Psalm 130

A song of ascents.

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)

¹³ I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles,^(A) I take pride in my ministry ¹⁴ in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy^(B) and save^(C) some of them. ¹⁵ For if their rejection brought reconciliation^(D) to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?^{(E) 16} If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits^(F) is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.

¹⁷ If some of the branches have been broken off,^(G) and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others^(H) and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, ¹⁸ do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you.^{(I) 19} You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” ²⁰ Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith.^(J) Do not be arrogant,^(K) but tremble.^{(L) 21} For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.

²² Consider therefore the kindness^(M) and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue^(N) in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.^{(O) 23} And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.^{(P) 24} After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree,^(Q) how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!

All Israel Will Be Saved

²⁵ I do not want you to be ignorant^(R) of this mystery,^(S) brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited:^(T) Israel has experienced a hardening^(U) in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in,^{(V) 26} and in this way^[a] all Israel will be saved.^(W) As it is written:

²⁸ As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies^(Y) for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs,^{(Z) 29} for God’s gifts and his call^(AA) are irrevocable.^(AB)