Joseph Reveals His Identity

45 Joseph could no longer keep his composure in front of all his attendants,^[a] so he called out, “Send everyone away from me!” No one was with him when he revealed his identity to his brothers.^{(A) 2} But he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and also Pharaoh’s household heard it. ³ Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But they could not answer him because they were terrified in his presence.

⁴ Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please, come near me,” and they came near. “I am Joseph, your brother,” he said, “the one you sold into Egypt.^{(B) 5} And now don’t be grieved or angry with yourselves for selling me here, because God sent me ahead of you to preserve life.^{(C) 6} For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there will be five more years without plowing or harvesting. ⁷ God sent me ahead of you to establish you as a remnant within the land and to keep you alive by a great deliverance.^{[b] 8} Therefore it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

⁹ “Return quickly 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 without delay. ¹⁰ You can settle in the land of Goshen^(D) and be near me—you, your children, and your grandchildren, your flocks, your herds, and all you have. ¹¹ There I will sustain you, for there will be five more years of famine. Otherwise, you, your household, and everything you have will become destitute.”’^{(E) 12} Look! Your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin can see that I’m^[c] the one speaking to you. ¹³ Tell my father about all my glory in Egypt and about all you have seen. And bring my father here quickly.”^(F)

¹⁴ Then Joseph threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin wept on his shoulder. ¹⁵ Joseph kissed each of his brothers as he wept,^[d] and afterward his brothers talked with him.

The Return for Jacob

¹⁶ When the news reached Pharaoh’s palace, “Joseph’s brothers have come,” Pharaoh and his servants were pleased. ¹⁷ Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals and go on back to the land of Canaan. ¹⁸ Get your father and your families, and come back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you can eat from the richness of the land.’ ¹⁹ You are also commanded to tell them, ‘Do this: Take wagons from the land of Egypt for your dependents and your wives and bring your father here.^{(G) 20} Do not be concerned about your belongings, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’”^(H)

²¹ The sons of Israel did this. Joseph gave them wagons as Pharaoh had commanded, and he gave them provisions for the journey. ²² He gave each of the brothers changes of clothes,^(I) but he gave Benjamin three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of clothes.^{(J) 23} He sent his father the following: ten donkeys carrying the best products of Egypt and ten female donkeys carrying grain, food, and provisions for his father on the journey. ²⁴ So Joseph sent his brothers on their way, and as they were leaving, he said to them, “Don’t argue^[e] on the way.”

²⁵ So they went up from Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. ²⁶ They said, “Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt!” Jacob was stunned,^[f] for he did not believe them. ²⁷ But when they told Jacob all that Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to transport him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived.

²⁸ Then Israel said, “Enough! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go to see him before I die.”

Jacob Leaves for Egypt

46 Israel set out with all that he had and came to Beer-sheba,^(K) and he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. ² That night God spoke to Israel in a vision:^(L) “Jacob, Jacob!” he said.

And Jacob replied, “Here I am.”

³ God said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there.^{(M) 4} I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you back.^(N) Joseph will close your eyes when you die.”^[g](O)

⁵ Jacob left Beer-sheba. The sons of Israel took their father Jacob in the wagons Pharaoh had sent to carry him,^(P) along with their dependents and their wives. ⁶ They also took their cattle and possessions they had acquired in the land of Canaan. Then Jacob and all his offspring with him came to Egypt.^{(Q) 7} His sons and grandsons, his daughters and granddaughters, indeed all his offspring, he brought with him to Egypt.

Jacob’s Family

⁸ These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt^(R)—Jacob and his sons:

Jacob Arrives in Egypt

²⁸ Now Jacob had sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to prepare for his arrival^[o] at Goshen.^(AC) When they came to the land of Goshen, ²⁹ Joseph hitched the horses to his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel. Joseph presented himself to him, threw his arms around him, and wept for a long time.^(AD)

³⁰ Then Israel said to Joseph, “I’m ready to die now because I have seen your face and you are still alive!”

³¹ Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s family, “I will go up and inform Pharaoh, telling him, ‘My brothers and my father’s family, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me.^{(AE) 32} The men are shepherds; they also raise livestock. They have brought their flocks and herds and all that they have.’ ³³ When Pharaoh addresses you and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’ ³⁴ you are to say, ‘Your servants, both we and our ancestors, have raised livestock^[p] from our youth until now.’ Then you will be allowed to settle in the land of Goshen, since all shepherds are detestable to Egyptians.”^(AF)

John the Baptist Beheaded

14 At that time^(A) Herod the tetrarch^(B) heard the report about Jesus. ² “This is John the Baptist,” he told his servants. “He has been raised from the dead, and that’s why miraculous powers are at work in him.”^(C)

³ For Herod had arrested John, chained^[a] him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife,^{(D) 4} since John had been telling him, “It’s not lawful^(E) for you to have her.” ⁵ Though Herod wanted to kill John, he feared the crowd since they regarded John as a prophet.^(F)

⁶ When Herod’s birthday celebration came, Herodias’s daughter danced before them^[b] and pleased Herod. ⁷ So he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. ⁸ Prompted by her mother, she answered, “Give me John the Baptist’s head here on a platter.” ⁹ Although the king regretted it, he commanded that it be granted because of his oaths and his guests. ¹⁰ So he sent orders and had John beheaded in the prison. ¹¹ His head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. ¹² Then his disciples came, removed the corpse,^[c] buried it, and went and reported to Jesus.

Feeding of the Five Thousand

¹³ When Jesus heard about it,^(G) he withdrew from there by boat to a remote place to be alone. When the crowds heard this, they followed him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴ When he went ashore,^[d] he saw a large crowd, had compassion on them, and healed their sick.^(H)

¹⁵ When evening came, the disciples^(I) approached him and said, “This place is deserted, and it is already late.^[e] Send the crowds away so that they can go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”

¹⁶ “They don’t need to go away,” Jesus told them. “You give them something to eat.”

¹⁷ “But we only have five loaves and two fish here,” they said to him.

¹⁸ “Bring them here to me,” he said. ¹⁹ Then he commanded the crowds to sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them. He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.^{(J) 20} Everyone ate and was satisfied. They picked up twelve baskets full of leftover pieces.^{(K) 21} Now those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Walking on the Water

²² Immediately^(L) he^[f] made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. ²³ After dismissing the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. Well into the night, he was there alone.^{(M) 24} Meanwhile, the boat was already some distance^[g] from land,^[h] battered by the waves, because the wind was against them. ²⁵ Jesus came toward them walking on the sea^(N) very early in the morning.^{[i] 26} When the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost!” they said, and they cried out in fear.

²⁷ Immediately Jesus spoke to them. “Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”^(O)

²⁸ “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter answered him, “command me to come to you on the water.”

²⁹ He said, “Come.”

And climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the strength of the wind,^[j] he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me!”

³¹ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand, caught hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”^(P)

³² When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. ³³ Then those in the boat worshiped him and said, “Truly you are the Son of God.”^(Q)

Miraculous Healings

³⁴ When they had crossed over,^(R) they came to shore at Gennesaret.^{(S) 35} When the men of that place recognized him, they alerted the whole vicinity and brought to him all who were sick. ³⁶ They begged him that they might only touch the end of his robe, and as many as touched it were healed.^(T)

Psalm 14

A Portrait of Sinners

For the choir director. Of David.