Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Blessed Unity of the People of God

A Song of Ascents. Of David.

⁸ Then Israel saw Joseph’s sons, and said, “Who are these?”

⁹ Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me in this place.”

And he said, “Please bring them to me, and ^(A)I will bless them.” ¹⁰ Now ^(B)the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. Then Joseph brought them near him, and he ^(C)kissed them and embraced them. ¹¹ And Israel said to Joseph, ^(D)“I had not thought to see your face; but in fact, God has also shown me your offspring!”

¹² So Joseph brought them from beside his knees, and he bowed down with his face to the earth. ¹³ And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near him. ¹⁴ Then Israel stretched out his right hand and ^(E)laid it on Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, ^(F)guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the ^(G)firstborn. ¹⁵ And ^(H)he blessed Joseph, and said:

¹⁷ Now when Joseph saw that his father ^(M)laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took hold of his father’s hand to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. ¹⁸ And Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”

¹⁹ But his father refused and said, ^(N)“I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly ^(O)his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.”

²⁰ So he blessed them that day, saying, ^(P)“By you Israel will bless, saying, ‘May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!’ ” And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh.

²¹ Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am dying, but ^(Q)God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers. ²² Moreover ^(R)I have given to you one ^[a]portion above your brothers, which I took from the hand ^(S)of the Amorite with my sword and my bow.”

The Faith of Moses^(A)

²³ By faith ^(B)Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s ^(C)command.

²⁴ By faith ^(D)Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, ²⁵ choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the ^[a]passing pleasures of sin, ²⁶ esteeming ^(E)the ^[b]reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures ^[c]in Egypt; for he looked to the ^(F)reward.

²⁷ By faith ^(G)he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. ²⁸ By faith ^(H)he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them.

²⁹ By faith ^(I)they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.