Bible in a Year.

On the nineteenth day, we begin one of the most captivating narratives in the Bible. Genesis 37 introduces Joseph, Jacob's favorite son, his prophetic dreams, and the devastating betrayal of his brothers who sell him into slavery in Egypt. Job 27-28 shows Job steadfastly maintaining his integrity in the face of accusations, and the magnificent poem on wisdom asks, "Where can wisdom be found?" Proverbs 3:25-27 encourages us not to fear sudden calamities when we have the Lord, and to always do good when it is within our power.

1. And Jacob dwelt in the land of Chanaan wherein his father sojourned.

2. And these are his generations: Joseph, when he was sixteen years old, was feeding the dock with his brethren, being but a boy: and he was with the sons of and of Zelpha his father's wives : and he accused his brethren to his father of a most wicked crime.

3. Now Israel loved Joseph above all his sons, because he had him in his old age: and he made him a coat of divers colours.

4. And his brethren seeing that he was loved by his father, more than all his sons, hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him.

5. Now it fell out also that he told his brethren a dream, that he had dreamed: which occasioned them to hate him the more.

6. And he said to them: Hear my dream which I dreamed.

7. I thought we were binding sheaves in the field: and my sheaf arose as it were, end stood, and your sheaves standing about, bowed down before my sheaf.

8. His brethren answered : Shalt thou be our king? or shall we be subject to thy dominion? Therefore this matter of his dreams and words ministered nourishment to their envy and hatred.

9. He dreamed also another dream, which he told his brethren, saying: I saw in a dream, as it were the sun, and the moon, and eleven stars worshipping me.

10. And when he had told this to his father and brethren, his father rebuked him, and said: What meaneth this dream that thou hast dreamed? shall I and thy mother, and thy brethren worship thee upon the earth?

11. His brethren therefore envied him: but his father considered the thing with himself.

12. And when his brethren abode in Sichem feeding their father's docks,

13. Israel said to him : Thy brethren feed the sheep in Sichem: come, I will send thee to them. And when he answered:

14. I am ready: he said to him: Go, and see if all things be well with thy brethren, and the cattle: and bring me word again what is doing. So being sent from the vale of Hebron, he came to Sichem:

15. And a man found him there wandering in the field, and asked what he sought.

16. But he answered: I seek my brethren; tell me where they feed the docks.

17. And the man said to him: They are departed from this place: for I heard them say: Let us go to Dothain. And Joseph went forward after his brethren, and found them in Dothain.

18. And when they saw him afar off, be- fore he came nigh them, they thought to kill him.

19. And said one to another: Behold the dreamer cometh.

20. Come, let us kill him, and cast him into some old pit : and we will say : Some evil beast hath devoured him: and then it shall appear what his dreams avail him :

21. And Ruben hearing this, endeavoured to deliver him out of their hands, end said:

22. Do not take away his life, nor shed his blood: but cast him into this pit, that is in the wilderness, and keep your hands harmless: now he said this, being desirous to deliver him out of their hands and to restore him to his father.

23. And as soon as he came to his brethren, they forthwith stript him of his outside coat, that was of divers colours:

24. And cast him into an old pit, where there was no water.

25. And sitting down to eat bread, they saw some Ismaelites on their way coming from Calaad, with their camels, carrying spices, and balm, and myrrh to Egypt.

26. And Juda said to his brethren: What will it profit us to kill our brother, and conceal his blood?

27. It is better that he be sold to the Ismaelites, and that our hands be not defiled: for he is our brother and our flesh. His brethren agreed to his words.

28. And when the Madianite merchants passed by, they drew him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ismaelites, for twenty pieces of silver: and they led him into Egypt.

29. And Ruben, returning to the pit, found not the boy:

30. And rending his garments he went to his brethren, and said: The boy doth not appear and whither shall I go?

31. And they took his coat, and dipped it in the blood of a kid, which they had killed :

32. Sending some to carry it to their father, and to say: This we have found: see whether it be thy son's coat, or not.

33. And the father acknowledging it, said: It is my son's coat, an evil wild beast hath eaten him, a beast hath devoured Joseph.

34. And tearing his garments, he put an sackcloth, mourning for his son a long time.

35. And alibis children being gathered together to comfort their father in his sorrow, he would not receive comfort, but said: I will go down to my son into hell, mourning. And whilst he continued weeping,

36. The Madianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Putiphar, an eunuch of Pharao, captain of the soldiers.

