Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

36 Wickedness says to the wicked man, even in my heart, that there is no fear of God before His eyes.

² For he flatters himself in his own eyes, while his iniquity is found worthy to be hated.

³ The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit. He has ceased to understand and to do good.

⁴ He imagines mischief upon his bed. He sets himself upon a way that is not good and does not abhor evil.

⁵ Your mercy, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, and Your faithfulness to the clouds.

⁶ Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains. Your judgments are like a great deep. You, LORD, save man and beast.

⁷ How excellent is Your mercy, O God! Therefore, the children of men trust under the shadow of Your wings.

⁸ They shall be satisfied with the fatness of Your House; and You shall give them drink out of the river of Your pleasures.

⁹ For with You is the well of life; and in Your Light shall we see light.

¹⁰ Extend Your lovingkindness to those who know You, and Your righteousness to those who are upright in heart.

¹¹ Do not let the foot of pride come against me; and do not let the hand of the wicked men move me.

¹² There those who work iniquity have fallen. They are cast down and shall not be able to rise. A Psalm of David.

43 Now, great famine was in the land.

² And when they had eaten up the food which they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back and buy us a little food.”

³ And Judah answered him, saying, “The man charged us by an oath, saying, ‘Never see my face unless your brother is with you.’

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, ‘Do not look me in the face unless your brother is with you.’”

⁶ And Israel said, “Why have you dealt so wrongfully with me as to tell the man whether you still had a brother or not?”

⁷ And they answered, “The man directly asked about us and about our family, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have any other brothers?’ And we told him as we have said. Could we have known for certain that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?”

⁸ Then Judah said to Israel, his father, “Send the boy with me, so that we may rise and go and so that we may live and not die, both we and you and our children.

⁹ “I will be surety for him. From my hand shall you require him. If I do not bring him to you, and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever.

¹⁰ “For if we had not lingered here, doubtless by now we would have returned a second time.”

¹¹ Then their father, Israel, said to them, “If it must be so now, do this: take from the best fruits of the land in your vessels; and bring the man a present (a little rosin and a little honey, spices and myrrh, nuts and almonds).

¹² “And take double money in your hand. And carry back in your hand the money that was brought back in your sacks’ mouths. Perhaps it was some oversight.

¹³ “Also, take your brother and arise. Go back to the man.

¹⁴ “And God Almighty give you mercy in the sight of the man, so that he may release your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”

¹⁵ Thus, the men took this present and took twice as much money in their hand, with Benjamin, and rose up and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.

6 And in those days, as the number of the disciples grew, there arose murmuring of the Hellenists toward the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily ministry.

² Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples together, and said, “It is not acceptable that we should leave the Word of God to serve the tables.

³ “Therefore brothers, select from among you seven men of good report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint to this business.

⁴ “And we will give ourselves constantly to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.”

⁵ And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen (a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost), and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas (a proselyte from Antioch),

⁶ whom they set before the Apostles. And they prayed and laid their hands on them.

⁷ And the Word of God increased. And the number of the disciples was multiplied in Jerusalem greatly. And a great number of the priests were obedient to the faith.