The Daily Audio Bible
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18 On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God:(A) 19 if you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here where you are imprisoned. The rest of you shall go and carry grain for the famine of your households 20 and bring your youngest brother to me. Thus your words will be verified, and you shall not die.” And they agreed to do so.(B) 21 They said to one another, “Alas, we are paying the penalty for what we did to our brother; we saw his anguish when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this anguish has come upon us.”(C) 22 Then Reuben answered them, “Did I not tell you not to wrong the boy? But you would not listen. So now there comes a reckoning for his blood.”(D) 23 They did not know that Joseph understood them, since he spoke with them through an interpreter. 24 He turned away from them and wept; then he returned and spoke to them. And he picked out Simeon and had him bound before their eyes.(E) 25 Joseph then gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to return every man’s money to his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. This was done for them.(F)
Joseph’s Brothers Return to Canaan
26 They loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed.(G) 27 When one of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at the lodging place, he saw his money at the top of the sack. 28 He said to his brothers, “My money has been put back; here it is in my sack!” At this they lost heart and turned trembling to one another, saying, “What is this that God has done to us?”
29 When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them, saying, 30 “The man, the lord of the land, spoke harshly to us and charged us with spying on the land.(H) 31 But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies.(I) 32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan.’ 33 Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘By this I shall know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, take grain for the famine of your households, and go your way.(J) 34 Bring your youngest brother to me, and I shall know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will release your brother to you, and you may trade in the land.’ ”
35 As they were emptying their sacks, there in each one’s sack was his bag of money. When they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were dismayed.(K) 36 And their father Jacob said to them, “I am the one you have bereaved of children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and now you would take Benjamin. All this has happened to me!”(L) 37 Then Reuben said to his father, “You may kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.” 38 But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If harm should come to him on the journey that you are to make, you would bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.”(M)
The Brothers Come Again, Bringing Benjamin
43 Now the famine was severe in the land.(N) 2 And when they had eaten up the grain that they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go again; buy us a little more food.” 3 But Judah said to him, “The man solemnly warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’(O) 4 If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food, 5 but if you will not send him, we will not go down, for the man said to us, ‘You shall not see my face, unless your brother is with you.’ ” 6 Israel said, “Why did you treat me so badly as to tell the man that you had another brother?” 7 They replied, “The man questioned us carefully about ourselves and our kindred, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?’ What we told him was in answer to these questions. Could we in any way know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?”(P) 8 Then Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me, and let us be on our way, so that we may live and not die—you and we and also our little ones. 9 I myself will be surety for him; you can hold me accountable for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever.(Q) 10 If we had not delayed, we would now have returned twice.”
11 Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: take some of the choice fruits of the land in your bags, and carry them down as a present to the man: a little balm and a little honey, gum, resin, pistachio nuts, and almonds.(R) 12 Take double the money with you. Carry back with you the money that was returned in the top of your sacks; perhaps it was an oversight.(S) 13 Take your brother also, and be on your way again to the man; 14 may God Almighty[a] grant you mercy before the man, so that he may send back your other brother and Benjamin. As for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.”(T) 15 So the men took the present, and they took double the money with them, as well as Benjamin. Then they went on their way down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.
16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Bring the men into the house, and slaughter an animal and make ready, for the men are to dine with me at noon.”(U) 17 The man did as Joseph said and brought the men to Joseph’s house. 18 Now the men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph’s house, and they said, “It is because of the money, replaced in our sacks the first time, that we have been brought in, so that he may have an opportunity to fall upon us, to make slaves of us and take our donkeys.” 19 So they went up to the steward of Joseph’s house and spoke with him at the entrance to the house. 20 They said, “Oh, my lord, we came down the first time to buy food,(V) 21 and when we came to the lodging place we opened our sacks, and there was each one’s money in the top of his sack, our money in full weight. So we have brought it back with us.(W) 22 Moreover, we have brought down with us additional money to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks.” 23 He replied, “Rest assured; do not be afraid; your God and the God of your father must have put treasure in your sacks for you; I received your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.(X) 24 When the steward[b] had brought the men into Joseph’s house and given them water, and they had washed their feet, and when he had given their donkeys fodder,(Y) 25 they made the present ready for Joseph’s coming at noon, for they had heard that they would dine there.
26 When Joseph came home, they brought him the present that they had carried into the house and bowed to the ground before him.(Z) 27 He inquired about their welfare and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?”(AA) 28 They said, “Your servant our father is well; he is still alive.” And they bowed their heads and did obeisance.(AB) 29 Then he looked up and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, “Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me? God be gracious to you, my son!”(AC) 30 With that, Joseph hurried out, because he was overcome with affection for his brother, and he was about to weep. So he went into a private room and wept there.(AD) 31 Then he washed his face and came out, and controlling himself he said, “Serve the meal.”(AE) 32 They served him by himself and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians.(AF) 33 When they were seated before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth, the men looked at one another in amazement. 34 Portions were taken to them from Joseph’s table, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and were merry with him.(AG)
47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind;(A) 48 when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous(B) 50 and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.(C)
Treasures New and Old
51 “Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.” 52 And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” 53 When Jesus had finished these parables, he left that place.(D)
The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth
54 He came to his hometown and began to teach the people[a] in their synagogue, so that they were astounded and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these deeds of power?(E) 55 Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?(F) 56 And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this?” 57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor except in their own hometown and in their own house.”(G) 58 And he did not do many deeds of power there, because of their unbelief.
The Death of John the Baptist
14 At that time Herod the ruler heard reports about Jesus,(H) 2 and he said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he has been raised from the dead, and for this reason these powers are at work in him.” 3 For Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife,(I) 4 because John had been telling him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”(J) 5 Though Herod[b] wanted to put him to death, he feared the crowd, because they regarded him as a prophet.(K) 6 But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company, and she pleased Herod 7 so much that he promised on oath to grant her whatever she might ask. 8 Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.” 9 The king was grieved, yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he commanded it to be given; 10 he sent and had John beheaded in the prison. 11 His head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, who brought it to her mother. 12 His disciples came and took the body and buried him; then they went and told Jesus.
16 He reached down from on high; he took me;
he drew me out of mighty waters.(A)
17 He delivered me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.(B)
18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
19 He brought me out into a broad place;
he delivered me because he delighted in me.(C)
20 The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me.(D)
21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord
and have not wickedly departed from my God.(E)
22 For all his ordinances were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.(F)
23 I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from guilt.
24 Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.(G)
25 With the loyal you show yourself loyal;
with the blameless you show yourself blameless;(H)
26 with the pure you show yourself pure;
and with the crooked you show yourself shrewd.(I)
27 For you deliver a humble people,
but the haughty eyes you bring down.(J)
28 It is you who light my lamp;
the Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.(K)
29 By you I can outrun a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.(L)
30 This God—his way is perfect;
the promise of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all who take refuge in him.(M)
31 For who is God except the Lord?
And who is a rock besides our God?(N)
32 The God who has girded me with strength
and made my way safe.[a]
33 He made my feet like the feet of a deer
and set me secure on the heights.(O)
34 He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.(P)
35 You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your right hand has supported me;
your help[b] has made me great.
36 You gave me a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet did not slip.
7 The beginning of wisdom is this: get wisdom,
and whatever else you get, get insight.(A)
8 Prize her highly, and she will exalt you;
she will honor you if you embrace her.(B)
9 She will place on your head a fair garland;
she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”(C)
Admonition to Keep to the Right Path
10 Hear, my child, and accept my words,
that the years of your life may be many.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.