Genesis 40, Mark 10, Job 6, Romans 10

Genesis 40,

Some time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt.
Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker,
and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined.
The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them. After they had been in custody for some time,
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.
  
  When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected.
So he asked Pharaoh's officials who were in custody with him in his master's house, "Why are your faces so sad today?"
"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."
So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him, "In my dream I saw a vine in front of me,
and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes.
  
  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."
"This is what it means," Joseph said to him. "The three branches are three days.
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.
But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison.
For 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."
  
  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.
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."
"This is what it means," Joseph said. "The three baskets are three days.
Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and hang you on a tree. And the birds will eat away your flesh."
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:
  
  He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh's hand,
but he hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation.
The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.
 

Mark 10,

Jesus then left that place and went into the region of Judea and across the Jordan. Again crowds of people came to him, and as was his custom, he taught them.
Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?"
"What did Moses command you?" he replied.
They said, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away."
"It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law," Jesus replied.
  
  "But at the beginning of creation God 'made them male and female.'
'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,
and the two will become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one.
Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."
When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this.
  
  He answered, "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her.
And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery."
People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them.
When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."
  
  And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.
As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God alone.
You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'"
"Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy."
  
  Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!"
The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
  
  The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?"
Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."
Peter said to him, "We have left everything to follow you!"
"I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel
will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields--and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life.
  
  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."
They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him.
"We are going up to Jerusalem," he said, "and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles,
who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise."
Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask."
  
  "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked.
They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory."
"You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?"
"We can," they answered. Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with,
but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared."
  
  When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John.
Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.
Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,
and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
  
  Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging.
When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"
Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called to the blind man, "Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you."
Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.
  
  "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him. The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see."
"Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
 

Job 6,

Then Job replied:
"If only my anguish could be weighed and all my misery be placed on the scales!
It would surely outweigh the sand of the seas-- no wonder my words have been impetuous.
The arrows of the Almighty are in me, my spirit drinks in their poison; God's terrors are marshaled against me.
Does a wild donkey bray when it has grass, or an ox bellow when it has fodder?
  
  Is tasteless food eaten without salt, or is there flavor in the white of an egg ?
I refuse to touch it; such food makes me ill.
"Oh, that I might have my request, that God would grant what I hope for,
that God would be willing to crush me, to let loose his hand and cut me off!
Then I would still have this consolation-- my joy in unrelenting pain-- that I had not denied the words of the Holy One.
  
  "What strength do I have, that I should still hope? What prospects, that I should be patient?
Do I have the strength of stone? Is my flesh bronze?
Do I have any power to help myself, now that success has been driven from me?
"A despairing man should have the devotion of his friends, even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
But my brothers are as undependable as intermittent streams, as the streams that overflow
  
  when darkened by thawing ice and swollen with melting snow,
but that cease to flow in the dry season, and in the heat vanish from their channels.
Caravans turn aside from their routes; they go up into the wasteland and perish.
The caravans of Tema look for water, the traveling merchants of Sheba look in hope.
They are distressed, because they had been confident; they arrive there, only to be disappointed.
  
  Now you too have proved to be of no help; you see something dreadful and are afraid.
Have I ever said, 'Give something on my behalf, pay a ransom for me from your wealth,
deliver me from the hand of the enemy, ransom me from the clutches of the ruthless'?
"Teach me, and I will be quiet; show me where I have been wrong.
How painful are honest words! But what do your arguments prove?
  
  Do you mean to correct what I say, and treat the words of a despairing man as wind?
You would even cast lots for the fatherless and barter away your friend.
"But now be so kind as to look at me. Would I lie to your face?
Relent, do not be unjust; reconsider, for my integrity is at stake.
Is there any wickedness on my lips? Can my mouth not discern malice?
 

Romans 10

Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.
For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge.
Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness.
Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
Moses describes in this way the righteousness that is by the law: "The man who does these things will live by them."
  
  But the righteousness that is by faith says: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down)
"or 'Who will descend into the deep?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).
But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming:
That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
  
  As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."
For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile--the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,
for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?
And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
  
  But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our message?"
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did: "Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world."
Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says, "I will make you envious by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding."
And Isaiah boldly says, "I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me."
  
  But concerning Israel he says, "All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people."