Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
8 You quiet the roaring of the seas,
the turbulence of their waves,
and the turmoil of the nations.[a]
9 Those who dwell at the ends of the earth
are awestruck by your wonders.[b]
You call forth songs of joy
from sunrise and sunset.
10 You care for the earth and water it,
making it most fertile.
The streams of God[c] are filled with water
to provide grain for its people.
Thus, you prepare the earth for growth:
11 you water its furrows
and level its ridges;
you soften it with showers
and bless its yield.[d]
12 You crown the year with your bounty,[e]
and your tracks dispense fertility.
13 The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
and the hills are covered with rejoicing.
2 God appeared to Israel in a vision during the night saying, “Jacob, Jacob.” He answered, “Here I am.”
3 He continued, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not fear to go down into Egypt, for down there I will make a great people of you. 4 I will go down with you into Egypt, and I will surely make you return. Joseph will close your eyes.”
5 Jacob left Beer-sheba, and the sons of Israel put their father, their children, and their wives into the wagons that Pharaoh had sent to carry them. 6 They took with them their animals and all the possessions that they had acquired in the land of Canaan. Thus, Jacob and all his descendants went to Egypt. 7 He brought his sons and grandsons, his daughters and granddaughters, and all his descendants with him into Egypt.
8 These are the names of the sons of Israel who entered Egypt: Jacob and his sons.
Reuben the firstborn of Jacob.
9 The sons of Reuben:
Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
10 The sons of Simeon:
Nemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman.
11 The sons of Levi:
Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
12 The sons of Judah:
Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah, (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan).
The sons of Perez:
Hezron and Hamul.
13 The sons of Issachar:
Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron.
14 The sons of Zebulun:
Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
15 These were the sons whom Leah bore to Jacob in Paddan-aram, together with their daughter Dinah. The total number of her sons and daughters was thirty-three.
16 The sons of Gad:
Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arod, and Areli.
17 The sons of Asher:
Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah.
The sons of Beriah:
Heber and Malchiel.
18 These were the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Leah. She bore them to Jacob: sixteen in all.
19 The sons of Rachel, the wife of Jacob:
Joseph and Benjamin. 20 Ephraim and Manasseh were born to Joseph in Egypt. They were the sons of Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On.[a]
21 The sons of Benjamin:
Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ahiram, Shupham, Hupham, and Ard.
22 These were the sons Rachel bore to Jacob—fourteen in all.
23 The son of Dan:
Hushim.
24 The sons of Naphtali:
Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.
25 These were the sons of Bilhah whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel. She bore them to Jacob: seven in all.
26 All those who entered with Jacob into Egypt were his offspring. Not counting the wives of the sons of Jacob there were sixty-six in all. 27 Two sons were born to Joseph in Egypt. The members of the family of Jacob who went to Egypt were seventy.
28 Joseph and Pharaoh Welcome Jacob.[b] Jacob sent Judah to Joseph ahead of the rest so that he might give instructions in Goshen before his arrival. When they arrived in the land of Goshen, 29 Joseph made his chariot ready and went up into Goshen to greet Israel, his father. As soon as he saw him, he threw himself around his neck and wept for a long time holding on to his neck.
30 Israel said to Joseph, “Let me die, now that I have seen your face, that you are still alive.”
31 Joseph said to his brothers and to the family of his father, “I am going to inform Pharaoh and to tell him, ‘My brothers and the family of my father, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to be with me. 32 These men were shepherds of flocks and they tended herds. They have brought their flocks, their herds, and all their possessions.’ 33 When Pharaoh summons you and asks you what you do for a living, 34 you should answer, ‘Your servants have been men who care for cattle from their youth until now, just as our fathers did.’ This is so that you can dwell in the land of Goshen.” For all shepherds of flocks are an abomination to the Egyptians.
Chapter 47
1 Joseph went to inform Pharaoh, saying to him, “My father and my brothers with their flocks and herds and with all their possessions have come from the land of Canaan. They are now in the land of Goshen.” 2 He selected five of his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh.
3 Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What work do you do?”
They answered Pharaoh, “We shepherd the flocks of your servants, just as our fathers did.” 4 They went on to tell Pharaoh, “We came to sojourn in this land because there were no more pastures for the flocks of your servants. The famine is terrible in the land of Canaan. Please allow your servants to dwell in the land of Goshen.”
5 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. 6 The land of Egypt is at your disposition. Have your father and your brothers settle in the best of the land. Let them dwell in the land of Goshen. If you know any of them as able men, place them in charge of my cattle.”
7 Joseph then introduced Jacob, his father, and presented him to Pharaoh. After Jacob had blessed Pharaoh, 8 Pharaoh asked him, “How old are you?”
9 Jacob answered Pharaoh, “One hundred and thirty are the years of my sojourning. Few and sad are the years of my life, and I have not reached the number of years that my fathers lived in their life journey.” 10 Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and withdrew from his presence.
11 Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them property in Egypt, in the best part of the land, in the territory of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. 12 Joseph provided for his father, his brothers, and all the family of his father, as much bread as was needed for each person.
30 The Parable of the Mustard Seed.[a] He then said, “With what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use to explain it? 31 It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. 32 But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the greatest of all plants, and it puts forth large branches so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”
33 The Usefulness of Parables.[b] With many such parables as these he spoke the word to them so far as they were able to comprehend it. 34 He never spoke to them except in parables, but he explained everything to his disciples when they were by themselves.
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