The Daily Audio Bible

50 Yosef fell on his father’s face, wept over him and kissed him. ² Then Yosef ordered the physicians in his service to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Isra’el. ³ Forty days were spent at this, the normal amount of time for embalming. Then the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.

⁴ When the period of mourning was over, Yosef addressed to the household of Pharaoh: “I would like to ask a favor. Tell Pharaoh, ⁵ ‘My father had me swear an oath. He said, “I am going to die. You are to bury me in my grave, which I dug for myself in the land of Kena‘an.” Therefore, I beg you, let me go up and bury my father; I will return.’” ⁶ Pharaoh responded, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.”

⁷ So Yosef went up to bury his father. With him went all Pharaoh’s servants, the leaders of his household and the leaders of the land of Egypt, ⁸ along with the entire household of Yosef, his brothers and his father’s household; only their little ones, their flocks and their cattle did they leave in the land of Goshen. ⁹ Moreover, there went up with him both chariots and horsemen — it was a very large caravan.

¹⁰ When they arrived at the threshing-floor in Atad, beyond the Yarden, they raised a loud and bitter lamentation, mourning for his father seven days. ¹¹ When the local inhabitants, the Kena‘ani, saw the mourning on the floor of Atad they said, “How bitterly the Egyptians are mourning!” This is why the place was given the name Avel-Mitzrayim [mourning of Egypt], there beyond the Yarden.

¹² His sons did to him as he had ordered them to do — ¹³ they carried him into the land of Kena‘an and buried him in the cave in the field of Makhpelah, which Avraham had bought, along with the field, as a burial-place belonging to him, from ‘Efron the Hitti, by Mamre.

¹⁴ Then, after burying his father, Yosef returned to Egypt, he, his brothers and all who had gone up with him to bury his father.

¹⁵ Realizing that their father was dead, Yosef’s brothers said, “Yosef may hate us now and pay us back in full for all the suffering we caused him.” ¹⁶ So they sent a message to Yosef which said, “Your father gave this order before he died: ¹⁷ ‘Say to Yosef, “I beg you now, please forgive your brothers’ crime and wickedness in doing you harm.”’ So now, we beg of you, forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father.” Yosef wept when they spoke to him; ¹⁸ and his brothers too came, prostrated themselves before him and said, “Here, we are your slaves.” ¹⁹ But Yosef said to them, “Don’t be afraid! Am I in the place of God? ²⁰ You meant to do me harm, but God meant it for good — so that it would come about as it is today, with many people’s lives being saved. (vii) ²¹ So don’t be afraid — I will provide for you and your little ones.” In this way he comforted them, speaking kindly to them.

²² Yosef continued living in Egypt, he and his father’s household. Yosef lived 110 years. (Maftir) ²³ Yosef lived to see Efrayim’s great-grandchildren, and the children of M’nasheh’s son Makhir were born on Yosef’s knees.

²⁴ Yosef said to his brothers, “I am dying. But God will surely remember you and bring you up out of this land to the land which he swore to Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya‘akov.” ²⁵ Then Yosef took an oath from the sons of Isra’el: “God will surely remember you, and you are to carry my bones up from here.” ²⁶ So Yosef died at the age of 110, and they embalmed him and put him in a coffin in Egypt.

Haftarah Vayechi: M’lakhim Alef (1 Kings) 2:1–12

B’rit Hadashah suggested readings for Parashah Vayechi: Acts 7:9–16 (specifically vv. 15–16); Messianic Jews (Hebrews) 11:21–22; 1 Kefa (1 Peter) 1:3–9; 2:11–17

Hazak, hazak, v’nit’chazek!

Be strong, be strong, and let us be strengthened!

Parashah 13: Sh’mot (Names) 1:1–6:1

1 These are the names of the sons of Isra’el who came into Egypt with Ya‘akov; each man came with his household: ² Re’uven, Shim‘on, Levi, Y’hudah, ³ Yissakhar, Z’vulun, Binyamin, ⁴ Dan, Naftali, Gad and Asher. ⁵ All told, there were seventy descendants of Ya‘akov; Yosef was already in Egypt.

⁶ Yosef died, as did all his brothers and all that generation. ⁷ The descendants of Isra’el were fruitful, increased abundantly, multiplied and grew very powerful; the land became filled with them.

⁸ Now there arose a new king over Egypt. He knew nothing about Yosef ⁹ but said to his people, “Look, the descendants of Isra’el have become a people too numerous and powerful for us. ¹⁰ Come, let’s use wisdom in dealing with them. Otherwise, they’ll continue to multiply; and in the event of war they might ally themselves with our enemies, fight against us and leave the land altogether.”

