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.

¹⁶ When the news was heard in Pharaoh’s house that Joseph’s brothers had come, Pharaoh and his servants were pleased. ¹⁷ Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers this: ‘Load your animals and go to the land of Canaan. ¹⁸ Take your father and your families and come to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt. And you will live on the fat of the land.’ ¹⁹ Also say to them, ‘Take wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and your wives. Bring your father and come. ²⁰ Do not worry about the things that belong to you. For the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’”

²¹ The sons of Israel did as he said. Joseph gave them wagons as Pharaoh had told him. And he gave them what they would need as they traveled. ²² He gave new clothes to each of them. But to Benjamin he gave 300 pieces of silver and five times as many clothes. ²³ To his father he sent ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and things his father would need as he traveled. ²⁴ Then he sent his brothers away. As they left he said to them, “Do not be mad at each other on the way.”

²⁵ So they went out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. ²⁶ They told him, “Joseph is still alive! He is ruler of all the land of Egypt!” Jacob’s heart almost stopped, because he did not believe them. ²⁷ So they told him all the things that Joseph had said to them. And when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the life of Jacob’s spirit returned. ²⁸ Israel said, “It is enough. My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

The Healing of a Man with a Bad Skin Disease ^(A)

8 Jesus came down from the mountain. Many people followed Him. ² A man with a bad skin disease came and got down before Him and worshiped Him. He said, “Lord, if You will, You can heal me!” ³ Then Jesus put His hand on him and said, “I will. You are healed!” At once the man was healed. ⁴ Jesus said to him, “Go now, but tell no one. Let the religious leader see you. Give the gift in worship that Moses told you to give. This will show them you have been healed.” ^(B)

Healing of the Captain’s Servant ^(C)

⁵ Jesus came to the city of Capernaum. A captain of the army came to Him. He asked for help, ⁶ saying, “Lord, my servant is sick in bed. He is not able to move his body. He is in much pain.” ⁷ Jesus said to the captain, “I will come and heal him.” ⁸ The captain said, “Lord, I am not good enough for You to come to my house. Only speak the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁹ I am a man who works for someone else and I have men working under me. I say to this man, ‘Go!’ and he goes. I say to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”

¹⁰ When Jesus heard this, He was surprised and wondered about it. He said to those who followed Him, “For sure, I tell you, I have not found so much faith in the Jewish nation. ¹¹ I say to you, many people will come from the east and from the west. They will sit down with Abraham and with Isaac and with Jacob in the holy nation of heaven. ¹² But those who should have belonged to the holy nation of heaven will be thrown out into outer darkness, where there will be crying and grinding of teeth.” ¹³ Jesus said to the captain, “Go your way. It is done for you even as you had faith to believe.” The servant was healed at that time.