Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 133[a]
The Blessings of Brotherly Accord
1 A song of ascents. Of David.[b]
How wonderful and delightful it is
for brothers to live together in unity.[c]
2 It is like fragrant ointment poured on the head,
running down upon the beard,
running down upon the beard of Aaron,
and flowing on the collar of his robes.[d]
3 It is like the dew of Hermon
falling upon the mountains of Zion.[e]
For there the Lord has bestowed his blessing,
life forevermore.
8 Then Israel saw the sons of Joseph and said, “Who are these?”
9 Joseph said to his father, “They are the sons whom God has given me here.”
Israel said, “Bring them to me so that I can bless them.”
10 The eyes of Israel were dim in his old age. He could no longer see. Joseph approached him, kissed him, and embraced him. 11 Israel said to Joseph, “I did not believe that I would see you face to face, and now, behold, God has granted me even to see your children.”
12 Joseph took them off his knees and bowed his face to the ground. 13 Then he placed the two of them, Ephraim on the left hand of Israel and Manasseh on the right hand of Israel, and he brought them to him. 14 But Israel took his right hand and put it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger of the two, and the left hand he put on the head of Manasseh, crossing his arms, although Manasseh was the firstborn.
15 Then he blessed Joseph,
“God, before whom my fathers
Abraham and Isaac walked,
God who has been my shepherd
again and again until this day,
16 the Angel who has freed me from every evil,
bless these young ones!
Let my name be remembered through them
and the name of my fathers
Abraham and Isaac
and let them be multiplied greatly
upon the earth.”
17 Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on the head of Ephraim and that this was wrong. He took the hand of his father to remove it from the head of Ephraim and put it on Manasseh’s head. 18 He said to his father, “Not like this, my father, this is the firstborn. Place your right hand on his head.”
19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He will also become a people, he will also be great, but his younger brother will be greater than he and his descendants will become a multitude of nations.” 20 He blessed them that day,
“By you Israel shall pronounce blessings saying,
‘May God make you like Ephraim and like Manasseh.’ ”
He thus put Ephraim before Manasseh.
21 Israel then said to Joseph, “Behold, I am ready to die, but God will be with you and will bring you back to the land of your fathers. 22 As for me, I give to you, more than to your brothers, a mountain ridge that I won from the hands of the Amorites with sword and bow.”
23 By faith Moses[a] was hidden by his parents for three months after his birth, because they saw that he was a beautiful child, and they did not fear the king’s edict.
24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called a son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He preferred to be ill-treated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered that abuse suffered for the sake of the Messiah was a more precious gift than all the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to the final reward.
27 By faith Moses departed from Egypt, unafraid of the wrath of the king; he persevered as if he could see the one who is invisible.
28 By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood so that the Destroyer would not harm the firstborn of Israel.
29 The Faith of the Israelites and Rahab. By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as though it were dry land. However, when the Egyptians attempted to do so, they were drowned.
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