²⁵ Then they sat down to eat, and looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels carrying gum, balm, and resin, on their way to carry it down to Egypt.^{(A) 26} Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?^{(B) 27} Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers agreed.^{(C) 28} When some Midianite traders passed by, they drew Joseph up, lifting him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.^(D)

²⁹ When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes.^{(E) 30} He returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone, and I, where can I turn?”^{(F) 31} Then they took Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a goat, and dipped the robe in the blood.^{(G) 32} They had the ornamented robe^[a] taken to their father, and they said, “This we have found; see now whether it is your son’s robe or not.” ³³ He recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! A wild animal has devoured him; Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.”^{(H) 34} Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days.^{(I) 35} All his sons and all his daughters sought 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 bewailed him.^{(J) 36} Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.^(K)

Proclaiming Christ Crucified

2 When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the testimony^[a] of God to you with superior speech or wisdom.^{(A) 2} For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. ³ And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. ⁴ My speech and my proclamation were made not with persuasive words of wisdom^[b] but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power,^{(B) 5} so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.

The True Wisdom of God

⁶ Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are being destroyed.^{(C) 7} But we speak God’s wisdom, a hidden mystery, which God decreed before the ages for our glory ⁸ and which none of the rulers of this age understood, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. ⁹ But, as it is written,

¹⁰ God has revealed to us through the Spirit, for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.^{(E) 11} For what human knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the Spirit of God.^{(F) 12} Now we have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. ¹³ And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual.^[c](G)

Jesus Heals Many at Simon’s House

²⁹ As soon as they^[a] left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.^{(A) 30} Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. ³¹ He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.

³² That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed by demons.^{(B) 33} And the whole city was gathered around the door. ³⁴ And he cured many who were sick with various diseases and cast out many demons, and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.^(C)

A Preaching Tour in Galilee

³⁵ In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.^{(D) 36} And Simon and his companions hunted for him. ³⁷ When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” ³⁸ He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also, for that is what I came out to do.”^{(E) 39} And he went throughout all Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.^(F)

Jesus Cleanses a Man with a Skin Disease

⁴⁰ A man with a skin disease came to him begging him, and kneeling^[b] he said to him, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”^{(G) 41} Moved with pity,^[c] Jesus^[d] stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I am willing. Be made clean!” ⁴² Immediately the skin disease left him, and he was made clean. ⁴³ After sternly warning him he sent him away at once, ⁴⁴ saying to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded as a testimony to them.”^{(H) 45} But he went out and began to proclaim it freely and to spread the word, so that Jesus^[e] could no longer go into a town openly but stayed out in the country, and people came to him from every quarter.^(I)