Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Blessing of Unity
Psalm 133
1 A Song of Ascents. Of David.
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
for brothers to dwell together in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil upon the head,
coming down upon the beard—Aaron’s beard—
coming down on the collar of his robes.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon,
coming down upon the mountains of Zion.
For there Adonai commanded the blessing
—life forevermore!
29 Then he charged them and said to them, “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, that is next to Mamre in the land of Canaan—the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite as a property for burial. 31 There they buried Abraham and his wife Sarah. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah, and there I buried Leah. 32 The field was purchased along with the cave in it from the sons of Het.”
33 When Jacob finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, then breathed his last and was gathered to his peoples.
Lamentation for Jacob
50 Joseph fell upon his father’s face, wept over him and kissed him. 2 Then Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father, so the physicians embalmed Israel. 3 They took 40 days for him, because that is how long embalming takes, and Egypt wept 70 days.
4 When the days of formal weeping passed, Joseph spoke to Pharaoh’s house saying, “If I’ve found favor in your eyes, please say in Pharaoh’s ears, 5 “My father made me take an oath saying, ‘Behold, I am about to die. In my tomb—which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan—there you must bury me.’ So now, please allow me to go up and bury my father, and then return.”
6 Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father just as he made you swear on oath.”
7 So Joseph went up to bury his father. Also all of Pharaoh’s servants, the elders of his household and all the elders of the land of Egypt went up with him, 8 along with all of Joseph’s house, his brothers, and his father’s household. Only their children and their flocks and cattle were left in the land of Goshen. 9 Chariots and horsemen also went up with him—it was a very impressive company.
10 When they came to the threshing floor of the bramble on the other side of the Jordan, they mourned there—a very great and solemn lamentation. He observed seven days of mourning for his father. 11 When the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning ritual at the threshing floor of the prickly bush, they said, “A solemn mourning ritual this is for the Egyptians.” That is why it is named Abel-Mizraim, which is on the other side of the Jordan.
12 So Jacob’s sons did for him just as he commanded them. 13 His sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, the field that Abraham bought as a property for burial from Ephron the Hittite, next to Mamre.
14 After burying his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers and all those who went up with him to bury his father.
13 Therefore let us not judge one another from now on, but rather decide this—not to put a stumbling block or a trap in the way of a brother. 14 I know, and am persuaded in the Lord Yeshua, that nothing is unholy in itself; but it is unholy for the one who considers it unholy. [a] 15 For if your brother is grieved on account of food, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy by your food the one for whom Messiah died. 16 Therefore do not let what is good for you be spoken of as evil— 17 for the kingdom of God is not about eating and drinking, but righteousness and shalom and joy in the Ruach ha-Kodesh. 18 For the one who serves Messiah in this manner is pleasing to God and approved by men.
19 So then let us pursue what makes for shalom and for the building up of one another. [b] 20 Stop tearing down the work of God for the sake of food. Indeed all things are clean, but wrong for the man who by eating causes stumbling. 21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything by which your brother stumbles. 22 The faith you have, keep it to yourself before God. How fortunate is the one who does not condemn himself for what he approves. 23 But the one who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because it is not of faith. And whatever is not of faith is sin.
15 Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of the powerless and not just please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, for building him up.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.