Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Joseph Deals Kindly with His Brothers
45 Then Joseph could not control himself in front of everyone standing before him, and he shouted, “Have everyone leave me!” So there [a]was no one with him (A)when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. 2 Then (B)he [b]wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard about it. 3 And Joseph said to his brothers, “(C)I am Joseph! (D)Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for (E)they were terrified in his presence.
4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come [c]closer to me.” And they came [d]closer. And he said, “I am your brother Joseph, whom you (F)sold to Egypt. 5 Now do not be grieved or angry [e]with yourselves because (G)you sold me here, for (H)God sent me ahead of you [f]to save lives. 6 For the famine has been in the land (I)these two years, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. 7 So (J)God sent me ahead of you to ensure for you a remnant on the earth, and to [g]keep you alive by a great deliverance. 8 Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a (K)father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household, and ruler over all the land of Egypt. 9 Hurry and go up to my father, and (L)say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: “God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. 10 For you shall live in the land of (M)Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your [h]grandchildren, and your flocks and your herds and all that you have. 11 There I will also (N)provide for you, for there are still five years of famine to come, and you and your household and all that you have would be impoverished.”’ 12 Behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth which is speaking to you. 13 Now you must tell my father of all my splendor in Egypt, and all that you have seen; and you must hurry and (O)bring my father down here.” 14 Then he fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and (P)wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. 15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept on them, and afterward his brothers talked with him.
The Excellency of Brotherly Unity.
A Song of Ascents, of David.
133 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For (A)brothers to live together in unity!
2 It is like the precious (B)oil on the head,
Running down upon the beard,
As on Aaron’s beard,
The oil which ran down upon the (C)edge of his robes.
3 It is like the (D)dew of (E)Hermon
Coming down upon the (F)mountains of Zion;
For the Lord (G)commanded the blessing there—(H)life forever.
Israel Has Not Been Rejected
11 I say then, God has not (A)rejected His people, has He? [a](B)Far from it! For (C)I too am an Israelite, [b]a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God (D)has not rejected His people whom He (E)foreknew. (F)Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel?
29 for the gifts and the (A)calling of God (B)are irrevocable. 30 For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. 32 For (C)God has shut up all in disobedience, so that He may show mercy to all.
10 After Jesus called the crowd to Him, He said to them, “Hear and understand! 11 (A)It is not what enters the mouth that defiles the person, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles the person.”
12 Then the disciples came and *said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were [a]offended when they heard this statement?” 13 But He answered and said, “(B)Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted. 14 Leave them alone; (C)they are blind guides [b]of blind people. And (D)if a person who is blind guides another who is blind, both will fall into a pit.”
The Heart of Mankind
15 Peter [c]said to Him, “(E)Explain the parable to us.” 16 [d]Jesus said, “Are you also still lacking in understanding? 17 Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is [e]eliminated? 18 But (F)the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and those things defile the person. 19 (G)For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, acts of adultery, other immoral sexual acts, thefts, false testimonies, and [f]slanderous statements. 20 These are the things that defile the person; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the person.”
The Faith of a Canaanite Woman
21 (A)Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the region of (B)Tyre and (C)Sidon. 22 And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, (D)Son of David; my daughter is severely (E)demon-possessed.” 23 But He did not answer her with even a word. And His disciples came up and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, because she keeps shouting [a]at us!” 24 But He answered and said, “I was sent only to (F)the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and (G)began [b]to bow down before Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” 26 Yet He answered and said, “It is not [c]good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 27 And she said, “Yes, Lord; but please help, for even the dogs feed on the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus said to her, “O woman, (H)your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed [d]at once.
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