Jesus Calms the Storm^(A)(B)

²³ Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. ²⁴ Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. ²⁵ The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

²⁶ He replied, “You of little faith,^(C) why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.^(D)

²⁷ The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

Jesus Restores Two Demon-Possessed Men^(E)

²⁸ When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes,^[a] two demon-possessed^(F) men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. ²⁹ “What do you want with us,^(G) Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”^(H)

³⁰ Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. ³¹ The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”

³² He said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water. ³³ Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. ³⁴ Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.^(I)

Peter’s Miraculous Escape From Prison

12 It was about this time that King Herod^(A) arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. ² He had James, the brother of John,^(B) put to death with the sword.^{(C) 3} When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews,^(D) he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread.^{(E) 4} After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.^(F)

⁵ So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.^(G)

⁶ The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains,^(H) and sentries stood guard at the entrance. ⁷ Suddenly an angel^(I) of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.^(J)

⁸ Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. ⁹ Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision.^{(K) 10} They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself,^(L) and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

¹¹ Then Peter came to himself^(M) and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me^(N) from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”

¹² When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark,^(O) where many people had gathered and were praying.^{(P) 13} Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door.^{(Q) 14} When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed^(R) she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”

¹⁵ “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”^(S)

¹⁶ But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. ¹⁷ Peter motioned with his hand^(T) for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James^(U) and the other brothers and sisters^(V) about this,” he said, and then he left for another place.

¹⁸ In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. ¹⁹ After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed.^(W)

Herod’s Death

Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea^(X) and stayed there. ²⁰ He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon;^(Y) they now joined together and sought an audience with him. After securing the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the king’s country for their food supply.^(Z)

²¹ On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. ²² They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” ²³ Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel^(AA) of the Lord struck him down,^(AB) and he was eaten by worms and died.

²⁴ But the word of God^(AC) continued to spread and flourish.^(AD)

Barnabas and Saul Sent Off

²⁵ When Barnabas^(AE) and Saul had finished their mission,^(AF) they returned from^[a] Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark.^(AG)

Psalm 20^[a]

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

A Silver Cup in a Sack

44 Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house:^(A) “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man’s silver in the mouth of his sack.^{(B) 2} Then put my cup,^(C) the silver one,^(D) in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with the silver for his grain.” And he did as Joseph said.

³ As morning dawned, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys.^{(E) 4} They had not gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward,^(F) “Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil?^{(G) 5} Isn’t this the cup^(H) my master drinks from and also uses for divination?^(I) This is a wicked thing you have done.’”

⁶ When he caught up with them, he repeated these words to them. ⁷ But they said to him, “Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants^(J) to do anything like that!^{(K) 8} We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan^(L) the silver^(M) we found inside the mouths of our sacks.^(N) So why would we steal^(O) silver or gold from your master’s house? ⁹ If any of your servants^(P) is found to have it, he will die;^(Q) and the rest of us will become my lord’s slaves.^(R)”

¹⁰ “Very well, then,” he said, “let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have it^(S) will become my slave;^(T) the rest of you will be free from blame.”^(U)

¹¹ Each of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. ¹² Then the steward^(V) proceeded to search,^(W) beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest.^(X) And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.^{(Y) 13} At this, they tore their clothes.^(Z) Then they all loaded their donkeys^(AA) and returned to the city.

¹⁴ Joseph was still in the house^(AB) when Judah^(AC) and his brothers came in, and they threw themselves to the ground before him.^{(AD) 15} Joseph said to them, “What is this you have done?^(AE) Don’t you know that a man like me can find things out by divination?^(AF)”

¹⁶ “What can we say to my lord?^(AG)” Judah^(AH) replied. “What can we say? How can we prove our innocence?^(AI) God has uncovered your servants’^(AJ) guilt. We are now my lord’s slaves^(AK)—we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup.^(AL)”

¹⁷ But Joseph said, “Far be it from me to do such a thing!^(AM) Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave.^(AN) The rest of you, go back to your father in peace.”^(AO)

