Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Psalm of David.
1 ¶ Unto thee will I cry, O LORD my rock; be not silent unto me lest, if thou be silent unto me, I become like those that go down into the grave.
2 Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward the oracle of thy holiness.
3 Do not catch me away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, who speak peace to their neighbours, but evil is in their hearts.
4 Give them according to their deeds and according to the wickedness of their endeavours: give them after the work of their hands; render unto them their desert.
5 Because they do not regard the works of the LORD nor the operation of his hands, he shall destroy them and not build them up.
6 ¶ Blessed be the LORD because he has heard the voice of my supplications.
7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices; and with my song I will praise him.
8 The LORD is the strength of his people, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.
9 Save thy people and bless thine inheritance; feed them also and lift them up for ever.
39 ¶ And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the hands of the Ishmeelites, who had brought him down there.
2 But the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prospered man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
3 And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.
4 So Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him; and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.
5 And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house and in the field.
6 And he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and with him knew of nothing more than of the bread which he ate. And Joseph was handsome and well favoured.
7 ¶ And it came to pass after these things, that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.
8 But he refused and said unto his master’s wife, Behold, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand;
9 there is none greater in this house than I; neither has he kept back anything from me but thee because thou art his wife; how then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?
10 And it came to pass as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not hearken unto her, to lie by her or to be with her.
11 And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business, and none of those of the house were there within.
12 And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me; and he left his garment in her hand and fled and got outside.
13 ¶ And it came to pass when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled forth,
14 that she called unto those of her house and spoke unto them, saying, See, he has brought in a Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice;
15 and it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me and fled and left.
16 And she laid up his garment by her until his lord came home.
17 And she spoke unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew slave, whom thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to dishonour me;
18 and when I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment with me and fled out.
19 ¶ And it came to pass when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke unto him, saying, After this manner did thy slave treat me, that his wrath was kindled.
20 And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were bound; and he was there in the prison.
21 But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy and gave him grace in the sight of the prince of the house of the prison.
22 And the prince of the house of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatever they did there, he was the doer of it.
23 The prince of the prison looked not to anything that was under his hand because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper.
14 ¶ What shall we say then? Is there injustice in God? No, in no wise.
15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
16 So then it is not of him that wills, nor of him that runs, but of God that has mercy.
17 For the scripture saith of Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
18 Therefore he has mercy on whom he will have mercy, and he hardens whom he will.
19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why does he become angry? For who shall resist his will?
20 Rather, O man, who art thou to reply against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
21 Has not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour and another unto dishonour?
22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much meekness the vessels of wrath, prepared for death,
23 and making known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he has prepared unto glory?
24 Even us, whom he has called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles!
25 ¶ As he saith also in Hosea, I will call them my people, who were not my people, and her beloved, who was not beloved.
26 And it shall come to pass that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there shall they be called sons of the living God.
27 Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel, Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant shall be saved;
28 when the consumption comes to an end, righteousness shall overflow, because a short sentence will the Lord execute upon the earth.
29 And as Isaiah said before, Except the Lord of the hosts had left us a seed, we had been as Sodom and been made like unto Gomorrha.
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