Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

A Davidic Song of Ascents

God is for Us

²⁹ In his last words, Jacob^[a] issued this set of instructions to them all: “I’m about to join^[b] our ancestors. Bury me alongside my ancestors in the cave in the field that used to belong to Ephron the Hittite. ³⁰ It’s the cave in the field near Mamre at Machpelah in the land of Canaan that Abraham bought to serve as a cemetery. ³¹ It’s where Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, where Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and where I buried Leah. ³² Both the field and the cave that’s in it were purchased from the Hittites.”

³³ After concluding this set of instructions to his sons, Jacob^[c] tucked his feet up into bed, quit breathing, and was gathered to his ancestors.

Joseph Mourns for His Father

50 Then Joseph embraced his father,^[d] cried over him, and kissed him. ² After this, he issued orders to his physician servants to embalm his father. So they embalmed Israel. ³ It took 40 days to complete the process, the normal period required for embalming. Meanwhile, the Egyptians mourned for him for 70 days. ⁴ At the conclusion of the mourning period, Joseph addressed Pharaoh’s household. “If you’re satisfied with me, would you please take this message to Pharaoh for me? Tell him, ⁵ ‘My father told me, “Look! I’m about to die. Bury me in my grave that I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.” So please let me travel to bury my father. I’ll be right back.’”

⁶ “Please go,” Pharaoh replied. “Bury your father, as he asked you to do.”

Joseph Mourns in Canaan

⁷ So Joseph got up and went to bury his father, accompanied by all of Pharaoh’s servants, all of the elders of Egypt, ⁸ all of Joseph’s household, his brothers, and his father’s household. They left behind in the territory of Goshen only their youngest children, their flocks, and their herds. ⁹ Chariots and horsemen also accompanied Joseph,^[e] so there were a lot of people. ¹⁰ When they arrived at Atad’s threshing floor, which is located beyond the Jordan River,^[f] they held a great and mournful memorial service, during which Joseph^[g] spent seven days mourning for his father. ¹¹ As soon as the Canaanites who lived in the land observed the mourning going on at Atad’s threshing floor, they commented “This is a significant time of mourning for the Egyptians.” That’s why the place, which is located beyond the Jordan River,^[h] became known as Abel-mizraim.^[i]

The Burial at Machpelah

¹² And so Israel’s^[j] sons did what he had instructed them to do: ¹³ they carried him to the territory of Canaan and buried him in the cave in Machpelah field near Mamre that Abraham had purchased^[k] as a cemetery from Ephron the Hittite. ¹⁴ After he had buried his father, Joseph and his brothers returned to Egypt, along with everyone who had gone with him to attend the burial.

Paul’s Reason for Boasting

¹² We would not dare put ourselves in the same class with, or compare ourselves to, those who recommend themselves. Whenever they measure themselves by their own standards or compare themselves among themselves, they show how foolish they are. ¹³ We will not boast about what cannot be evaluated. Instead, we will stay within the field that God assigned us, so as to reach even you. ¹⁴ For it is not as though we were overstepping our limits when we came to you. We were the first to reach you with the gospel of the Messiah.^{[a] 15} We are not boasting about work done by others that cannot be evaluated. On the contrary, we cherish the hope that your faith may continue to grow and enlarge our sphere of action among you until it overflows. ¹⁶ Then we can preach the gospel in the regions far beyond you without boasting about things already accomplished by someone else.

¹⁷ “The person who boasts should boast in the Lord.”^{[b] 18} It is not the person who commends himself who is approved, but the person whom the Lord commends.