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THE PRODIGAL SON
Genesis 37: 1-11
1 And Jacob dwelt in the
land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan. 2
These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was
feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah,
and with the sons of Zilpah, his father�s wives: and Joseph brought unto his
father their evil report. 3 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 colours. 4 And when his brethren saw that
their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could
not speak peaceably unto him. 5 And Joseph dreamed a
dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.
6 And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have
dreamed: 7 For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the
field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your
sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf. 8
And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou
indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams,
and for his words. 9 And he dreamed yet another dream,
and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and,
behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.
10 And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his
father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast
dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down
ourselves to thee to the earth? 11 And his brethren
envied him; but his father observed the saying.
Genesis 39:4-20
4 And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he
served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he
put into his hand. 5 And it came to pass from the time
that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the
LORD blessed the Egyptian�s house for Joseph�s sake; and the blessing of the
LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field. 6
And he left all that he had in Joseph�s hand; and he knew not ought he had,
save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well
favoured. 7 And it came to pass after these things, that
his master�s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.
8 But he refused, and said unto his master�s wife, Behold, my
master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all
that he hath to my hand; 9 There is none greater in this
house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because
thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against
God? 10 And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day
by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her.
11 And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went
into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house
there within. 12 And she caught him by his garment,
saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got
him out. 13 And it came to pass, when she saw that he had
left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth, 14
That she called unto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying, See,
he hath brought in an Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to lie
with me, and I cried with a loud voice: 15 And it came
to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his
garment with me, and fled, and got him out. 16 And she
laid up his garment by her, until his lord came home. 17
And she spake unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant,
which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me: 18
And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his
garment with me, and fled out. 19 And it came to pass,
when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying,
After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled.
20 And Joseph�s master took him, and put him into the prison, a
place where the king�s prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.
Genesis 48
Read the complete chapter.
1 And it came to pass after these things, that
one told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick: and he took with him his two
sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2 And one told Jacob, and
said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened
himself, and sat upon the bed. 3 And Jacob said unto
Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and
blessed me, 4 And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee
fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people;
and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.
5 And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were
born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are
mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. 6 And
thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be
called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance. 7
And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of
Canaan in the way, when yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath:
and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; the same is Bethlehem. 8
And Israel beheld Joseph�s sons, and said, Who are these? 9
And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in
this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless
them. 10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so
that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them,
and embraced them. 11 And Israel said unto Joseph, I had
not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed.
12 And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he
bowed himself with his face to the earth. 13 And Joseph
took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel�s left hand, and
Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel�s right hand, and brought them near
unto him. 14 And Israel stretched out his right hand,
and laid it upon Ephraim�s head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon
Manasseh�s head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.
15 And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my
fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto
this day, 16 The Angel which redeemed me from all evil,
bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers
Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the
midst of the earth. 17 And when Joseph saw that his
father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he
held up his father�s hand, to remove it from Ephraim�s head unto Manasseh�s
head. 18 And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my
father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.
19 And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know
it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his
younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a
multitude of nations. 20 And he blessed them that day,
saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as
Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh. 21 And
Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring
you again unto the land of your fathers. 22 Moreover I
have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the
hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.
Genesis 49:22-26
22
Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well;
whose branches
run over the wall: 23
The
archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him , and hated him:
24
But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by
the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the
shepherd, the stone of Israel:)
25
Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty,
who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep
that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
26
The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my
progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on
the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from
his brethren.
Deuteronomy 33:13-17
13
And
of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD be his land, for the precious
things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath,
14
And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the
precious things put forth by the moon,
15
And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things
of the lasting hills,
16
And
for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the
good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the
head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated
from his brethren.
17
His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are
like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to
the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and
they are the thousands of Manasseh.
1Chronicles 5:1-2
1 Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of
Israel, (for he was the firstborn; but, forasmuch as he defiled his
father�s bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of
Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright.
2 For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came
the chief ruler; but the birthright was Joseph�s)
(To inherit the greatest material
wealth above all of Israel.)
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