Proverbs 22:11

⁸Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

¹³Righteous lips are the delight of kings. They value one who speaks the truth.

⁶My eyes will be on the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me. He who walks in a perfect way, he will serve me.

³⁵The king’s favor is toward a servant who deals wisely, but his wrath is toward one who causes shame.

²You are the most excellent of the sons of men. Grace has anointed your lips, therefore God has blessed you forever.

⁶this Ezra went up from Babylon. He was a skilled scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given; and the king granted him all his request, according to the LORD his God’s hand on him. ⁷Some of the children of Israel, including some of the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants went up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king. ⁸He came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. ⁹For on the first day of the first month he began to go up from Babylon; and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God on him. ¹⁰For Ezra had set his heart to seek the LORD’s law, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.

¹¹Now this is the copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, even the scribe of the words of the LORD’s commandments, and of his statutes to Israel:

³For Mordecai the Jew was next to King Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews and accepted by the multitude of his brothers, seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his descendants.

³⁰Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

²²All testified about him and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth; and they said, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”

³⁹Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Because God has shown you all of this, there is no one so discreet and wise as you. ⁴⁰You shall be over my house. All my people will be ruled according to your word. Only in the throne I will be greater than you.” ⁴¹Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Behold, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” ⁴²Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand, and put it on Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in robes of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck. ⁴³He made him ride in the second chariot which he had. They cried before him, “Bow the knee!” He set him over all the land of Egypt. ⁴⁴Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh. Without you, no man shall lift up his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt.” ⁴⁵Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphenath-Paneah. He gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On as a wife. Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.

⁴⁶Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. ⁴⁷In the seven plenteous years the earth produced abundantly. ⁴⁸He gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities. He stored food in each city from the fields around that city. ⁴⁹Joseph laid up grain as the sand of the sea, very much, until he stopped counting, for it was without number. ⁵⁰To Joseph were born two sons before the year of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore to him. ⁵¹Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh,^[+] For”, he said, “God has made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house.” ⁵²The name of the second, he called Ephraim:^[+] For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”

⁵³The seven years of plenty, that were in the land of Egypt, came to an end. ⁵⁴The seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. ⁵⁵When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread, and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph. What he says to you, do.” ⁵⁶The famine was over all the surface of the earth. Joseph opened all the store houses, and sold to the Egyptians. The famine was severe in the land of Egypt. ⁵⁷All countries came into Egypt, to Joseph, to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all the earth.