Psalm 130

A song of ascents.

The Second Journey to Egypt

43 Now the famine was still severe in the land.^{(A) 2} So when they had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt,^(B) their father said to them, “Go back and buy us a little more food.”^(C)

³ But Judah^(D) said to him, “The man warned us solemnly, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’^{(E) 4} If you will send our brother along with us, we will go down and buy food for you.^{(F) 5} But if you will not send him, we will not go down, because the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.^(G)’”

⁶ Israel^(H) asked, “Why did you bring this trouble^(I) on me by telling the man you had another brother?”

⁷ They replied, “The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family. ‘Is your father still living?’^(J) he asked us. ‘Do you have another brother?’^(K) We simply answered his questions. How were we to know he would say, ‘Bring your brother down here’?”^(L)

⁸ Then Judah^(M) said to Israel^(N) his father, “Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die.^{(O) 9} I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him.^(P) If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame^(Q) before you all my life.^{(R) 10} As it is, if we had not delayed,^(S) we could have gone and returned twice.”

¹¹ Then their father Israel^(T) said to them, “If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products^(U) of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift^(V)—a little balm^(W) and a little honey, some spices^(X) and myrrh,^(Y) some pistachio nuts and almonds. ¹² Take double the amount^(Z) of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks.^(AA) Perhaps it was a mistake. ¹³ Take your brother also and go back to the man at once.^{(AB) 14} And may God Almighty^[a](AC) grant you mercy^(AD) before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you.^(AE) As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”^(AF)

¹⁵ So the men took the gifts and double the amount of silver,^(AG) and Benjamin also. They hurried^(AH) down to Egypt and presented themselves^(AI) to Joseph. ¹⁶ When Joseph saw Benjamin^(AJ) with them, he said to the steward of his house,^(AK) “Take these men to my house, slaughter an animal and prepare a meal;^(AL) they are to eat with me at noon.”

¹⁷ The man did as Joseph told him and took the men to Joseph’s house.^{(AM) 18} Now the men were frightened^(AN) when they were taken to his house.^(AO) They thought, “We were brought here because of the silver that was put back into our sacks^(AP) the first time. He wants to attack us^(AQ) and overpower us and seize us as slaves^(AR) and take our donkeys.^(AS)”

¹⁹ So they went up to Joseph’s steward^(AT) and spoke to him at the entrance to the house. ²⁰ “We beg your pardon, our lord,” they said, “we came down here the first time to buy food.^{(AU) 21} But at the place where we stopped for the night we opened our sacks and each of us found his silver—the exact weight—in the mouth of his sack. So we have brought it back with us.^{(AV) 22} We have also brought additional silver with us to buy food. We don’t know who put our silver in our sacks.”

²³ “It’s all right,” he said. “Don’t be afraid. Your God, the God of your father,^(AW) has given you treasure in your sacks;^(AX) I received your silver.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.^(AY)

²⁴ The steward took the men into Joseph’s house,^(AZ) gave them water to wash their feet^(BA) and provided fodder for their donkeys. ²⁵ They prepared their gifts^(BB) for Joseph’s arrival at noon,^(BC) because they had heard that they were to eat there.

²⁶ When Joseph came home,^(BD) they presented to him the gifts^(BE) they had brought into the house, and they bowed down before him to the ground.^{(BF) 27} He asked them how they were, and then he said, “How is your aged father^(BG) you told me about? Is he still living?”^(BH)

²⁸ They replied, “Your servant our father^(BI) is still alive and well.” And they bowed down,^(BJ) prostrating themselves before him.^(BK)

²⁹ As he looked about and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother’s son,^(BL) he asked, “Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?”^(BM) And he said, “God be gracious to you,^(BN) my son.” ³⁰ Deeply moved^(BO) at the sight of his brother, Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep. He went into his private room and wept^(BP) there.

³¹ After he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself,^(BQ) said, “Serve the food.”^(BR)

³² They served him by himself, the brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews,^(BS) for that is detestable to Egyptians.^{(BT) 33} The men had been seated before him in the order of their ages, from the firstborn^(BU) to the youngest;^(BV) and they looked at each other in astonishment. ³⁴ When portions were served to them from Joseph’s table, Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as anyone else’s.^(BW) So they feasted^(BX) and drank freely with him.

The Council at Jerusalem

15 Certain people^(A) came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers:^(B) “Unless you are circumcised,^(C) according to the custom taught by Moses,^(D) you cannot be saved.” ² This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem^(E) to see the apostles and elders^(F) about this question. ³ The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia^(G) and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted.^(H) This news made all the believers very glad. ⁴ When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.^(I)

⁵ Then some of the believers who belonged to the party^(J) of the Pharisees^(K) stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.”^(L)

⁶ The apostles and elders met to consider this question. ⁷ After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe.^{(M) 8} God, who knows the heart,^(N) showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them,^(O) just as he did to us. ⁹ He did not discriminate between us and them,^(P) for he purified their hearts by faith.^{(Q) 10} Now then, why do you try to test God^(R) by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke^(S) that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? ¹¹ No! We believe it is through the grace^(T) of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

¹² The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders^(U) God had done among the Gentiles through them.^{(V) 13} When they finished, James^(W) spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me. ¹⁴ Simon^[a] has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles.^{(X) 15} The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:

¹⁹ “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. ²⁰ Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols,^(AA) from sexual immorality,^(AB) from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.^{(AC) 21} For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”^(AD)