Our Help Is in the Name of the Lord

A Song of ^(A)Ascents. Of David.

²⁹ Then he commanded them and said to them, “I am to be ^(A)gathered to my people; ^(B)bury me with my fathers ^(C)in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, ³⁰ in the cave that is in the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan, ^(D)which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place. ^31 (E)There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. There ^(F)they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah— ³² the field and the cave that is in it were bought from the Hittites.” ³³ When Jacob finished commanding his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed and breathed his last and ^(G)was gathered to his people.

50 Then Joseph ^(H)fell on his father's face and wept over him and kissed him. ² And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to ^(I)embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. ³ Forty days were required for it, for that is how many are required for embalming. And the Egyptians ^(J)wept for him seventy days.

⁴ And when the days of weeping for him were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, ^(K)“If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, ⁵ ‘My father made me swear, saying, “I am about to die: in my tomb ^(L)that I hewed out for myself in the land of Canaan, there shall you bury me.” Now therefore, let me please go up and bury my father. Then I will return.’” ⁶ And Pharaoh answered, “Go up, and bury your father, as he made you swear.” ⁷ So Joseph went up to bury his father. With him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, ⁸ as well as all the household of Joseph, his brothers, and his father's household. Only their children, their flocks, and their herds were left ^(M)in the land of Goshen. ⁹ And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen. It was a very great company. ¹⁰ When they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, ^(N)they lamented there with a very great and grievous lamentation, and he ^(O)made a mourning for his father seven days. ¹¹ When the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning on the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a grievous mourning by the Egyptians.” Therefore the place was named Abel-mizraim;^[a] it is beyond the Jordan. ¹² Thus his sons did for him as he had commanded them, ¹³ for ^(P)his sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, which Abraham ^(Q)bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place. ¹⁴ After he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had gone up with him to bury his father.

¹² Not that we dare to classify or ^(A)compare ourselves with some of those who ^(B)are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are ^(C)without understanding.

¹³ But we will not boast ^(D)beyond limits, but will ^(E)boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, ^(F)to reach even to you. ¹⁴ For we are not overextending ourselves, as though we did not reach you. ^(G)For we were the first to come all the way to you with the gospel of Christ. ¹⁵ We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others. But our hope is that ^(H)as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be ^(I)greatly enlarged, ¹⁶ so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another's area of influence. ¹⁷ “Let ^(J)the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” ¹⁸ For it is ^(K)not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one ^(L)whom the Lord commends.