¹¹ So they put slavemasters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built for Pharaoh the storage cities of Pitom and Ra‘amses. ¹² But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more they multiplied and expanded, until the Egyptians came to dread the people of Isra’el ¹³ and worked them relentlessly, ¹⁴ making their lives bitter with hard labor — digging clay, making bricks, all kinds of field work; and in all this toil they were shown no mercy.

¹⁵ Moreover, the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was called Shifrah and the other Pu‘ah. ¹⁶ “When you attend the Hebrew women and see them giving birth,” he said, “if it’s a boy, kill him; but if it’s a girl, let her live.” ¹⁷ However, the midwives were God-fearing women, so they didn’t do as the king of Egypt ordered but let the boys live. (ii) ¹⁸ The king of Egypt summoned the midwives and demanded of them, “Why have you done this and let the boys live?” ¹⁹ The midwives answered Pharaoh, “It’s because the Hebrew women aren’t like the Egyptian women — they go into labor and give birth before the midwife arrives.” ²⁰ Therefore God prospered the midwives, and the people continued to multiply and grow very powerful. ²¹ Indeed, because the midwives feared God, he made them founders of families. ²² Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every boy that is born, throw in the river; but let all the girls live.”

2 A man from the family of Levi took a woman also descended from Levi as his wife. ² When she conceived and had a son, upon seeing what a fine child he was, she hid him for three months. ³ When she could no longer hide him, she took a papyrus basket, coated it with clay and tar, put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the riverbank. ⁴ His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.

⁵ The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe in the river while her maids-in-attendance walked along the riverside. Spotting the basket among the reeds, she sent her slave-girl to get it. ⁶ She opened it and looked inside, and there in front of her was a crying baby boy! Moved with pity, she said, “This must be one of the Hebrews’ children.” ⁷ At this point, his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Would you like me to go and find you one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” ⁸ Pharaoh’s daughter answered, “Yes, go.” So the girl went and called the baby’s own mother. ⁹ Pharaoh’s daughter told her, “Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will pay you for doing it.” So the woman took the child and nursed it. ¹⁰ Then, when the child had grown some, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter; and she began to raise him as her son. She called him Moshe [pull out], explaining, “Because I pulled him out of the water.”

¹³ When Yeshua came into the territory around Caesarea Philippi, he asked his talmidim, “Who are people saying the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴ They said, “Well, some say Yochanan the Immerser, others Eliyahu, still others Yirmeyahu or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵ “But you,” he said to them, “who do you say I am?” ¹⁶ Shim‘on Kefa answered, “You are the Mashiach, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷ “Shim‘on Bar-Yochanan,” Yeshua said to him, “how blessed you are! For no human being revealed this to you, no, it was my Father in heaven. ¹⁸ I also tell you this: you are Kefa,” [which means ‘Rock,’] “and on this rock I will build my Community, and the gates of Sh’ol will not overcome it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you prohibit on earth will be prohibited in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.” ²⁰ Then he warned the talmidim not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

²¹ From that time on, Yeshua began making it clear to his talmidim that he had to go to Yerushalayim and endure much suffering at the hands of the elders, the head cohanim and the Torah-teachers; and that he had to be put to death; but that on the third day, he had to be raised to life. ²² Kefa took him aside and began rebuking him, “Heaven be merciful, Lord! By no means will this happen to you!” ²³ But Yeshua turned his back on Kefa, saying, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle in my path, because your thinking is from a human perspective, not from God’s perspective!”

²⁴ Then Yeshua told his talmidim, “If anyone wants to come after me, let him say ‘No’ to himself, take up his execution-stake, and keep following me. ²⁵ For whoever wants to save his own life will destroy it, but whoever destroys his life for my sake will find it. ²⁶ What good will it do someone if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life? Or, what can a person give in exchange for his life? ²⁷ For the Son of Man will come in his Father’s glory, with his angels; and then he will repay everyone according to his conduct. ²⁸ Yes! I tell you that there are some people standing here who will not experience death until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom!”

17 Six days later, Yeshua took Kefa, Ya‘akov and his brother Yochanan and led them up a high mountain privately. ² As they watched, he began to change form — his face shone like the sun, and his clothing became as white as light. ³ Then they looked and saw Moshe and Eliyahu speaking with him. ⁴ Kefa said to Yeshua, “It’s good that we’re here, Lord. I’ll put up three shelters if you want — one for you, one for Moshe and one for Eliyahu.” ⁵ While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them; and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him!” ⁶ When the talmidim heard this, they were so frightened that they fell face down on the ground. ⁷ But Yeshua came and touched them. “Get up!” he said, “Don’t be afraid.” ⁸ So they opened their eyes, looked up and saw only Yeshua by himself.

⁹ As they came down the mountain, Yeshua ordered them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”