Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Joseph Revealed to His Brothers

45 Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Make everyone go out from me!” So no one stood with him ^(A)while Joseph made himself known to his brothers. ² And he ^(B)wept aloud, and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard it.

³ Then Joseph said to his brothers, ^(C)“I am Joseph; does my father still live?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed in his presence. ⁴ And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother, ^(D)whom you sold into Egypt. ⁵ But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; ^(E)for God sent me before you to preserve life. ⁶ For these two years the ^(F)famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. ⁷ And God ^(G)sent me before you to preserve a ^[a]posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. ⁸ So now it was not you who sent me here, but ^(H)God; and He has made me ^(I)a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ^(J)ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

⁹ “Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph: “God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not ^[b]tarry. ^10 (K)You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to me, you and your children, your children’s children, your flocks and your herds, and all that you have. ¹¹ There I will ^(L)provide for you, lest you and your household, and all that you have, come to poverty; for there are still five years of famine.” ’

¹² “And behold, your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is ^(M)my mouth that speaks to you. ¹³ So you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that you have seen; and you shall hurry and ^(N)bring my father down here.”

¹⁴ Then he fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. ¹⁵ Moreover he ^(O)kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and after that his brothers talked with him.

Blessed Unity of the People of God

A Song of Ascents. Of David.

Israel’s Rejection Not Total

11 I say then, ^(A)has God cast away His people? ^(B)Certainly not! For ^(C)I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. ² God has not cast away His people whom ^(D)He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying,

²⁹ For the gifts and the calling of God are ^(A)irrevocable. ³⁰ For as you ^(B)were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, ³¹ even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. ³² For God has ^[a]committed them ^(C)all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.

^10 (A)When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear and understand: ^11 (B)Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”

¹² Then His disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”

¹³ But He answered and said, ^(C)“Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. ¹⁴ Let them alone. ^(D)They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.”

^15 (E)Then Peter answered and said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”

¹⁶ So Jesus said, ^(F)“Are you also still without understanding? ¹⁷ Do you not yet understand that ^(G)whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? ¹⁸ But ^(H)those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. ^19 (I)For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. ²⁰ These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”

A Gentile Shows Her Faith^(A)

^21 (B)Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. ²² And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, ^(C)Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.”

²³ But He answered her not a word.

And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.”

²⁴ But He answered and said, ^(D)“I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

²⁵ Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”

²⁶ But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little ^(E)dogs.”

²⁷ And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”

²⁸ Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, ^(F)great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.