Your signet and your cord, and your staff that is in your hand."

He gave them to her, and came in to her, and she conceived by him. ^38:19She arose, and went away, and put off her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood. ^38:20Judah sent the kid of the goats by the hand of his friend, the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman's hand, but he didn't find her. ^38:21Then he asked the men of her place, saying, "Where is the prostitute, that was at Enaim by the road?"

They said, "There has been no prostitute here."

^38:22He returned to Judah, and said, "I haven't found her; and also the men of the place said, 'There has been no prostitute here.'" ^38:23Judah said, "Let her keep it, lest we be put to shame. Behold, I sent this kid, and you haven't found her."

^38:24It happened about three months later, that it was told Judah, saying, "Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has played the prostitute; and moreover, behold, she is with child by prostitution."

Judah said, "Bring her forth, and let her be burnt." ^38:25When she was brought forth, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, "By the man, whose these are, I am with child." She also said, "Please discern whose are these - the signet, and the cords, and the staff."

^38:26Judah acknowledged them, and said, "She is more righteous than I, because I didn't give her to Shelah, my son."

He knew her again no more. ^38:27It happened in the time of her travail, that behold, twins were in her womb. ^38:28It happened, when she travailed, that one put out a hand: and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, "This came out first." ^38:29It happened, as he drew back his hand, that behold, his brother came out, and she said, "Why have you made a breach for yourself?" Therefore his name was called Perez. ^38:30Afterward his brother came out, that had the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah.

New Testament

Matthew 24

^24:1Jesus went out from the temple, and was going on his way. His disciples came to him to show him the buildings of the temple. ^24:2But he answered them, "Don't you see all of these things? Most assuredly I tell you, there will not be left here one stone on another, that will not be thrown down."

^24:3As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? What is the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?"

^24:4Jesus answered them, "Be careful that no one leads you astray. ^24:5For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will lead many astray. ^24:6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you aren't troubled, for all this must happen, but the end is not yet. ^24:7For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be famines, plagues, and earthquakes in various places. ^24:8But all these things are the beginning of birth pains. ^24:9Then they will deliver you up to oppression, and will kill you. You will be hated by all of the nations for my name's sake. ^24:10Then many will stumble, and will deliver up one another, and will hate one another. ^24:11Many false prophets will arise, and will lead many astray. ^24:12Because iniquity will be multiplied, the love of many will grow cold. ^24:13But he who endures to the end, the same will be saved. ^24:14This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

^24:15"When, therefore, you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), ^24:16then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ^24:17Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take out things that are in his house. ^24:18Let him who is in the field not return back to get his clothes. ^24:19But woe to those who are with child and to nursing mothers in those days! ^24:20Pray that your flight will not be in the winter, nor on a Sabbath, ^24:21for then there will be great oppression, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever will be. ^24:22Unless those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved. But for the elect's sake, those days will be shortened.

^24:23"Then if any man tells you, 'Behold, here is the Christ,' or, 'There,' don't believe it. ^24:24For there will arise false Christs, and false prophets, and they will show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.

^24:25"Behold, I have told you beforehand. ^24:26If therefore they tell you, 'Behold, he is in the wilderness,' don't go out; 'Behold, he is in the inner chambers,' don't believe it. ^24:27For as the lightning comes forth from the east, and is seen even to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ^24:28For wherever the carcass is, there will the vultures be gathered together. ^24:29But immediately after the oppression of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken; ^24:30and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. ^24:31He will send out his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

^24:32"Now from the fig tree learn this parable. When its branch has now become tender, and puts forth its leaves, you know that the summer is near. ^24:33Even so you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. ^24:34Most assuredly I tell you, this generation will not pass away, until all these things are accomplished. ^24:35Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. ^24:36But no one knows of that day and hour, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

^24:37"As the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ^24:38For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, ^24:39and they didn't know until the flood came, and took them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ^24:40Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and one will be left; ^24:41two women grinding at the mill, one will be taken and one will be left. ^24:42Watch therefore, for you don't know in what hour your Lord comes. ^24:43But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. ^24:44Therefore also be ready, for in an hour that you don't expect, the Son of Man will come.

^24:45"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord has set over his household, to give them their food in due season? ^24:46Blessed is that servant whom his lord finds doing so when he comes. ^24:47Most assuredly I tell you that he will set him over all that he has. ^24:48But if that evil servant should say in his heart, 'My lord is delaying his coming,' ^24:49and begins to beat his fellow-servants, and eat and drink with the drunken, ^24:50the lord of that servant will come in a day when he doesn't expect it, and in an hour when he doesn't know it, ^24:51and will cut him in pieces, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites; there is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.