Bible Reading Plan

Chapter 38

Judah and Tamar

¹ And it came about at that time, that Judah ^(F1)departed from his brothers and ^(F2)visited a certain ^(C1)Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.² Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was ^(C1)Shua; and he took her as a wife and had relations with her.³ And she conceived and gave birth to a son, and he named him ^(C1)Er.⁴ Then she conceived again and gave birth to a son, and she named him ^(C1)Onan.⁵ She gave birth to yet another son and named him ^(C1)Shelah; and it was at Chezib ^(F1)that she gave birth to him.

⁶ Now Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.⁷ But ^(C1)Er, Judah's firstborn, was evil in the sight of the LORD, so the LORD took his life.⁸ Then Judah said to Onan, "^(C1)Have relations with your brother's wife and perform your duty as a brother-in-law to her, and raise up a ^(F1)child for your brother."⁹ Now Onan knew that the ^(F1)(C1)child would not be his; so when he had relations with his brother's wife, he ^(F2)wasted his seed on the ground so that he would not give ^(F1)a child to his brother.¹⁰ But what he did was displeasing in the sight of the LORD; so He ^(C1)took his life also.¹¹ Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, "^(C1)Remain a widow in your father's house until my son Shelah grows up"; for he ^(F1)thought, "I am afraid that he too may die like his brothers." So Tamar went and lived in her father's house.

¹² Now ^(F1)after a considerable time Shua's daughter, the wife of Judah, died; and when ^(F2)the time of mourning was ended, Judah went up to his sheepshearers at ^(C1)Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.¹³ And Tamar was told, "Behold, your father-in-law is going up to ^(C1)Timnah to shear his sheep."¹⁴ So she ^(F1)removed her widow's garments and ^(C1)covered herself with a ^(F2)veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the gateway of ^(F3)Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah had grown up, and ^(C2)she had not been given to him as a wife.¹⁵ When Judah saw her, he assumed she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face.¹⁶ So he turned aside to her by the road, and said, "^(F1)Here now, let me have relations with you"; for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said, "What will you give me, that you may have relations with me?"¹⁷ He said, therefore, "I will send you a ^(F1)young goat from the flock." She then said, "Will you give a pledge until you send it?"¹⁸ He said, "What pledge shall I give you?" And she said, "^(C1)Your seal and your cord, and your staff that is in your hand." So he gave them to her and had relations with her, and she conceived by him.¹⁹ Then she got up and departed, and ^(F1)removed her ^(F2)veil and put on her widow's garments.

²⁰ When Judah sent the ^(F1)young goat by his friend the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman's hand, he did not find her.²¹ He asked the people of her place, saying, "Where is the temple prostitute who was by the road at Enaim?" But they said, "There has been no temple prostitute here."²² So he returned to Judah, and said, "I did not find her; and furthermore, the people of the place said, 'There has been no temple prostitute here.'"²³ Then Judah said, "Let her ^(F1)keep them, otherwise we will become a laughingstock. ^(F2)After all, I sent this young goat, but you did not find her."

²⁴ Now it was about three months later that Judah was ^(F1)informed, "Your daughter-in-law Tamar has prostituted herself, and behold, she is also pregnant by prostitution." Then Judah said, "Bring her out and ^(C1)have her burned!"²⁵ It was while she was being brought out that she sent word to her father-in-law, saying, "I am pregnant by the man to whom these things belong." She also said, "^(C1)Please examine and see, whose signet ring and cords and staff are these?"²⁶ And Judah recognized them, and said, "^(C1)She is more righteous than I, since ^(C2)I did not give her to my son Shelah." And he did not ^(F1)have relations with her again.

²⁷ It came about at the time she was giving birth, that behold, there were ^(C1)twins in her womb.²⁸ Moreover, it took place while she was giving birth, that one baby put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, "This one came out first."²⁹ But it came about as he drew back his hand that behold, his brother came out. Then she said, "What a breach you have made for yourself!" So he was named ^(F1)(C1)Perez.³⁰ Afterward his brother came out who had the scarlet thread on his hand; and he was named ^(F1)(C1)Zerah.

