Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
130 Out of the depths have I cried unto Thee, O Lord;
2 Lord, hear my voice! Let Thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.
3 If Thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?
4 But there is forgiveness with Thee, that Thou mayest be feared.
5 I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in His word do I hope.
6 My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning— I say, more than they that watch for the morning.
7 Let Israel hope in the Lord, for with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is plenteous redemption.
8 And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
43 And the famine was sore in the land.
2 And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, “Go again, buy us a little food.”
3 And Judah spoke unto him, saying, “The man did solemnly declare unto us, saying, ‘Ye shall not see my face, unless your brother be with you.’
4 If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food.
5 But if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down, for the man said unto us, ‘Ye shall not see my face, unless your brother be with you.’”
6 And Israel said, “Why dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother?”
7 And they said, “The man asked us strictly about our state, and about our kindred, saying, ‘Is your father yet alive? Have ye another brother?’ And we told him according to the tenor of these words. Could we certainly know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?”
8 And Judah said unto Israel his father, “Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and thou, and also our little ones.
9 I will be surety for him; from my hand shalt thou require him. If I bring him not unto thee and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever;
10 for had we not lingered, surely now we would have returned this second time.”
11 And their father Israel said unto them, “If it must be so now, do this: Take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, nuts and almonds.
12 And take double money in your hand; and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand. Perhaps it was an oversight.
13 Take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man;
14 and God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved!”
15 And the men took that present, and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin; and they rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph.
16 And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the ruler of his house, “Bring these men home, and slay a beast and make ready; for these men shall dine with me at noon.”
17 And the man did as Joseph bade, and the man brought the men into Joseph’s house.
18 And the men were afraid because they were brought into Joseph’s house; and they said, “Because of the money that was returned in our sacks the first time are we brought in, that he may seek occasion against us and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen, and also our asses.”
19 And they came near to the steward of Joseph’s house, and they communed with him at the door of the house
20 and said, “O sir, we came indeed down the first time to buy food.
21 And it came to pass, when we came to the inn, that we opened our sacks, and behold, every man’s money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight; and we have brought it again in our hand.
22 And other money have we brought down in our hands to buy food. We cannot tell who put our money in our sacks.”
23 And he said, “Peace be to you, fear not; your God and the God of your father hath given you treasure in your sacks. I had your money.” And he brought Simeon out unto them.
24 And the man brought the men into Joseph’s house, and gave them water and they washed their feet; and he gave their asses provender.
25 And they made ready the present for Joseph’s coming at noon, for they heard that they should eat bread there.
26 And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed themselves before him to the earth.
27 And he asked them of their welfare and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spoke? Is he yet alive?”
28 And they answered, “Thy servant our father is in good health; he is yet alive.” And they bowed down their heads and made obeisance.
29 And he lifted up his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, “Is this your younger brother of whom ye spoke unto me?” And he said, “God be gracious unto thee, my son.”
30 And Joseph made haste, for his heart yearned for his brother, and he sought somewhere to weep; and he entered into his chamber and wept there.
31 And he washed his face and went out, and restrained himself, and said, “Set on the bread.”
32 And they served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians.
33 And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth; and the men marveled one at another.
34 And he took and sent portions unto them from before him, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. And they drank and were merry with him.
15 And certain men who came down from Judea taught the brethren and said, “Unless ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.”
2 When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.
3 And being sent on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles; and they caused great joy unto all the brethren.
4 And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and by the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them.
5 But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees who believed, saying that it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the Law of Moses.
6 And the apostles and the elders came together to consider this matter.
7 And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up and said unto them, “Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the Word of the Gospel and believe.
8 And God, who knoweth the hearts, bore them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost even as He did unto us,
9 and put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
10 Now therefore why tempt ye God to put a yoke upon the necks of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.”
12 Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul as they declared what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them.
13 And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, “Men and brethren, hearken unto me.
14 Simon hath declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out from them a people for His name.
15 And to this agree the words of the Prophets, as it is written:
16 ‘After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down. And I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up,
17 that the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles upon whom My name is called, saith the Lord who doeth all these things.’
18 Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world.
19 Therefore my judgment is that we trouble not those from among the Gentiles who are turned to God,
20 but that we write unto them that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
21 For Moses from olden times hath in every city those who preach him, he being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day.”
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