Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Praise for the Lord’s Mercies

A Psalm of David.

⁵³ Then the seven years of plenty which were in the land of Egypt ended, ^54 (A)and the seven years of famine began to come, ^(B)as Joseph had said. The famine was in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. ⁵⁵ So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Then Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph; ^(C)whatever he says to you, do.” ⁵⁶ The famine was over all the face of the earth, and Joseph opened ^[a]all the storehouses and ^(D)sold to the Egyptians. And the famine became severe in the land of Egypt. ^57 (E)So all countries came to Joseph in Egypt to ^(F)buy grain, because the famine was severe in all lands.

Joseph’s Brothers Go to Egypt

42 When ^(G)Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” ² And he said, “Indeed I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down to that place and buy for us there, that we may ^(H)live and not die.”

³ So Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. ⁴ But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, ^(I)“Lest some calamity befall him.” ⁵ And the sons of Israel went to buy grain among those who journeyed, for the famine was ^(J)in the land of Canaan.

⁶ Now Joseph was governor ^(K)over the land; and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and ^(L)bowed down before him with their faces to the earth. ⁷ Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted as ^(M)a stranger to them and spoke ^[b]roughly to them. Then he said to them, “Where do you come from?”

And they said, “From the land of Canaan to buy food.”

⁸ So Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. ⁹ Then Joseph ^(N)remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them, and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see the ^[c]nakedness of the land!”

¹⁰ And they said to him, “No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food. ¹¹ We are all one man’s sons; we are honest men; your servants are not spies.”

¹² But he said to them, “No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land.”

¹³ And they said, “Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and in fact, the youngest is with our father today, and one ^(O)is no more.”

¹⁴ But Joseph said to them, “It is as I spoke to you, saying, ‘You are spies!’ ¹⁵ In this manner you shall be tested: ^(P)By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. ¹⁶ Send one of you, and let him bring your brother; and you shall be ^[d]kept in prison, that your words may be tested to see whether there is any truth in you; or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies!” ¹⁷ So he ^[e]put them all together in prison ^(Q)three days.

The Patriarchs in Egypt

^9 (A)“And the patriarchs, becoming envious, ^(B)sold Joseph into Egypt. ^(C)But God was with him ¹⁰ and delivered him out of all his troubles, ^(D)and gave him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house. ^11 (E)Now a famine and great ^[a]trouble came over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers found no sustenance. ^12 (F)But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first. ¹³ And the ^(G)second time Joseph was made known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to the Pharaoh. ^14 (H)Then Joseph sent and called his father Jacob and ^(I)all his relatives to him, ^[b]seventy-five people. ^15 (J)So Jacob went down to Egypt; ^(K)and he died, he and our fathers. ¹⁶ And ^(L)they were carried back to Shechem and laid in ^(M)the tomb that Abraham bought for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem.