Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
8 Those who live far away are awed by your signs;
you make east and west shout for joy.(A)
9 You visit the earth and water it abundantly,
enriching it greatly.
God’s stream is filled with water,
for you prepare the earth in this way,
providing people with grain.(B)
10 You soften it with showers and bless its growth,
soaking its furrows and leveling its ridges.(C)
11 You crown the year with your goodness;
your carts overflow with plenty.[a](D)
12 The wilderness pastures overflow,
and the hills are robed with joy.(E)
13 The pastures are clothed with flocks
and the valleys covered with grain.(F)
They shout in triumph; indeed, they sing.(G)
2 That night God spoke to Israel in a vision:(A) “Jacob, Jacob!” he said.
And Jacob replied, “Here I am.”
3 God said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there.(B) 4 I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you back.(C) Joseph will close your eyes when you die.”[a](D)
5 Jacob left Beer-sheba. The sons of Israel took their father Jacob in the wagons Pharaoh had sent to carry him,(E) along with their dependents and their wives. 6 They also took their cattle and possessions they had acquired in the land of Canaan. Then Jacob and all his offspring with him came to Egypt.(F) 7 His sons and grandsons, his daughters and granddaughters, indeed all his offspring, he brought with him to Egypt.
Jacob’s Family
8 These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt(G)—Jacob and his sons:
Jacob’s firstborn: Reuben.
9 Reuben’s sons:(H) Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
10 Simeon’s sons:(I) Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman.
11 Levi’s sons:(J) Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
12 Judah’s sons: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.
The sons(K) of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.
13 Issachar’s sons:(L) Tola, Puvah,[b] Jashub,[c] and Shimron.
14 Zebulun’s sons: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
15 These were Leah’s sons born to Jacob in Paddan-aram, as well as his daughter Dinah. The total number of persons:[d] thirty-three.
16 Gad’s sons: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.
17 Asher’s sons:(M) Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah.
Beriah’s sons were Heber and Malchiel.
18 These were the sons of Zilpah—whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah—that she bore to Jacob: sixteen persons.
19 The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.
20 Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph in the land of Egypt. They were born to him by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, a priest at On.[e]
21 Benjamin’s sons:(N) Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.
22 These were Rachel’s sons who were born to Jacob: fourteen persons.
23 Dan’s son:[f] Hushim.
24 Naphtali’s sons:(O) Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.
25 These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel.(P) She bore to Jacob: seven persons.
26 The total number of persons belonging to Jacob—his direct descendants,[g] not including the wives of Jacob’s sons—who came to Egypt: sixty-six.
27 And Joseph’s sons who were born to him in Egypt: two persons.
All those of Jacob’s household who came to Egypt: seventy[h] persons.(Q)
Jacob Arrives in Egypt
28 Now Jacob had sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to prepare for his arrival[i] at Goshen.(R) When they came to the land of Goshen, 29 Joseph hitched the horses to his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel. Joseph presented himself to him, threw his arms around him, and wept for a long time.(S)
30 Then Israel said to Joseph, “I’m ready to die now because I have seen your face and you are still alive!”
31 Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s family, “I will go up and inform Pharaoh, telling him, ‘My brothers and my father’s family, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me.(T) 32 The men are shepherds; they also raise livestock. They have brought their flocks and herds and all that they have.’ 33 When Pharaoh addresses you and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’ 34 you are to say, ‘Your servants, both we and our ancestors, have raised livestock[j] from our youth until now.’ Then you will be allowed to settle in the land of Goshen, since all shepherds are detestable to Egyptians.”(U)
Pharaoh Welcomes Jacob
47 So Joseph went and informed Pharaoh: “My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all that they own, have come from the land of Canaan and are now in the land of Goshen.”(V)
2 He took five of his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh.(W) 3 And Pharaoh asked his brothers, “What is your occupation?”
They said to Pharaoh, “Your servants, both we and our ancestors, are shepherds.”(X) 4 And they said to Pharaoh, “We have come to stay in the land for a while because there is no grazing land for your servants’ sheep, since the famine in the land of Canaan has been severe.(Y) So now, please let your servants settle in the land of Goshen.”
5 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Now that your father and brothers have come to you, 6 the land of Egypt is open before you; settle your father and brothers in the best part of the land.(Z) They can live in the land of Goshen. If you know of any capable men among them, put them in charge of my livestock.”(AA)
7 Joseph then brought his father Jacob and presented him to Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8 Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many years have you lived?”
9 Jacob said to Pharaoh, “My pilgrimage(AB) has lasted 130 years. My years have been few and hard,(AC) and they have not reached the years of my ancestors during their pilgrimages.”(AD) 10 So Jacob blessed Pharaoh and departed from Pharaoh’s presence.
11 Then Joseph settled his father and brothers in the land of Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land, the land of Rameses,(AE) as Pharaoh had commanded. 12 And Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father’s family with food for their dependents.(AF)
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
30 And(A) he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God,(B) or what parable(C) can we use to describe it? 31 It’s like a mustard seed(D) that, when sown upon the soil, is the smallest of all the seeds on the ground. 32 And when sown,(E) it comes up and grows taller than all the garden plants,(F) and produces large branches, so that the birds of the sky(G) can nest in its shade.”
Using Parables
33 He was speaking the word(H) to them with many parables(I) like these, as they were able to understand.(J) 34 He did not speak to them without a parable. Privately, however, he explained everything to his own disciples.(K)
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.