Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
8 Those living at the furthest ends of the earth[a] are seized by fear because of your miraculous deeds.
You make the going forth of the morning and the evening shout for joy.
9 You take care of the earth,
you water it,
and you enrich it greatly with the river of God that overflows with water.
You provide grain for them,
for you have ordained it this way.
10 You fill the furrows of the field with water
so that their ridges overflow.
You soften them with rain showers;
their sprouts you have blessed.
11 You crown the year with your goodness;
your footsteps drop prosperity behind them.
12 The wilderness pastures drip with dew,[b]
and the hills wrap themselves with joy.
13 The meadows are clothed with flocks of sheep,
and the valleys are covered with grain.
They shout for joy;
yes, they burst out in song!
2 God spoke to Israel through night visions, addressing him, “Jacob! Jacob!”
“Here I am!” Jacob[a] replied.
3 “I’m God, your father’s God. Don’t be afraid to move down to Egypt, because I’m going to turn you into a mighty nation there. 4 I’m going down with you to Egypt, and I’m certainly going to bring you back again. And Joseph himself will be with you when you die.”[b] 5 So Jacob got up and left Beer-sheba, and Israel’s sons carried their father Jacob, their little ones, and their wives in the transport wagons that Pharaoh had sent to carry them. 6 They took their livestock and their household property that they had acquired in the land of Canaan and traveled to Egypt. Jacob and all of his descendants went with him— 7 including his sons, his grandsons, his daughters, and his granddaughters—every one of his descendants accompanied him to Egypt.
List of Those who Went to Egypt(A)
8 Here’s a list of the names of Israel’s sons, that is, of Jacob and his sons who moved to Egypt: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn; 9 Reuben’s sons Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi; 10 Simeon’s sons Jemuel,[c] Jamin, Ohad, Jachin,[d] Zohar,[e] and Shaul, who was the son of a Canaanite woman; 11 Levi’s sons Gershon,[f] Kohath, and Merari; 12 and Judah’s sons Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah. (Technically,[g] Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan.) Perez’s sons were Hezron and Hamul. 13 Also included were Issachar’s sons Tola, Puvvah,[h] Job,[i] and Shimron; 14 along with Zebulun’s sons Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. 15 These were all sons from Leah, whom she bore for Jacob in Paddan-aram,[j] along with his daughter Dinah. He had 33 sons and daughters.
16 Also included were Gad’s sons Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli; 17 Asher’s sons Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah. Beriah’s sons Heber and Malchiel were also included.[k] 18 These were all sons from Zilpah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Leah. She bore these sixteen children for Jacob.
19 Jacob’s wife Rachel’s sons were Joseph and Benjamin.
20 Joseph’s sons born in the land of Egypt were Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On, bore for him. 21 Benjamin’s sons included Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard. 22 These were all the sons of Rachel, who were born for Jacob—fourteen in all.
23 Also included were Dan’s son Hushim; 24 Naphtali’s sons Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. 25 These were sons of Bilhah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Rachel. She bore these children for Jacob—seven in all.
26 All of these people, who belonged to Jacob’s family, traveled to Egypt. All of Jacob’s[l] direct descendants, not including his sons’ wives, numbered 66 persons in all. 27 Joseph had two sons born to him in Egypt, and all of Jacob’s household who went to Egypt numbered 70.
Jacob Arrives in Goshen
28 Jacob[m] sent Judah ahead of them to meet with Joseph, who would be guiding them to Goshen, and so they arrived. 29 Joseph prepared his chariot and went to meet his father Israel in Goshen. As soon as Jacob[n] appeared in his presence, he embraced him[o] and wept for a long time as he held on to him.[p] 30 “Now let me die,” Israel told Joseph, “since I’ve seen your face and confirmed that you’re still alive!”
31 But Joseph addressed his brothers and his father’s household and told them, “I’ll go up and tell Pharaoh that my brothers and my father’s household have arrived from Canaan to be with me. 32 I’ll mention that[q] the men are shepherds. Because they’ve been taking care of livestock, they brought along their flocks, their herds, and everything else that they own. 33 When Pharaoh calls for you and asks you ‘What’s your occupation?’ 34 you are to tell him, ‘Your servants have been taking care of livestock since we were youths. We and our ancestors have taken care of livestock.’ That way, you’ll be able to live in the Goshen territory, since shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians.”
Joseph’s Family Settles in Goshen
47 After this, Joseph went to inform Pharaoh. “My father and brothers have come here from Canaan,”[r] he said, “and they’ve come with their flocks, herds, and everything else they have. I settled them in the Goshen territory!” 2 He brought along five of his brothers to present before Pharaoh.
3 Pharaoh asked his brothers, “What are your occupations?”
“Your servants are shepherds,” they replied, “both we and our ancestors. 4 We’ve come to live for a while[s] in this region, since there is no pasture back in Canaan[t] for your servants’ flocks. May your servants please live in the Goshen territory?”
5 Then Pharaoh replied to Joseph, “Now that your father and your brothers have come to you, 6 Egypt[u] is at your disposal,[v] so settle your father and brothers in the best part of the land! Let them live in the Goshen territory. If you learn that any of them are especially skilled, put them in charge of my livestock.”
7 Later, Joseph brought his father Jacob to Pharaoh and introduced him. Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8 “How old are you?”[w] Pharaoh asked Jacob.
9 “I’m 130 years old,” Jacob replied. “My years have turned out to be few and unpleasant, but I haven’t yet reached the age my ancestors did during their travels on earth.”[x] 10 Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and then left the throne room.[y]
11 Joseph settled his father and brothers, assigning them their own land in the best part of Egypt (in the territory of Rameses), just as Pharaoh had ordered. 12 Joseph provided food for his father, his brothers, and all of his father’s household, proportionate to the number of young children.
The Parable about a Mustard Seed(A)
30 He was also saying, “How can we show what the kingdom of God is like, or what parable can we use to describe it? 31 It’s like a mustard seed planted in the ground. Although it’s the smallest of[a] all the seeds on earth, 32 when it’s planted it comes up and becomes larger than all the garden plants. It grows such large branches that the birds in the sky can nest in its shade.”
Why Jesus Used Parables(B)
33 With many other parables like these, Jesus[b] kept speaking his message to them according to their ability to understand. 34 He did not tell them anything without using[c] a parable, though he explained everything to his disciples in private.
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