Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Prayer for Help
130 O Lord, I have cried to You out of the deep places. 2 Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears hear the voice of my prayers. 3 If you, Lord, should write down our sins, O Lord, who could stand? 4 But You are the One Who forgives, so You are honored with fear.
5 I wait for the Lord. My soul waits and I hope in His Word. 6 My soul waits for the Lord more than one who watches for the morning; yes, more than one who watches for the morning. 7 O Israel, hope in the Lord! For there is loving-kindness with the Lord. With Him we are saved for sure. 8 And He will save Israel from all their sins.
Joseph’s Cup
44 Then Joseph told the man who took care of his house, “Fill the men’s bags with as much food as they can carry. And put each man’s money in his bag. 2 Put my silver cup in the bag of the youngest, with his money for the grain.” And he did what Joseph had told him to do. 3 Early in the morning the men were sent away with their donkeys. 4 When they had left the city and were not far away, Joseph said to the man who took care of his house, “Get up and follow the men. When you come to them, say to them, ‘Why have you returned bad for good? Why have you stolen the silver cup? 5 Is this not my lord’s drinking cup that he uses for telling about the future? You have done wrong.’”
6 So he came to them and spoke these words to them. 7 And they said to him, “Why does my lord say these things? Your servants would never do such a thing. 8 Remember how we returned to you from the land of Canaan with the money we found in the top of our bags. Why then would we steal silver or gold from your owner’s house? 9 If the cup is found with any of your servants, let him be put to death. And the others of us will be your servants.”
10 He answered, “Let it be as you say. He who is found to have the cup will be my servant. But you others will be without blame.” 11 Then each man put his bag down on the ground in a hurry and opened it. 12 The man looked for it, beginning with the oldest and stopping with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin’s bag. 13 Then they tore their clothes. After each man loaded his donkey again, they returned to the city.
14 When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, he was still there. They fell to the ground in front of him. 15 Joseph said to them, “What is this that you have done? Did you not know that a man like me has power to know what is not known by others?” 16 Judah said, “We do not know what to say to my lord. How can we make ourselves right in your eyes? God has shown the guilt of your servants. See, we are your servants, both we and the one who was found with the cup.” 17 But Joseph said, “No. I will do no such thing. The person who was found with the cup will be my servant. But you others may go in peace to your father.”
18 Then Judah came near to him, and said, “O my lord, let your servant speak a word in my lord’s ears. Do not be angry with your servant. For you are like Pharaoh himself. 19 My lord asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’ 20 We said to my lord, ‘We have an old father and a young brother who was born to him when he was old. Now his brother is dead. So he is all that is left of his mother, and his father loves him.’ 21 Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him here to me, so I may see him.’ 22 But we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father. For if he should leave his father, his father would die.’ 23 Then you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes here with you, you will not see my face again.’
24 “When we returned to your servant my father, we told him what my lord had said. 25 Our father said, ‘Go again and buy us a little food.’ 26 But we said, ‘We cannot go there. If our youngest brother is with us, we will go there. For we cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’
27 “Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife gave birth to two of my sons. 28 One left me, and I said, “For sure he is torn to pieces.” I have not seen him since. 29 If you take this one also from me, and something happens to him, you will bring my white hair down to the grave in sorrow.’ 30 My father’s life and the boy’s life are one. If I return to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us, 31 when he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. So your servants will bring the white hair of your servant our father down to the grave in sorrow. 32 For I put myself as trust for the boy to my father. I said, ‘If I do not return him to you, then let the blame be on me forever.’ 33 So let your servant stay and work for my lord, instead of the boy. Let the boy go home with his brothers. 34 For how can I return to my father if the boy is not with me? I am afraid to see the sorrow that my father would suffer.”
13 I am speaking to you people who are not Jews. As long as I am a missionary to you, I want you to know how important my job is. 14 I do this so it will make my own people, the Jews, jealous. Then it may be that some will be saved from the punishment of sin. 15 Because the Jews have been put aside, many other people in the world have been saved from the punishment of sin. Think what it will be like when they are also gathered in. It will be like the dead coming back to life!
16 If the first loaf is holy, all the bread is holy. If the root is holy, all the branches are holy.
17 But some of the branches (who are the Jews) were broken off. You who are not Jews were put in the place where the branches had been broken off. Now you are sharing the rich root of the olive tree. 18 Do not be proud. Do not think you are better than the branches that were broken off. If you are proud, remember that you do not hold the root. It is the root that holds you. 19 You may say, “Branches were broken off to make room for me.” 20 It is true. They were broken off because they did not put their trust in Christ. And you are there only because of your faith. Do not be proud. Instead, be afraid. 21 God did not keep the first branches (who are the Jews) on the tree. Then watch, or He will not keep you on the tree. 22 We see how kind God is. It shows how hard He is also. He is hard on those who fall away. But He is kind to you if you keep on trusting Him. If you do not, He will cut you off. 23 If the Jews would put their trust in Christ, God would put them back into the tree. He has power to do that. 24 You people who are not Jews were cut off from a wild olive tree. Instead of being there, you were put into a garden olive tree which is not the right place for you to grow. It would be easy for God to put the Jews back onto their own olive tree because they are the branches that belong there.
25 Christian brothers, I want you to understand this truth which is no longer a secret. It will keep you from thinking you are so wise. Some Jews have become hard until the right amount of people who are not Jews come to God. 26 Then all the Jews will be saved, as the Holy Writings say, “The One Who saves from the punishment of sin will come out of Jerusalem. He will turn the Jews from doing sinful things.”(A) 27 “And this is My promise to them when I take away their sins.” (B)
28 The Jews are fighting against the Good News. Because they hate the Good News, it has helped you who are not Jews. But God still loves the Jews because He has chosen them and because of His promise to their early fathers. 29 God does not change His mind when He chooses men and gives them His gifts.
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