ARKCODEX
Genesis
Ch. 37
Joseph and His Brothers
1Jacob continued to live in the land of Canaan, where his father had lived,
2and this is the story of Jacob's family. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, took care of the sheep and goats with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's concubines. He brought bad reports to his father about what his brothers were doing.
3Jacob loved Joseph more than all his other sons, because he had been born to him when he was old. He made a long robe with full sleeves for him.
4When his brothers saw that their father loved Joseph more than he loved them, they hated their brother so much that they would not speak to him in a friendly manner.
5One time Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him even more.
6He said, “Listen to the dream I had.
7We were all in the field tying up sheaves of wheat, when my sheaf got up and stood up straight. Yours formed a circle around mine and bowed down to it.”
8“Do you think you are going to be a king and rule over us?” his brothers asked. So they hated him even more because of his dreams and because of what he said about them.
9Then Joseph had another dream and told his brothers, “I had another dream, in which I saw the sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowing down to me.”
10He also told the dream to his father, and his father scolded him: “What kind of a dream is that? Do you think that your mother, your brothers, and I are going to come and bow down to you?”
11Joseph's brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept thinking about the whole matter.
Joseph Is Sold and Taken to Egypt
12One day when Joseph's brothers had gone to Shechem to take care of their father's flock,
13Jacob said to Joseph, “I want you to go to Shechem, where your brothers are taking care of the flock.” Joseph answered, “I am ready.”
14His father told him, “Go and see if your brothers are safe and if the flock is all right; then come back and tell me.” So his father sent him on his way from Hebron Valley. Joseph arrived at Shechem
15and was wandering around in the country when a man saw him and asked him, “What are you looking for?”
16“I am looking for my brothers, who are taking care of their flock,” he answered. “Can you tell me where they are?”
17The man said, “They have already left. I heard them say that they were going to Dothan.” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
18They saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted against him and decided to kill him.
19They said to one another, “Here comes that dreamer.
20Come on now, let's kill him and throw his body into one of the dry wells. We can say that a wild animal killed him. Then we will see what becomes of his dreams.”
21Reuben heard them and tried to save Joseph. “Let's not kill him,” he said.
22“Just throw him into this well in the wilderness, but don't hurt him.” He said this, planning to save him from them and send him back to his father.
23When Joseph came up to his brothers, they ripped off his long robe with full sleeves.
24Then they took him and threw him into the well, which was dry.
25While they were eating, they suddenly saw a group of Ishmaelites traveling from Gilead to Egypt. Their camels were loaded with spices and resins.
26Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain by killing our brother and covering up the murder?
27Let's sell him to these Ishmaelites. Then we won't have to hurt him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed,
28and when some Midianite traders came by, the brothers pulled Joseph out of the well and sold him for twenty pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.
29When Reuben came back to the well and found that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes in sorrow.
30He returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is not there! What am I going to do?”
31Then they killed a goat and dipped Joseph's robe in its blood.
32They took the robe to their father and said, “We found this. Does it belong to your son?”
33He recognized it and said, “Yes, it is his! Some wild animal has killed him. My son Joseph has been torn to pieces!”
34Jacob tore his clothes in sorrow and put on sackcloth. He mourned for his son a long time.
35All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “I will go down to the world of the dead still mourning for my son.” So he continued to mourn for his son Joseph.
36Meanwhile, in Egypt the Midianites had sold Joseph to Potiphar, one of the king's officers, who was the captain of the palace guard.
Job
Ch. 27–28
1-2I swear by the living Almighty God, who refuses me justice and makes my life bitter—
3as long as God gives me breath,
4my lips will never say anything evil, my tongue will never tell a lie.
5I will never say that you men are right; I will insist on my innocence to my dying day.
6I will never give up my claim to be right; my conscience is clear.
7May all who oppose me and fight against me be punished like the wicked and the unrighteous.
8What hope is there for the godless in the hour when God demands their life?
9When trouble comes, will God hear their cries?
10They should have desired the joy he gives; they should have constantly prayed to him.
11Let me teach you how great is God's power, and explain what Almighty God has planned.
12But no, after all, you have seen for yourselves; so why do you talk such nonsense?
[Zophar]
13This is how Almighty God punishes wicked, violent people.
14They may have many sons, but all will be killed in war; their children never have enough to eat.
15Those who survive will die from disease, and even their widows will not mourn their death.
16The wicked may have too much silver to count and more clothes than anyone needs;
17but some good person will wear the clothes, and someone honest will get the silver.
18The wicked build houses like a spider's web or like the hut of a slave guarding the fields.
19One last time they will lie down rich, and when they wake up, they will find their wealth gone.
20Terror will strike like a sudden flood; a wind in the night will blow them away;
21the east wind will sweep them from their homes;
22it will blow down on them without pity while they try their best to escape.
23The wind howls at them as they run, frightening them with destructive power.
Job 28
In Praise of Wisdom
1There are mines where silver is dug; There are places where gold is refined.
2We dig iron out of the ground And melt copper out of the stones.
3Miners explore the deepest darkness. They search the depths of the earth And dig for rocks in the darkness.
4Far from where anyone lives Or human feet ever travel, They dig the shafts of mines. There they work in loneliness, Clinging to ropes in the pits.
5Food grows out of the earth, But underneath the same earth All is torn up and crushed.
6The stones of the earth contain sapphires, And its dust contains gold.
7No hawk sees the roads to the mines, And no vulture ever flies over them.
8No lion or other fierce beast Ever travels those lonely roads.
9Miners dig the hardest rocks, Dig mountains away at their base.
10As they tunnel through the rocks, They discover precious stones.
11They dig to the sources of rivers And bring to light what is hidden.
12But where can wisdom be found? Where can we learn to understand?
13Wisdom is not to be found among mortals; No one knows its true value.
14The depths of the oceans and seas Say that wisdom is not found there.
15It cannot be bought with silver or gold.
16The finest gold and jewels Cannot equal its value.
17It is worth more than gold, Than a gold vase or finest glass.
18The value of wisdom is more Than coral or crystal or rubies.
19The finest topaz and the purest gold Cannot compare with the value of wisdom.
20Where, then, is the source of wisdom? Where can we learn to understand?
21No living creature can see it, Not even a bird in flight.
22Even death and destruction Admit they have heard only rumors.
23God alone knows the way, Knows the place where wisdom is found,
24Because he sees the ends of the earth, Sees everything under the sky.
25When God gave the wind its power And determined the size of the sea;
26When God decided where the rain would fall, And the path that the thunderclouds travel;
27It was then he saw wisdom and tested its worth— He gave it his approval.
28God said to us humans, “To be wise, you must have reverence for the Lord. To understand, you must turn from evil.”
Proverbs
Ch. 3
25You will not have to worry about sudden disasters, such as come on the wicked like a storm.
26The Lord will keep you safe. He will not let you fall into a trap.
27Whenever you possibly can, do good to those who need it.