Genesis 40

• 1. Some time later, Pharaoh's chief cup-bearer and chief baker offended him.
• 2. Pharaoh became very angry with these officials,
• 3. and he put them in the prison where Joseph was, in the palace of Potiphar, the captain of the guard.
• 4. They remained in prison for quite some time, and Potiphar assigned Joseph to take care of them.
• 5. One night the cup-bearer and the baker each had a dream, and each dream had its own meaning.
• 6. The next morning Joseph noticed the dejected look on their faces.
• 7. "Why do you look so worried today?" he asked.
• 8. And they replied, "We both had dreams last night, but there is no one here to tell us what they mean.Interpreting dreams is God's business," Joseph replied. "Tell me what you saw."
• 9. The cup-bearer told his dream first. "In my dream," he said, "I saw a vine in front of me.
• 10. It had three branches that began to bud and blossom, and soon there were clusters of ripe grapes.
• 11. I was holding Pharaoh's wine cup in my hand, so I took the grapes and squeezed the juice into it. Then I placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand."
• 12. "I know what the dream means," Joseph said. "The three branches mean three days.
• 13. Within three days Pharaoh will take you out of prison and return you to your position as his chief cup-bearer.
• 14. And please have some pity on me when you are back in his favor. Mention me to Pharaoh, and ask him to let me out of here.
• 15. For I was kidnapped from my homeland, the land of the Hebrews, and now I'm here in jail, but I did nothing to deserve it."
• 16. When the chief baker saw that the first dream had such a good meaning, he told his dream to Joseph, too. "In my dream," he said, "there were three baskets of pastries on my head.
• 17. In the top basket were all kinds of bakery goods for Pharaoh, but the birds came and ate them."
• 18. "I'll tell you what it means," Joseph told him. "The three baskets mean three days.
• 19. Three days from now Pharaoh will cut off your head and impale your body on a pole. Then birds will come and peck away at your flesh."
• 20. Pharaoh's birthday came three days later, and he gave a banquet for all his officials and household staff. He sent for his chief cup-bearer and chief baker, and they were brought to him from the prison.
• 21. He then restored the chief cup-bearer to his former position,
• 22. but he sentenced the chief baker to be impaled on a pole, just as Joseph had predicted.
• 23. Pharaoh's cup-bearer, however, promptly forgot all about Joseph, never giving him another thought.

Mark 11

• 1. As Jesus and his disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany, on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead.
• 2. "Go into that village over there," he told them, "and as soon as you enter it, you will see a colt tied there that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here.
• 3. If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, 'The Lord needs it and will return it soon.'"
• 4. The two disciples left and found the colt standing in the street, tied outside a house.
• 5. As they were untying it, some bystanders demanded, "What are you doing, untying that colt?"
• 6. They said what Jesus had told them to say, and they were permitted to take it.
• 7. Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it, and he sat on it.
• 8. Many in the crowd spread their coats on the road ahead of Jesus, and others cut leafy branches in the fields and spread them along the way.
• 9. He was in the center of the procession, and the crowds all around him were shouting, "Praise God! Bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
• 10. Bless the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Praise God in highest heaven!"
• 11. So Jesus came to Jerusalem and went into the Temple. He looked around carefully at everything, and then he left because it was late in the afternoon. Then he went out to Bethany with the twelve disciples.
• 12. The next morning as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus felt hungry.
• 13. He noticed a fig tree a little way off that was in full leaf, so he went over to see if he could find any figs on it. But there were only leaves because it was too early in the season for fruit.
• 14. Then Jesus said to the tree, "May no one ever eat your fruit again!" And the disciples heard him say it.
• 15. When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the merchants and their customers. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the stalls of those selling doves,
• 16. and he stopped everyone from bringing in merchandise.
• 17. He taught them, "The Scriptures declare, 'My Temple will be called a place of prayer for all nations,' but you have turned it into a den of thieves."
• 18. When the leading priests and teachers of religious law heard what Jesus had done, they began planning how to kill him. But they were afraid of him because the people were so enthusiastic about Jesus' teaching.
• 19. That evening Jesus and the disciples left the city.
• 20. The next morning as they passed by the fig tree he had cursed, the disciples noticed it was withered from the roots.
• 21. Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the tree on the previous day and exclaimed, "Look, Teacher! The fig tree you cursed has withered!"
• 22. Then Jesus said to the disciples, "Have faith in God.
• 23. I assure you that you can say to this mountain, 'May God lift you up and throw you into the sea,' and your command will be obeyed. All that's required is that you really believe and do not doubt in your heart.
• 24. Listen to me! You can pray for anything, and if you believe, you will have it.
• 25. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too. "
• 26. See Footnote
• 27. By this time they had arrived in Jerusalem again. As Jesus was walking through the Temple area, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the other leaders came up to him. They demanded,
• 28. "By whose authority did you drive out the merchants from the Temple? Who gave you such authority?"
• 29. "I'll tell who gave me authority to do these things if you answer one question," Jesus replied.
• 30. "Did John's baptism come from heaven or was it merely human? Answer me!"
• 31. They talked it over among themselves. "If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn't believe him.
• 32. But do we dare say it was merely human?" For they were afraid that the people would start a riot, since everyone thought that John was a prophet.
• 33. So they finally replied, "We don't know." And Jesus responded, "Then I won't answer your question either."

Job 7

• 1. "Is this not the struggle of all humanity? A person's life is long and hard, like that of a hired hand,
• 2. like a worker who longs for the day to end, like a servant waiting to be paid.
• 3. I, too, have been assigned months of futility, long and weary nights of misery.
• 4. When I go to bed, I think, `When will it be morning?' But the night drags on, and I toss till dawn.
• 5. My skin is filled with worms and scabs. My flesh breaks open, full of pus.
• 6. "My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle flying back and forth. They end without hope.
• 7. O God, remember that my life is but a breath, and I will never again experience pleasure.
• 8. You see me now, but not for long. Your eyes will be on me, but I will be dead.
• 9. Just as a cloud dissipates and vanishes, those who die will not come back.
• 10. They are gone forever from their home--never to be seen again.
• 11. "I cannot keep from speaking. I must express my anguish. I must complain in my bitterness.
• 12. Am I a sea monster that you place a guard on me?
• 13. If I think, `My bed will comfort me, and I will try to forget my misery with sleep,'
• 14. you shatter me with dreams. You terrify me with visions.
• 15. I would rather die of strangulation than go on and on like this.
• 16. I hate my life. I do not want to go on living. Oh, leave me alone for these few remaining days.
• 17. "What are mere mortals, that you should make so much of us?
• 18. For you examine us every morning and test us every moment.
• 19. Why won't you leave me alone--even for a moment?
• 20. Have I sinned? What have I done to you, O watcher of all humanity? Why have you made me your target? Am I a burden to you?
• 21. Why not just pardon my sin and take away my guilt? For soon I will lie down in the dust and die. When you look for me, I will be gone."

New Living Translation: 39 of 365 days.