Genesis 37:1-36

(1)  Jacob lived in the land of his father's sojournings, in the land of Canaan.

(2)  These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father.

(3)  Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors.

(4)  But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.

(5)  Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more.

(6)  He said to them, "Hear this dream that I have dreamed:

(7)  Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf."

(8)  His brothers said to him, "Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?" So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.

(9)  Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, "Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me."

(10)  But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, "What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?"

(11)  And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.

(12)  Now his brothers went to pasture their father's flock near Shechem.

(13)  And Israel said to Joseph, "Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them." And he said to him, "Here I am."

(14)  So he said to him, "Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock, and bring me word." So he sent him from the Valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

(15)  And a man found him wandering in the fields. And the man asked him, "What are you seeking?"

(16)  "I am seeking my brothers," he said. "Tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock."

(17)  And the man said, "They have gone away, for I heard them say, 'Let us go to Dothan.'" So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

(18)  They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him.

(19)  They said to one another, "Here comes this dreamer.

(20)  Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams."

(21)  But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, "Let us not take his life."

(22)  And Reuben said to them, "Shed no blood; cast him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him"--that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father.

(23)  So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore.

(24)  And they took him and cast him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.

(25)  Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt.

(26)  Then Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?

(27)  Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh." And his brothers listened to him.

(28)  Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt.

(29)  When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes

(30)  and returned to his brothers and said, "The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go?"

(31)  Then they took Joseph's robe and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood.

(32)  And they sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, "This we have found; please identify whether it is your son's robe or not."

(33)  And he identified it and said, "It is my son's robe. A fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces."

(34)  Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days.

(35)  All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, "No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning." Thus his father wept for him.

(36)  Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.

Galatians 3:1-29

(1)  O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified.

(2)  Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?

(3)  Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

(4)  Did you suffer so many things in vain--if indeed it was in vain?

(5)  Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith--

(6)  just as Abraham "believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness"?

(7)  Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.

(8)  And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you shall all the nations be blessed."

(9)  So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

(10)  For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them."

(11)  Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for "The righteous shall live by faith."

(12)  But the law is not of faith, rather "The one who does them shall live by them."

(13)  Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us--for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree"--

(14)  so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

(15)  To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified.

(16)  Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, "And to offsprings," referring to many, but referring to one, "And to your offspring," who is Christ.

(17)  This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void.

(18)  For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.

(19)  Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary.

(20)  Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.

(21)  Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.

(22)  But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

(23)  Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed.

(24)  So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.

(25)  But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian,

(26)  for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.

(27)  For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

(28)  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

(29)  And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.