Book of Common Prayer

A Davidic Psalm.

A Song for the King of Glory

A Davidic Psalm.

Praise to the Majestic Lord

To the Director: On a stringed instrument.^[a] A Davidic Psalm.

Divine Glory and Human Dignity

To the Director: On the Gittith.

A Psalm by the descendants of Korah.

Longing for God

Pharaoh Tells Joseph His Dream

¹⁴ Pharaoh sent word to summon Joseph quickly from the dungeon, so they shaved his beard, changed his clothes, and then sent him straight to Pharaoh. ¹⁵ “I’ve had a dream,” Pharaoh told Joseph, “but nobody can interpret it. I’ve heard that you can interpret dreams.”

¹⁶ “I can’t do that,” Joseph replied, “but God is concerned about Pharaoh’s well-being.”

¹⁷ So Pharaoh told Joseph, “In my dream, I was standing on the bank of the Nile River, ¹⁸ and all of a sudden seven healthy, plump, beautiful cows emerged from the Nile and began to graze among the reeds that line the bank.^{[a] 19} Just then, seven other cows emerged after them, poor, ugly, and appearing very gaunt in their flesh. I’ve never seen anything as ugly as those cows anywhere in the entire land of Egypt! ²⁰ But those thin, gaunt cows gobbled up the first seven healthy cows! ²¹ Not only that,” Pharaoh continued,^[b] “after they had finished devouring the cows, nobody could tell that they had gobbled them up, because they were just as ugly as before. Then I woke up. ²² Later, I also dreamed about seven plump, fruit-filled ears of grain^[c] that grew up out of a single stalk. ²³ All of a sudden, seven thin, withered ears of grain,^[d] scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them. ²⁴ But the thin ears gobbled up the seven good ears. I told all this to my advisors, but nobody was able to explain it to me.”

Joseph Interprets Pharaoh’s Dream

²⁵ “Pharaoh’s dreams are identical,” Joseph replied. “God has told Pharaoh what he is getting ready to do. ²⁶ The seven healthy cows represent seven years, as do the seven healthy ears. The dreams are identical. ²⁷ The seven gaunt cows that arose after the healthy cows^[e] are seven years, as are the seven gaunt ears scorched by the east wind. There will be seven years of famine. ²⁸ So the message that I have for Pharaoh is that God is telling Pharaoh what he is getting ready to do. ²⁹ Be advised that seven years of phenomenal abundance are coming throughout all the land of Egypt, ³⁰ but after them seven years of famine are ahead, during which all of the abundance will be forgotten throughout the land of Egypt. The famine will ravage the land so severely that^{[f] 31} there will be no surplus in the land due to the coming famine, because it will be very severe.

³² “Now since Pharaoh had that dream twice, it means that this event has been scheduled by God, and God will bring it to pass very soon. ³³ Therefore let Pharaoh select a wise, discerning person to place in charge over the land of Egypt. ³⁴ Also, let Pharaoh immediately proceed to appoint supervisors over the land of Egypt, who will collect one fifth of its agricultural production^[g] during the coming seven years of abundance. ³⁵ Let them collect all the food during the coming fruitful years, store up the grain in cities governed by Pharaoh’s authority,^[h] and place it under guard. ³⁶ Let the food be kept in reserve to feed^[i] the land for the seven years of famine that will occur throughout Egypt, so the people don’t^[j] die during the famine.”

Pharaoh Appoints Joseph as Regent

³⁷ What Joseph proposed pleased Pharaoh and all of his advisors, ³⁸ so Pharaoh asked his servants, “Can we find anyone else like this—someone in whom the Spirit of God lives? ³⁹ Since God has revealed all of this to you,” Pharaoh told Joseph, “there is no one so wise and discerning as you. ⁴⁰ So you are to be appointed in charge over my palace, and all of my people are to do whatever you command them to do. Only the throne will have greater authority than you.”

⁴¹ “Look!” Pharaoh confirmed^[k] to Joseph, “I’ve put you in charge of the entire land of Egypt!”

⁴² Then Pharaoh^[l] removed his signet ring from his hand, placed it on Joseph’s hand, had him clothed in fine linen garments, and placed a gold chain around his neck. ⁴³ Then he provided him with a chariot as his second-in-command, outfitted with a group of people who shouted out in front of him, “Bow your knees!” And that’s how Pharaoh set Joseph over the entire land of Egypt.

Pharaoh Rewards Joseph

⁴⁴ Pharaoh also told Joseph, “I’m still Pharaoh, but without your permission nobody in all of the land of Egypt will so much as lift up their hands or take a step!” ⁴⁵ Pharaoh also changed Joseph’s name to Zaphenath-paneah^[m] and gave Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On, to him as his wife. And that’s how Joseph gained authority over the land of Egypt.

³ Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into union with the Messiah^[a] Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ Therefore, through baptism we were buried with him into his death so that, just as the Messiah^[b] was raised from the dead by the Father’s glory, we too may live an entirely new life. ⁵ For if we have become united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. ⁶ We know that our old natures were crucified with him so that our sin-laden bodies might be rendered powerless and we might no longer be slaves to sin. ⁷ For the person who has died has been freed from sin.

⁸ Now if we have died with the Messiah,^[c] we believe that we will also live with him, ⁹ for we know that the Messiah,^[d] who was raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has mastery over him. ¹⁰ For when he died, he died once and for all as far as sin is concerned. But now that he is alive, he lives for God. ¹¹ In the same way, you too must continuously consider yourselves dead as far as sin is concerned, but living for God through the Messiah^[e] Jesus.^[f]

¹² Therefore, do not let sin rule your mortal bodies so that you obey their desires. ¹³ Stop offering^[g] the parts of your body^[h] to sin as instruments of unrighteousness. Instead, offer yourselves to God as people who have been brought from death to life and the parts of your body^[i] as instruments of righteousness to God. ¹⁴ For sin will not have mastery over you, because you are not under Law but under grace.

The Authority of the Son

¹⁹ Jesus told them, “Truly, I tell all of you^[a] emphatically, the Son can do nothing on his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing, What the Father does, the Son does likewise. ²⁰ The Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing, and he will show him even greater actions than these, so that you may be amazed. ²¹ Just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to those he chooses. ²² The Father judges no one, but has given all authority to judge to the Son, ²³ so that everyone may honor the Son as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

²⁴ “Truly, I tell all of you^[b] emphatically, whoever hears what I say and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged, but has passed from death to life.