Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
8 Those living at the ends of the earth fear your signs.
From sunrise to sunset you let them shout for joy.
Blessings of the Harvest
9 You visit the earth and water it.
You make it very rich.
God’s stream is filled with water.
You provide grain for them, just as you planned.
10 You drench the land’s furrows. You flatten its plowed ground.
You soften it with showers. You bless its crops.
11 You crown the year with your goodness.
The tracks made by your carts overflow with riches.[a]
12 The pastures of the wilderness drip.
The hills are wrapped with joy.
13 The meadows are clothed with flocks.
The valleys are dressed with grain.
They shout for joy. Yes! They sing.
2 God called to Israel in a vision at night, “Jacob, Jacob!”
Jacob said, “I am here.”
3 He said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation. 4 I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will certainly bring you back again. And Joseph’s hand will close your eyes.”
5 Jacob set out from Beersheba, and the sons of Israel transported Jacob their father, their little ones, and their wives in the carts that Pharaoh had sent to transport him. 6 They took their livestock and their property that they had acquired in the land of Canaan and came into Egypt—Jacob, and all his offspring with him, 7 his sons and his grandsons, his daughters and his granddaughters. So he brought all his offspring with him into Egypt.
8 These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt, that is, Jacob and his sons:
Reuben was Jacob’s firstborn. 9 The sons of Reuben were Hanoch,
Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
10 The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and
Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman.
11 The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
12 The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah, but Er
and Onan had died in the land of Canaan. The sons of Perez were
Hezron and Hamul.
13 The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puvah, Iob,[a] and Shimron.
14 The sons of Zebulun were Sered, Elon, and Jahle’el.
15 Those are the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan
Aram, along with his daughter Dinah. The total number of souls of
his sons and his daughters was thirty-three.
16 The sons of Gad were Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi,
and Areli.
17 The sons of Asher were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and Serah
their sister. The sons of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel.
18 Those are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah, his
daughter, and Zilpah bore these to Jacob, a total of sixteen souls.
19 The sons of Rachel, Jacob’s wife, were Joseph and Benjamin.
20 Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph in the land of Egypt.
Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, gave birth to them.
21 The sons of Benjamin were Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Na’aman,
Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard. 22 These are the sons of
Rachel, who were born to Jacob. The total was fourteen souls.
23 The son of Dan was Hushim.
24 The sons of Naphtali were Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.
25 These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel,
his daughter, and these she bore to Jacob. The total was seven souls.
26 The total number of souls who came with Jacob into Egypt, who were his direct descendants, besides Jacob’s sons’ wives, was sixty-six. 27 The sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt, were two souls.
The total number of the souls in the house of Jacob who came into Egypt was seventy.[b]
28 Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to lead the way to Goshen. And so they arrived in the land of Goshen. 29 Joseph prepared his chariot and went to meet Israel his father in Goshen. He approached him, hugged him, and wept on his shoulder for a long time. 30 Israel said to Joseph, “Now I am ready to die, since I have seen you face-to-face and you are still alive.”
31 Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s family, “I will go up and speak with Pharaoh. I will tell him, ‘My brothers and my father’s household, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me. 32 These men are shepherds. They make their living taking care of livestock, and they have brought with them their flocks and their herds, and all that they have.’ 33 This is what you should say when Pharaoh summons you and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’ 34 You shall say, ‘Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth even until now, both we and our fathers.’ Ask for the right to live in the land of Goshen, for every shepherd is repulsive to the Egyptians.”
47 Then Joseph went and told Pharaoh, “My father and my brothers have come from the land of Canaan with their flocks, their herds, and all that they own, and now they are in the land of Goshen.” 2 He took five of his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh.
3 Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?”
They answered Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, both we and our fathers.” 4 They said to Pharaoh, “We have come to reside as aliens in the land, for your servants have no pasture for their flocks, because the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now therefore, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.”
5 Pharaoh responded to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. 6 The land of Egypt is open to you. Arrange for your father and your brothers to dwell in the best of the land. Let them settle in the land of Goshen. If you know any capable men among them, then put them in charge of my livestock.”
7 Joseph brought Jacob his father and presented him to Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8 Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many are the days and the years of your life?”
9 Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days and the years of my wandering are one hundred thirty years. The days and the years of my life have been few and full of trouble, and they have not been as many as the days and the years of the lives of my fathers during the days of their wandering.” 10 Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from the presence of Pharaoh.
11 Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them property in the land of Egypt, in the best part of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. 12 Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all of his father’s household with food, based on the number in their families.
Mustard Seed
30 Then he said, “To what should we compare the kingdom of God? Or with what parable may we picture it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which when sown on the ground is one of the smallest of all the seeds planted in the ground. 32 Yet when it is planted, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches so that the birds of the sky can nest under its shade.”
33 With many similar parables he continued to speak the word to them, as much as they were able to hear. 34 He did not speak to them without a parable. But when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.