Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

A song for those who go up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord.

Joseph’s Brothers Go Down to Egypt Again

43 There still wasn’t enough food anywhere in the land. ² After a while Jacob’s family had eaten all the grain the brothers had brought from Egypt. So their father said to them, “Go back. Buy us a little more food.”

³ But Judah said to him, “The man gave us a strong warning. He said, ‘You won’t see my face again unless your brother Benjamin is with you.’ ⁴ So send our brother along with us. Then we’ll go down and buy food for you. ⁵ If you won’t send him, we won’t go down. The man said to us, ‘You won’t see my face again unless your brother is with you.’ ”

⁶ Israel asked, “Why did you bring this trouble to me? Why did you tell the man you had another brother?”

⁷ They replied, “The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family. He asked us, ‘Is your father still living? Do you have another brother?’ We just answered his questions. How could we possibly know he would say, ‘Bring your brother down here’?”

⁸ Judah spoke to Israel his father. “Send the boy along with me,” he said. “We’ll go right away. Then we and you and our children will live and not die. ⁹ I myself promise to keep Benjamin safe. You can blame me if I don’t bring him back to you. I’ll set him right here in front of you. If I don’t, you can put the blame on me for the rest of my life. ¹⁰ As it is, we’ve already waited too long. We could have made the trip to Egypt and back twice by now.”

¹¹ Then their father Israel spoke to them. He said, “If that’s the way it has to be, then do what I tell you. Put some of the best things from our land in your bags. Take them down to the man as a gift. Take some lotion and a little honey. Take some spices and myrrh. Take some pistachio nuts and almonds. ¹² Take twice the amount of money with you. You have to give back the money that was put in your sacks. Maybe it was a mistake. ¹³ Also take your brother. Go back to the man at once. ¹⁴ May the Mighty God cause him to show you mercy. May the man let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. And if I lose my sons, I lose them.”

¹⁵ So the men took the gifts. They took twice the amount of money. They also took Benjamin. They hurried down to Egypt and went to Joseph. ¹⁶ When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he spoke to the manager of his house. “Take these men to my house,” he said. “Kill an animal and prepare a meal. I want them to eat with me at noon.”

¹⁷ The manager did what Joseph told him to do. He took the men to Joseph’s house. ¹⁸ They were frightened when they were taken to Joseph’s house. They thought, “We were brought here because of the money that was put back in our sacks the first time. He wants to attack us and overpower us. Then he can hold us as slaves and take our donkeys.”

¹⁹ So they went up to Joseph’s manager. They spoke to him at the entrance to the house. ²⁰ “Please, sir,” they said. “We came down here the first time to buy food. ²¹ We opened our sacks at the place where we stopped for the night. Each of us found in our sacks the exact amount of the money we had paid. So we’ve brought it back with us. ²² We’ve also brought more money with us to buy food. We don’t know who put our money in our sacks.”

²³ “It’s all right,” the manager said. “Don’t be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you riches in your sacks. I received your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.

²⁴ The manager took the men into Joseph’s house. He gave them water to wash their feet. He provided feed for their donkeys. ²⁵ The brothers prepared their gifts for Joseph. He was planning to arrive at noon. They had heard that they were going to eat there.

²⁶ When Joseph came home, they gave him the gifts they had brought into the house. They bowed down low in front of him. ²⁷ He asked them how they were. Then he said, “How is your old father you told me about? Is he still living?”

²⁸ They replied, “Your servant our father is still alive and well.” And they bowed down to show him honor.

²⁹ Joseph looked around. Then he saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother’s son. He asked, “Is this your youngest brother? Is he the one you told me about?” He continued, “May God be gracious to you, my son.” ³⁰ It moved him deeply to see his brother. So Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to cry. He went into his own room and cried there.

³¹ Then he washed his face and came out. He calmed down and said, “Serve the food.”

³² They served Joseph by himself. They served the brothers by themselves. They also served the Egyptians who ate with Joseph by themselves. Because of their beliefs, Egyptians couldn’t eat with Hebrews. ³³ The brothers had been given places in front of Joseph. They had been seated in the order of their ages, from the oldest to the youngest. That made them look at each other in great surprise. ³⁴ While they were eating, some food was brought to them from Joseph’s table. Benjamin was given five times as much as anyone else. So all Joseph’s brothers ate and drank a lot with him.

Church Leaders Meet in Jerusalem

15 Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch. Here is what they were teaching the believers. “Moses commanded you to be circumcised,” they said. “If you aren’t, you can’t be saved.” ² But Paul and Barnabas didn’t agree with this. They argued strongly with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed to go up to Jerusalem. Some other believers were chosen to go with them. They were told to ask the apostles and elders about this question. ³ The church sent them on their way. They traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria. There they told how the Gentiles had turned to God. This news made all the believers very glad. ⁴ When they arrived in Jerusalem, the church welcomed them. The apostles and elders welcomed them too. Then Paul and Barnabas reported everything God had done through them.

⁵ Some of the believers were Pharisees. They stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised. They must obey the law of Moses.”

⁶ The apostles and elders met to consider this question. ⁷ After they had talked it over, Peter got up and spoke to them. “Brothers,” he said, “you know that some time ago God chose me. He appointed me to take the good news to the Gentiles. He wanted them to hear the good news and believe. ⁸ God knows the human heart. By giving the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles, he showed that he accepted them. He did the same for them as he had done for us. ⁹ God showed that there is no difference between us and them. That’s because he made their hearts pure because of their faith. ¹⁰ Now then, why are you trying to test God? You test him when you put a heavy load on the shoulders of Gentiles. Our people of long ago couldn’t carry that load. We can’t either. ¹¹ No! We believe we are saved through the grace of our Lord Jesus. The Gentiles are saved in the same way.”

¹² Everyone became quiet as they listened to Barnabas and Paul. They were telling about the signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. ¹³ When they finished, James spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me. ¹⁴ Simon Peter has explained to us what God has now done. He has chosen some of the Gentiles to be among his very own people. ¹⁵ The prophets’ words agree with that. They say,

¹⁹ “Now here is my decision. We should not make it hard for the Gentiles who are turning to God. ²⁰ Here is what we should write to them. They must not eat food that has been made impure by being offered to statues of gods. They must not commit sexual sins. They must not eat the meat of animals that have been choked to death. And they must not drink blood. ²¹ These laws of Moses have been preached in every city from the earliest times. They are read out loud in the synagogues every Sabbath day.”