Chapter 27

1. Job also added, taking up his parable, and said:

2. As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment, and the Almighty, who hath brought my soul to bitterness,

3. As long as breath remaineth in me, and the spirit of God in my nostrils,

4. My lips shall not speak iniquity, neither shall my tongue contrive lying.

5. God forbid that I should judge you to be just: till I die I will not depart from my innocence.

6. My justification, which I have begun to hold, I will not forsake: for my heart doth not reprehend me in all my life.

7. Let my enemy be as the ungodly, and my adversary as the wicked one.

8. For what is the hope of the hypocrite if through covetousness he take by violence, and God deliver not his soul?

9. Will God hear his cry, when distress shall come upon him?

10. Or can he delight himself in the Almighty, and call upon God at all times?

11. I will teach you by the hand of God, what the Almighty hath, and I will not conceal it.

12. Behold you all know it, and why do you speak vain things without cause?

13. This is the portion of a wicked man with God, and the inheritance of the violent, which they shall receive of the Almighty.

14. If his sons be multiplied, they shall be for the sword, and his grandsons shall not be filled with bread.

15. They that shall remain of him, shall be buried in death, and his widows shall not weep.

16. If he shall heap together silver as earth, and prepare raiment as clay,

17. He shall prepare indeed, but the just man shall be clothed with it: and the innocent shall divide the silver.

18. He hath built his house as a moth, and as a keeper he hath made a booth.

19. The rich man when he shall sleep shall take away nothing with him: he shall open his eyes and find nothing.

20. Poverty like water shall take hold on him, a tempest shall oppress him in the night.

21. A burning wind shall take him up, and carry him away, and as a whirlwind shall snatch him from his place.

22. And he shall cast upon him, and shall not spare: out of his hand he would willingly flee.

23. He shall clasp his hands upon him, and shall hiss at him, beholding his place.

Chapter 28

1. Silver hath beginnings of its veins, and gold hath a place wherein it is melted.

2. Iron is taken out of the earth, and stone melted with heat is turned into brass.

3. He hath set a time for darkness, and the end of all things he considereth, the stone also that is in the dark and the shadow of death.

4. The flood divideth from the people that are on their journey, those whom the food of the needy man hath forgotten, and who cannot be come at.

5. The land, out of which bread grew in its place, hath been overturned with fire.

6. The stones of it are the place of sapphires, and the clods of it are gold.

7. The bird hath not known the path, neither hath the eye of the vulture beheld it.

8. The children of the merchants have not trodden it, neither hath the lioness passed by it.

9. He hath stretched forth his hand to the flint, he hath overturned mountains from the roots.

10. In the rocks he hath cut out rivers, and his eye hath seen every precious thing.

11. The depths also of rivers he hath searched, and hidden things he hath brought forth to light.

12. But where is wisdom to be found, and where is the place of understanding?

13. Man knoweth not the price thereof, neither is it found in the land of them that live in delights.

14. The depth saith: It is not in me: and the sea saith: It is not with me.

15. The finest gold shall not purchase it, neither shall silver be weighed in exchange for it

16. It shall not be compared with the dyed colours of India, or with the most precious stone sardonyx, or the sapphire.

17. Gold or crystal cannot equal it, neither shall any vessels of gold be changed for it.

18. High and eminent things shall not be mentioned in comparison of it: but wisdom is drawn out of secret places.

19. The topaz of Ethiopia shall not be equal to it, neither shall it be compared to the cleanest dyeing.

20. Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?

21. It is hid from the eyes of all living. and the fowls of the air know it not.

22. Destruction and death have said: With our ears we have heard the fame thereof.

23. God understandeth the way of it, and he knoweth the place thereof.

24. For he beholdeth the ends of the world: and looketh on all things that are under heaven.

25. Who made a weight for the winds and weighed the waters by measure.

26. When he gave a law for the rain, and a way for the sounding storms.

27. Then he saw it, and declared, and prepared, and searched it.

28. And he said to man: Behold the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom: and to depart from evil, is understanding.

25. Be not afraid of sudden fear, nor of the power of the wicked falling upon thee.

26. For the Lord will be at thy side, and will keep thy foot that thou be not taken.

27. Do not withhold him from doing good, who is able: if thou art able, do good thyself also.