Saturday, April 28, 2012

Genesis 40 and Matthew 25:14--30 (NIV)

Genesis 40
The Cupbearer and the Baker

1    Some time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt.
2     Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker,
3     and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined.
4     The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them.  After they had been in custody for some time,
5     each of the two men—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison—had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own.
6     When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected.
7     So he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why do you look so sad today?”
8     “We both had dreams,” they answered, “but there is no one to interpret them.”  Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”
9     So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him, “In my dream I saw a vine in front of me, 10   and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes.
11   Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup and put the cup in his hand.”
12    “This is what it means, ” Joseph said to him. “The three branches are three days.
13   Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer.
14   But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison.
15   I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon.”
16   When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation, he said to Joseph, “I too had a dream: On my head were three baskets of bread.
17    In the top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.”
18    “This is what it means,” Joseph said. “The three baskets are three days.
19    Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and impale your body on a pole. And the birds will eat away your flesh.”
20    Now the third day was Pharaoh’s birthday, and he gave a feast for all his officials. He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker in the presence of his officials:
21    He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand  22    but he impaled the chief baker, just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation.
23   The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.

Matthew 25:14-30
The Parable of the Talents


14  “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15  To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 
16  The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 
17   So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 
18   But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19   “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 
20   The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’
21   “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
22   “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’
23   “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
24   “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 
25   So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
26   “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 
27   Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28   “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 
29   For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 
30   And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 




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