Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
The Excellency of Brotherly Unity.
A Song of Ascents, of David.
133 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For (A)brothers to live together in unity!
2 It is like the precious (B)oil on the head,
Running down upon the beard,
As on Aaron’s beard,
The oil which ran down upon the (C)edge of his robes.
3 It is like the (D)dew of (E)Hermon
Coming down upon the (F)mountains of Zion;
For the Lord (G)commanded the blessing there—(H)life forever.
Jacob Dies
29 Then he commanded them and said to them, “I am about to be (A)gathered to my people; (B)bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in (C)the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 in the (D)cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is opposite Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field from Ephron the Hittite as a [a]burial site. 31 There they buried (E)Abraham and his wife (F)Sarah, there they buried (G)Isaac and his wife Rebekah, and there I buried Leah— 32 the field and the cave that is in it, purchased from the sons of Heth.” 33 When Jacob finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet into the bed and (H)breathed his last, and was (I)gathered to his people.
Jacob Is Buried
50 Then Joseph fell on his father’s face, and wept over him and kissed him. 2 Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians (J)embalmed Israel. 3 Now forty days were [b]required for [c]it, for [d]such is the period required for embalming. And the Egyptians (K)wept for him seventy days.
4 When the days of [e]mourning for him were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your sight, please speak [f]to Pharaoh, saying, 5 ‘(L)My father made me swear, saying, “Behold, I am about to die; in my grave (M)which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me.” Now then, please let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.’” 6 Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.”
7 So Joseph went up to bury his father, and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household and all the elders of the land of Egypt, 8 and all the household of Joseph and his brothers and his father’s household; they left only their little ones and their flocks and their herds in the land of Goshen. 9 Chariots with teams of horses also went up with him; and it was a very great company. 10 When they came to the [g]threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, they (N)mourned there with a very great and [h]sorrowful lamentation; and he [i]observed seven days of mourning for his father. 11 Now when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at [j]the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a [k]grievous [l]mourning for the Egyptians.” Therefore it was named [m]Abel-mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan.
Burial at Machpelah
12 And so his sons did for him as he had commanded them; 13 for his sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in (O)the cave of the field of Machpelah opposite Mamre, which Abraham had bought along with the field as a [n]burial site from Ephron the Hittite. 14 And after he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers, and all who had gone up with him to bury his father.
13 Therefore let’s not (A)judge one another anymore, but rather [a]determine this: (B)not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s or sister’s way. 14 I know and am convinced [b]in the Lord Jesus that (C)nothing is [c]unclean in itself; but to the one who (D)thinks something is [d]unclean, to that person it is [e]unclean. 15 For if because of food your brother or sister is hurt, you are no longer (E)walking in accordance with love. (F)Do not destroy with your choice of food that person for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore (G)do not let what is for you a good thing be [f]spoken of as evil; 17 for the kingdom of God (H)is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and (I)peace and (J)joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For the one who (K)serves Christ in this way is (L)acceptable to God and approved by other people. 19 So then we (M)pursue the things [g]which make for peace and the (N)building up of one another. 20 (O)Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. (P)All things indeed are clean, but (Q)they are evil for the person who eats [h]and causes offense. 21 (R)It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother or sister stumbles. 22 The faith which you have, have [i]as your own conviction before God. Happy is the one who (S)does not condemn himself in what he approves. 23 But (T)the one who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.
Self-denial in behalf of Others
15 Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of (U)those without strength, and not just please ourselves. 2 Each of us is to (V)please his neighbor [j]for his good, to his (W)edification.
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