Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

When Brothers Dwell in Unity

A Song of ^(A)Ascents. Of David.

²⁹ Then he commanded them and said to them, “I am to be ^(A)gathered to my people; ^(B)bury me with my fathers ^(C)in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, ³⁰ in the cave that is in the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan, ^(D)which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place. ^31 (E)There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. There ^(F)they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah— ³² the field and the cave that is in it were bought from the Hittites.” ³³ When Jacob finished commanding his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed and breathed his last and ^(G)was gathered to his people.

50 Then Joseph ^(H)fell on his father's face and wept over him and kissed him. ² And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to ^(I)embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. ³ Forty days were required for it, for that is how many are required for embalming. And the Egyptians ^(J)wept for him for seventy days.

⁴ And when the days of weeping for him were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, ^(K)“If now I have found favour in your eyes, please speak in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, ⁵ My father made me swear, saying, ‘I am about to die: in my tomb ^(L)that I hewed out for myself in the land of Canaan, there shall you bury me.’ Now therefore, let me please go up and bury my father. Then I will return.” ⁶ And Pharaoh answered, “Go up, and bury your father, as he made you swear.” ⁷ So Joseph went up to bury his father. With him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, ⁸ as well as all the household of Joseph, his brothers, and his father's household. Only their children, their flocks, and their herds were left ^(M)in the land of Goshen. ⁹ And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen. It was a very great company. ¹⁰ When they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, ^(N)they lamented there with a very great and grievous lamentation, and he ^(O)made a mourning for his father for seven days. ¹¹ When the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning on the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a grievous mourning by the Egyptians.” Therefore the place was named Abel-mizraim;^[a] it is beyond the Jordan. ¹² Thus his sons did for him as he had commanded them, ¹³ for ^(P)his sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, which Abraham ^(Q)bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place. ¹⁴ After he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had gone up with him to bury his father.

Do Not Cause Another to Stumble

^13 (A)Therefore let us not pass judgement on one another any longer, but rather decide ^(B)never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. ¹⁴ I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus ^(C)that nothing is unclean in itself, ^(D)but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. ¹⁵ For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, ^(E)you are no longer walking in love. ^(F)By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. ^16 (G)So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. ^17 (H)For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but ^(I)of righteousness and ^(J)peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ Whoever thus serves Christ is ^(K)acceptable to God and approved by men. ¹⁹ So then let us ^(L)pursue what makes for peace and for ^(M)mutual upbuilding.

^20 (N)Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. ^(O)Everything is indeed clean, but ^(P)it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. ^21 (Q)It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.^{[a] 22} The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. ^(R)Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgement on himself for what he approves. ²³ But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.^[b]

The Example of Christ

15 ^(S)We who are strong ^(T)have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. ^2 (U)Let each of us please his neighbour for his good, to build him up.