Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 130

Out of the Depths

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A song of the ascents.

Out of the Depths

44 Joseph commanded the manager of his house, “Fill the men’s bags with food, as much as they can carry. Put each man’s money into the mouth of his bag. ² Put my cup, the silver cup, into the mouth of the bag of the youngest, along with his money for the grain.” The manager did exactly what Joseph told him to do.

³ As soon as it became light in the morning, the men were sent on their way, with their donkeys. ⁴ When they had left the city and still were not very far away, Joseph said to his manager, “Get up. Pursue those men. When you overtake them, ask them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good? ⁵ Isn’t this the cup that my lord drinks from and that he uses for divination? By doing this you have done evil.’” ⁶ The steward caught up to them and spoke those words to them.

⁷ They replied to him, “Why does my lord say such things? Your servants would never do such a thing! ⁸ That money, which we found in the mouths of our bags—we brought it back to you from the land of Canaan. Why then would we steal silver or gold out of your lord’s house? ⁹ If your cup is found with any of your servants, let him die, and we also will be my lord’s slaves.”

¹⁰ He said, “Fine, it will be just as you have said. If it is found with anyone, he will be my slave, and the rest of you will be blameless.”

¹¹ Then each man quickly lowered his bag to the ground, and each man opened his bag. ¹² The manager searched, beginning with the oldest and finishing with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin’s bag. ¹³ Then they tore their clothing, and each man loaded his donkey and returned to the city.

¹⁴ When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, he was still there. They fell to the ground before him. ¹⁵ Joseph said to them, “What did you think you were doing? Didn’t you know that a man like me can discover things by divination?”

¹⁶ Judah said, “What can we tell my lord? What can we say? How can we clear ourselves? God has exposed the guilt of your servants. Here we are. We are my lord’s slaves, both we and the one in whose hand the cup was found.”

¹⁷ Joseph said, “I would never do that. The man in whose hand the cup was found will be my slave, but as for the rest of you, go up in peace to your father.”

¹⁸ Then Judah approached him and said, “O my lord, please let your servant speak to my lord directly. Do not let your anger burn against your servant, because you are just like Pharaoh. ¹⁹ My lord asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’ ²⁰ We said to my lord, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a child from his old age, a young one. His brother is dead, and he alone is left from his mother, and his father loves him.’ ²¹ You said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, so that I may see him with my own eyes.’ ²² We said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father, for if he were to leave his father, his father would die.’ ²³ You said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will never see my face again.’ ²⁴ And so it was that when we came to your servant, my father, we told him about the words of my lord. ²⁵ Our father said, ‘Go again. Buy us a little food.’ ²⁶ We said, ‘We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, we will go down, because we cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’ ²⁷ Your servant, my father, said to us, ‘You know that my wife gave birth to two sons for me. ²⁸ The one has departed from me and I said, “I am sure he is torn to pieces,” and I have not seen him since. ²⁹ If you take this one away from me as well, and mishap comes upon him, you will bring my gray hairs down to the grave with sorrow.’ ³⁰ So now when I come to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us, since my father’s life is bound up in the boy’s life, ³¹ when he sees that the boy is no more, he will die. Your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant, our father, to the grave with sorrow. ³² For your servant became a guarantee for the boy to my father. I said, ‘If I do not bring him to you, then I will bear the blame before my father forever.’ ³³ So please let your servant stay as a slave to my lord instead of the boy, and let the boy go up with his brothers. ³⁴ For how can I go up to my father if the boy is not with me? How could I stand to see the evil that will come on my father?”

¹³ I am speaking to you Gentiles. For as long as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I am going to speak highly of my ministry. ¹⁴ Perhaps I may make my own people jealous, and so save some of them. ¹⁵ For if their rejection meant the reconciliation of the world, what does their acceptance mean other than the dead coming to life?

Gentiles Should Not Become Proud

¹⁶ If the part offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole batch. And if the root is holy, so are the branches. ¹⁷ But if some of the branches were broken off, and you—a wild olive branch—were grafted in among them and share in the rich sap from the root of the olive tree, ¹⁸ do not boast that you are better than the branches. If you do boast, remember that you are not supporting the root, but the root is supporting you. ¹⁹ Then you will say: “Branches were broken off so that I am grafted in.” ²⁰ That is true—but remember that they were broken off because of unbelief, and you remain in place by faith. Do not be conceited, but stand in awe. ²¹ For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you. ²² So take note of God’s kindness and his severity: severity on those who have fallen, but God’s kindness on you—if you remain in his kindness; otherwise, you also will be cut off.

Some Jews Will Be Grafted in Again

²³ And if they do not remain in unbelief, those branches will be grafted in again, because God is able to graft them in again. ²⁴ For if you were cut off from a wild olive tree and, contrary to nature, were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more easily will these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree?

²⁵ For I do not want you to be uninformed about this mystery, brothers, so that you are not conceited in your opinion of yourselves. There has been a hardening of part of Israel until the full number of Gentiles has come in. ²⁶ And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written:

The Paradox of How God Shows Mercy

²⁸ In regard to the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But, in regard to election, they are especially dear for the sake of the patriarchs, ²⁹ because God’s gracious gifts and call are not regretted.