Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

God’s Work with Israel

105 O give thanks to the Lord. Call on His name. Make His works known among the people. ² Sing to Him. Sing praises to Him. Tell of all His great works. ³ Honor His holy name. Let the heart of those who look to the Lord be glad. ⁴ Look for the Lord and His strength. Look for His face all the time. ⁵ Remember the great and powerful works that He has done. Keep in mind what He has decided and told us, ⁶ O children of His servant Abraham, O sons of Jacob, His chosen ones!

¹⁶ Then He called for a time of no food on the land. He cut off all their bread. ¹⁷ He sent a man, Joseph, before them who was sold as a servant. ¹⁸ They hurt his feet with chains. He was put in irons, ¹⁹ until what he had said would happen came to pass. The Word of the Lord tested him. ²⁰ The king sent and had him taken out of prison. The ruler of many people set him free. ²¹ He made him the lord of his house and ruler over all he had. ²² He could punish the rulers as he pleased. And he taught wisdom to the wise.

⁴⁵ so that they might do what He told them and keep His Law. Praise the Lord!

⁵ Then Joseph had a dream. When he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. ⁶ He said to them, “Listen to the dream that I have had. ⁷ We were gathering grain in the field. My bundle of grain stood up. Your bundles of grain gathered around it and bowed down to my bundle.” ⁸ Then his brothers said to him, “Are you going to be our king? Are you going to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for what he said.

⁹ Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. He said, “I have had another dream. The sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” ¹⁰ He told it to his father and to his brothers. His father spoke sharp words to him, saying, “What is this dream you have had? Will I and your mother and brothers come to bow ourselves down to the ground in front of you?” ¹¹ Joseph’s brothers were jealous of him. But his father thought about what he said.

Jesus Speaks Sharp Words to the Proud Religious Law-Keepers ^(A)

16 The proud religious law-keepers and a religious group of people who believe no one will be raised from the dead came to Jesus. They asked Him to show something special from heaven. They wanted to trap Jesus. ² (*He said to them, “In the evening you say, ‘The weather will be good tomorrow because the sky is red.’ ³ And in the morning you say, ‘We will have a storm today because the sky is red and the clouds are low.’ You understand the things you see in the sky, but you cannot understand the special things you see these days!) ⁴ The sinful people of this day go after something special to see. There will be nothing special for them to see but the early preacher Jonah.” Then He went away from them.