Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

The Difference between Good and Sinful People

1 Happy is the man who does not walk in the way sinful men tell him to, or stand in the path of sinners, or sit with those who laugh at the truth. ² But he finds joy in the Law of the Lord and thinks about His Law day and night. ³ This man is like a tree planted by rivers of water, which gives its fruit at the right time and its leaf never dries up. Whatever he does will work out well for him.

⁴ Sinful men are not like this. They are like straw blown away by the wind. ⁵ So the sinful will not stand. They will be told they are guilty and have to suffer for it. Sinners will not stand with those who are right with God. ⁶ For the Lord knows the way of those who are right with Him. But the way of the sinful will be lost from God forever.

Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife

39 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt by the Ishmaelites. And Potiphar, an Egyptian leader, the head of the soldiers of Pharaoh’s house, bought him from the Ishmaelites. ² The Lord was with Joseph, and all went well with him. He was in the house of his boss the Egyptian. ³ Now his boss saw that the Lord was with him. He saw how the Lord made all that Joseph did go well. ⁴ So Joseph found favor in his eyes, and worked only for him. Potiphar made him the one to watch over his house and take care of all that he owned. ⁵ And from the time that he watched over his house and all he owned, the Lord brought good to the Egyptian’s house because of Joseph. The Lord brought good upon all that he owned in the house and in the field. ⁶ So he put all he owned in Joseph’s care. Having Joseph near, he did not need to think about anything but the food he ate. Now Joseph was strong and good-looking. ⁷ The time came when his boss’s wife saw him, and she said, “Lie with me.” ⁸ But he would not do it. He said to his boss’s wife, “See, with me near, my boss does not worry about anything in the house. He has put all he owns in my care. ⁹ There is no one more important in this house than I. And he has held nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this sinful thing, and sin against God?”

¹⁰ She spoke to Joseph day after day. But he did not listen to her. He would not lie with her or be with her. ¹¹ Then one day Joseph went into the house to do his work. None of the men of the house were inside. ¹² She caught him by his coat, saying, “Lie with me!” But he ran out of the house leaving the coat in her hand. ¹³ When she saw that he had left his coat in her hand and had run out of the house, ¹⁴ she called the men of her house. And she said to them, “See, this Hebrew has been brought to us to make fun of us. He came in to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. ¹⁵ When he heard my loud cry, he left his coat with me and ran outside.”

¹⁶ She kept his coat with her until his boss came home. ¹⁷ Then she told him the same story, saying, “The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came to me to lie with me. ¹⁸ But when I called out in a loud voice, he left his coat with me and ran outside.” ¹⁹ When his boss heard his wife’s story and her words, “This is what your servant did to me,” he became very angry. ²⁰ So Joseph’s boss took him and put him in prison, the place where the men who did wrong against the king were put in chains. So there he was in prison.

²¹ But the Lord was with Joseph, and showed him kindness. He gave him favor in the eyes of the man who watched over the prison. ²² The head of the prison put all the men who were in prison into Joseph’s care. So whatever was done there was because of Joseph. ²³ The head of the prison did not worry about anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with him. The Lord made all go well with whatever Joseph did.

²⁵ I thought it was right that I send Epaphroditus back to you. You helped me by sending him to me. We have worked together like brothers. He was like a soldier fighting beside me. ²⁶ He has been wanting to see all of you and was troubled because you heard he was sick. ²⁷ It is true, he was sick. Yes, he almost died, but God showed loving-kindness to him and to me. If he had died, I would have had even more sorrow. ²⁸ This is all the more reason I have sent him to you. When you see him, you will be glad and I will have less sorrow. ²⁹ Take him into your church with joy. Show respect for men like him. ³⁰ He came close to death while working for Christ. He almost died doing things for me that you could not do.