Chapter 39

Joseph's Success in Egypt

¹ Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an Egyptian officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the bodyguard, bought him ^(F1)from the ^(C1)Ishmaelites, who had taken him down there.² And ^(C1)the LORD was with Joseph, so he became a ^(F1)successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian.³ Now his master ^(C1)saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD ^(C2)made all that he did prosper in his hand.⁴ So Joseph ^(C1)found favor in his sight and ^(F1)became his personal servant; and he made him overseer over his house, and ^(F2)put him in charge of ^(C2)all that he owned.⁵ It came about that from the time he made him overseer in his house and over all that he owned, the LORD ^(C1)blessed the Egyptian's house on account of Joseph; so ^(C2)the LORD'S blessing was upon all that he owned, in the house and in the field.

⁶ So he left ^(F1)Joseph in charge of everything that he owned; and with him there he did not ^(F2)concern himself with anything except the ^(F3)food which he ^(F4)ate. Now Joseph was ^(C1)handsome in form and appearance.⁷ And it came about after these events ^(C1)that his master's wife ^(F1)had her eyes on Joseph, and she said, "^(C2)Sleep with me."⁸ But ^(C1)he refused and said to his master's wife, "Look, with me here, my master ^(F1)does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has ^(F2)put me in charge of all that he owns.⁹ "^(F1)(C1)There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil, and ^(C2)sin against God?"¹⁰ Though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he did not listen to her to lie beside her or be with her.¹¹ Now it happened ^(F1)one day that he went into the house to do his work, and none of the people of the household was there inside.¹² So she grabbed him by his garment, saying, "Sleep with me!" But he left his garment in her hand and fled, and went outside.^13 (F1)When she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled outside,¹⁴ she called to the men of her household and said to them, "See, he has brought in a ^(F1)Hebrew to us to make fun of us; he came in to me to sleep with me, and I ^(F2)screamed.¹⁵ "When he heard that I raised my voice and ^(F1)screamed, he left his garment beside me and fled and went outside."¹⁶ So she ^(F1)left his garment beside her until his master came home.¹⁷ Then she ^(C1)spoke to him ^(F1)with these ^(F2)words: "The Hebrew slave, whom you brought to us, came in to me to make fun of me;¹⁸ but when I raised my voice and ^(F1)screamed, he left his garment beside me and fled outside."

Joseph Imprisoned

¹⁹ Now when his master heard the words of his wife which she spoke to him, saying, "^(F1)This is what your slave did to me," ^(C1)his anger burned.²⁰ So Joseph's master took him and ^(C1)put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined; and he was there in the prison.²¹ But ^(C1)the LORD was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and ^(C2)gave him favor in the sight of the warden of the prison.²² And the warden of the prison ^(F1)(C1)put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison; so that whatever was done there, he was ^(F2)responsible for it.^23 (C1)The warden of the prison did not supervise anything ^(F1)under Joseph's authority, because ^(C2)the LORD was with him; and, ^(C3)the LORD made whatever he did prosper.

Chapter 40

Joseph Interprets Dreams

¹ Then it came about after these things, that ^(C1)the cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt.² And Pharaoh was ^(C1)furious with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker.³ So he put them in confinement in the house of the ^(C1)captain of the bodyguard, in the prison, the same place where Joseph was imprisoned.⁴ And the captain of the bodyguard put Joseph in charge of them, and he ^(F1)took care of them; and they were in confinement for ^(F2)some time.⁵ Then the cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, both had a dream the same night, each man with his own dream and each dream with its own interpretation.^6 (F1)When Joseph came to them in the morning and saw them, ^(F2)behold, they were dejected.⁷ So he asked Pharaoh's officials who were with him in confinement in his master's house, "^(F1)(C1)Why are your faces so sad today?"⁸ And they said to him, "^(C1)We have ^(F1)had a dream, and there is no one to interpret it." Then Joseph said to them, "^(C2)Do interpretations not belong to God? Tell it to me, please."<