Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 103

The Forgiving God

Of David.

Joseph Sold into Slavery

¹² His brothers had gone to pasture their father’s flocks at Shechem. ¹³ Israel said to Joseph, “Your brothers, you know, are pasturing the flocks at Shechem. Get ready. I’m sending you to them.”

“I’m ready,” Joseph replied.

¹⁴ Then Israel said to him, “Go and see how your brothers and the flocks are doing, and bring word back to me.” So he sent him from the Hebron^(A) Valley, and he went to Shechem.

¹⁵ A man found him there, wandering in the field, and asked him, “What are you looking for?”

¹⁶ “I’m looking for my brothers,” Joseph said. “Can you tell me where they are pasturing their flocks?”

¹⁷ “They’ve moved on from here,” the man said. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’”^(B) So Joseph set out after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

¹⁸ They saw him in the distance, and before he had reached them, they plotted to kill him.^{(C) 19} They said to one another, “Oh, look, here comes that dream expert!^{[a] 20} So now, come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of the pits.^[b] We can say that a vicious animal ate him. Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!”

²¹ When Reuben heard this, he tried to save him from them.^[c] He said, “Let’s not take his life.”^{(D) 22} Reuben also said to them, “Don’t shed blood. Throw him into this pit in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him”—intending to rescue him from them and return him to his father.

²³ When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped off Joseph’s robe, the long-sleeved robe that he had on. ²⁴ Then they took him and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty, without water.^(E)

²⁵ They sat down to eat a meal,^(F) and when they looked up, there was a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead.^(G) Their camels were carrying aromatic gum, balsam, and resin, going down to Egypt.^(H)

²⁶ Judah said to his brothers, “What do we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? ²⁷ Come on, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay a hand on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh,” and his brothers agreed. ²⁸ When Midianite^(I) traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took Joseph to Egypt.^(J)

²⁹ When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes.^{(K) 30} He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone! What am I going to do?” ^{[d] 31} So they took Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a male goat, and dipped the robe in its blood. ³² They sent the long-sleeved robe to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it. Is it your son’s robe or not?”

³³ His father recognized it. “It is my son’s robe,” he said. “A vicious animal has devoured him. Joseph has been torn to pieces!” ^{(L) 34} Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days. ³⁵ All his sons and daughters tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said. “I will go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” And his father wept for him.

³⁶ Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and the captain of the guards.

Love in Action

¹¹ For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another, ¹² unlike Cain,^(A) who was of the evil one^(B) and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.

¹³ Do not be surprised, brothers and sisters, if the world hates^(C) you. ¹⁴ We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers and sisters. The one who does not love remains in death.^{(D) 15} Everyone who hates his brother or sister^(E) is a murderer,^(F) and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. ¹⁶ This is how we have come to know love: He laid down his life^(G) for us.^(H) We should also lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.^(I)