¹⁸ Then Judah^(AP) went up to him and said: “Pardon your servant, my lord,^(AQ) let me speak a word to my lord. Do not be angry^(AR) with your servant, though you are equal to Pharaoh himself. ¹⁹ My lord asked his servants,^(AS) ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’^{(AT) 20} And we answered, ‘We have an aged father, and there is a young son born to him in his old age.^(AU) His brother is dead,^(AV) and he is the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’^(AW)

²¹ “Then you said to your servants,^(AX) ‘Bring him down to me so I can see him for myself.’^{(AY) 22} And we said to my lord,^(AZ) ‘The boy cannot leave his father; if he leaves him, his father will die.’^{(BA) 23} But you told your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’^{(BB) 24} When we went back to your servant my father,^(BC) we told him what my lord^(BD) had said.^(BE)

²⁵ “Then our father said, ‘Go back and buy a little more food.’^{(BF) 26} But we said, ‘We cannot go down. Only if our youngest brother is with us will we go. We cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’^(BG)

²⁷ “Your servant my father^(BH) said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons.^{(BI) 28} One of them went away from me, and I said, “He has surely been torn to pieces.”^(BJ) And I have not seen him since.^{(BK) 29} If you take this one from me too and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray head down to the grave^(BL) in misery.’^(BM)

³⁰ “So now, if the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father,^(BN) and if my father, whose life is closely bound up with the boy’s life,^{(BO) 31} sees that the boy isn’t there, he will die.^(BP) Your servants^(BQ) will bring the gray head of our father down to the grave^(BR) in sorrow. ³² Your servant guaranteed the boy’s safety to my father. I said, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before you, my father, all my life!’^(BS)

³³ “Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave^(BT) in place of the boy,^(BU) and let the boy return with his brothers. ³⁴ How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery^(BV) that would come on my father.”^(BW)

Joseph Makes Himself Known

45 Then Joseph could no longer control himself^(BX) before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!”^(BY) So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. ² And he wept^(BZ) so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it.^(CA)

³ Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?”^(CB) But his brothers were not able to answer him,^(CC) because they were terrified at his presence.^(CD)

⁴ Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.”^(CE) When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt!^{(CF) 5} And now, do not be distressed^(CG) and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here,^(CH) because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.^{(CI) 6} For two years now there has been famine^(CJ) in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. ⁷ But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant^(CK) on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.^[a](CL)

⁸ “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God.^(CM) He made me father^(CN) to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.^{(CO) 9} Now hurry^(CP) back to my father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don’t delay.^{(CQ) 10} You shall live in the region of Goshen^(CR) and be near me—you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have.^{(CS) 11} I will provide for you there,^(CT) because five years of famine^(CU) are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.’^(CV)

¹² “You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin,^(CW) that it is really I who am speaking to you.^{(CX) 13} Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt^(CY) and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.^(CZ)”

¹⁴ Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin^(DA) embraced him,^(DB) weeping. ¹⁵ And he kissed^(DC) all his brothers and wept over them.^(DD) Afterward his brothers talked with him.^(DE)

¹⁶ When the news reached Pharaoh’s palace that Joseph’s brothers had come,^(DF) Pharaoh and all his officials^(DG) were pleased.^{(DH) 17} Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals^(DI) and return to the land of Canaan,^{(DJ) 18} and bring your father and your families back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt^(DK) and you can enjoy the fat of the land.’^(DL)

¹⁹ “You are also directed to tell them, ‘Do this: Take some carts^(DM) from Egypt for your children and your wives, and get your father and come. ²⁰ Never mind about your belongings,^(DN) because the best of all Egypt^(DO) will be yours.’”

²¹ So the sons of Israel did this. Joseph gave them carts,^(DP) as Pharaoh had commanded, and he also gave them provisions for their journey.^{(DQ) 22} To each of them he gave new clothing,^(DR) but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels^[b] of silver and five sets of clothes.^{(DS) 23} And this is what he sent to his father: ten donkeys^(DT) loaded with the best things^(DU) of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and other provisions for his journey.^{(DV) 24} Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, “Don’t quarrel on the way!”^(DW)

²⁵ So they went up out of Egypt^(DX) and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan.^{(DY) 26} They told him, “Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.”^(DZ) Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them.^{(EA) 27} But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts^(EB) Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. ²⁸ And Israel said, “I’m convinced!^(EC) My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”^(ED)