Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

A Song of Ascents

A Prayer for Mercy

Preparing to Return to Egypt

43 Meanwhile, the famine remained severe throughout the region. ² As a result, when Jacob’s family^[a] was beginning to eat the last of the grain that they had brought back from Egypt, their father Jacob^[b] told his sons, “Go back to Egypt and buy us some food.”

³ But Judah reminded him, “The man distinctly warned us: ‘You’ll never see my face unless your brother comes with you.’ ⁴ So if you send our brother with us, we’ll go down and buy some food. ⁵ But if you don’t send him, we’re not going, because the man told us, ‘You’ll never see my face unless your brother is with you.’”

⁶ Israel replied, “Why did you make all this trouble by telling the man that you have another brother?”

⁷ “The man specifically asked about us and our relatives,” they responded. “He asked us, ‘Is your father still alive?’ and ‘Do you have another brother?’ So we answered his questions. How could we have known that he would tell us to bring our brother back with us?”

⁸ “Send the young man with me,” Judah told his father Israel, “and we’ll get up and go so we can survive and not die—and that includes all of us, you and our families.^{[c] 9} I’ll even offer myself to guarantee that I’ll be responsible for him. If I don’t bring him back and present him to you, I’ll personally bear the consequences forever. ¹⁰ After all, if we hadn’t delayed, we could have been there and back^[d] twice by now!”

Jacob Gives Instructions for the Trip

¹¹ “If that’s the way it has to be,” their father Israel replied, “then do this: take some of the best produce of the land in your containers and take them to the man as a gift—some resin ointment, some honey, fragrant resins, myrrh, pistachios, and almonds. ¹² Also take twice as much money with you so you can return the money that had been replaced in the mouth of your sacks. Maybe it was an accounting^[e] mistake on his part. ¹³ And be sure to take your brother, too. So get up, return to the man, ¹⁴ and may God Almighty cause the man to show compassion toward you. May he send all of you back, including your other brother and Benjamin. Now as for me, if I lose my children, I lose them.”

¹⁵ So the men took their gift and twice as much money, got up, took Benjamin with them, and set out for Egypt. Eventually they appeared before Joseph.

Joseph Sees Benjamin

¹⁶ As soon as Joseph noticed that Benjamin had come with them, he ordered his palace manager, “Bring the men into the palace.^[f] Slaughter an animal and prepare it, because these men will be dining with me for lunch.”^{[g] 17} So the man did what Joseph had ordered, and brought the men to Joseph’s palace.

¹⁸ The men were terrified as they were being taken to Joseph’s palace. “It’s because of that money that was returned to our sacks the first time we were brought to him,” they reasoned. “He’s seeking an excuse to attack us, enslave us, and confiscate our donkeys!”

¹⁹ So they approached Joseph’s palace manager and talked with him at the palace entrance. ²⁰ “Your Excellency,” they said, “The first time we came here to buy food, ²¹ when we arrived at our overnight lodging place, we opened our sacks and discovered each man’s money was still in the mouth of his sack. All of our money was there! We’ve brought it back with us in full. ²² We’ve also brought along some more money to buy supplies, but we don’t know who put our money back into our sacks.”

²³ “Relax,” the manager said. “You can stop being afraid, now. Your God, the God of your father, has placed hidden treasure within those sacks for you. I’ve been paid in full.” Then he brought Simeon out to them, ²⁴ ushered the men into Joseph’s palace, gave them water to wash their feet, and provided^[h] fodder for their donkeys. ²⁵ Then off he went to prepare the honorary meal that was to be made ready for Joseph’s arrival at noon, since they had been informed that they were going to be eating there.

Joseph Inquires about His Family

²⁶ When Joseph arrived at his palace, his brothers^[i] brought to him their gifts that they had carried with them and bowed to the ground in front of him.

²⁷ Joseph asked them how they had been doing. “Is your father well, the older gentleman about whom you spoke?” he inquired. “Is he still alive?”

²⁸ “Your servant, our father, is doing well,” they replied. “He is still alive.” Then they bowed down in humility.

²⁹ As Joseph looked up and recognized his brother Benjamin, his own mother’s son, he asked, “Is this your youngest brother about whom you spoke to me?” And he addressed him directly, “May God be gracious to you, my son.”^[j]

³⁰ At this, Joseph hurried out, deeply moved because of his brother, and looked for a place to weep by himself. He entered his personal quarters, wept there awhile,^{[k] 31} then washed his face and came out. Barely controlling himself, he ordered his staff to serve the meal.

³² Joseph’s staff^[l] served him by himself, his brothers^[m] separately, and the Egyptian staff members by themselves, because the Egyptians wouldn’t take their meal with the Hebrews, since doing so was detestable for the Egyptians. ³³ Meanwhile, the brothers^[n] were seated in front of Joseph in birth order, from firstborn to youngest. The men stared at one another in astonishment. ³⁴ Joseph^[o] himself brought portions to them from his own table, except that he provided to Benjamin five times as much as he did for each of the others. So they feasted together and drank freely with Joseph.^[p]

Controversy about the Law

15 Then some men came down from Judea and started to teach the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the Law of Moses, you can’t be saved.” ² Paul and Barnabas had quite a dispute and argument with them. So Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to confer with the apostles and elders about this question. ³ They were sent on their way by the church, and as they were going through Phoenicia and Samaria they told of the conversion of the gentiles and brought great joy to all the brothers. ⁴ When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, the apostles, and the elders, and they reported everything that God had done through them. ⁵ But some believers from the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The gentiles^[a] must be circumcised and ordered to keep the Law of Moses.”

⁶ So the apostles and the elders met to look into this claim. ⁷ After a lengthy debate, Peter stood up and told them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days, God chose me to be the one among you through whom the gentiles would hear the message of the gospel and believe. ⁸ God, who knows everyone’s heart, showed them he approved by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us. ⁹ He made no distinction between them and us, because of their faith-cleansed hearts. ¹⁰ So why do you test God by putting on the disciples’ neck a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we could carry? ¹¹ We certainly believe that it is through the grace of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah,^[b] that we are saved, just as they are.”

¹² The whole crowd was silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul tell about all the signs and wonders that God had done through them among the gentiles. ¹³ After Paul and Barnabas^[c] had finished speaking, James responded, “Brothers, listen to me: ¹⁴ Simeon^[d] has explained how God first showed his concern for the gentiles by taking from among them a people for his name. ¹⁵ This agrees with the words of the prophets. As it is written,

¹⁹ “Therefore, I have decided that we should not trouble these gentiles who are turning to God. ²⁰ Instead, we should write to them to keep away from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from anything strangled,^[g] and from blood.^{[h] 21} After all, Moses has had people to proclaim him in every city for generations, and on every Sabbath his books are^[i] read aloud in the synagogues.”