Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
8 Even those people at the ends of the earth fear your ·miracles [signs].
You are praised from ·where the sun rises [the east; L the gateways of the morning] to ·where it sets [the west; L evening].
9 You ·take care of [visit] the land and water it;
you make it very ·fertile [rich].
The ·rivers [channels] of God are full of water.
Grain grows because you make it grow.
10 You send rain to the plowed fields;
you ·fill the rows with water [level its ridges].
You soften the ground with rain,
and then you bless ·it with crops [its growth].
11 You ·give [L crown] the year ·a good harvest [L with your goodness/bounty],
and ·you load the wagons with many crops [L your wagon tracks/ruts drip with plenty].
12 The ·desert [wilderness] ·is covered [drips] with ·grass [pasturage]
and the hills with happiness.
13 The ·pastures [meadows] are ·full of [L clothed with] flocks,
and the valleys are ·covered [wrapped] with grain.
Everything shouts and sings for joy.
2 During the night God spoke to Israel in a vision and said, “Jacob, Jacob.”
And Jacob answered, “Here I am.”
3 Then God said, “I am God, the God of your father. Don’t be afraid to go to Egypt, because I will make ·your descendants [L you] a great nation there [12:1–3]. 4 I will go to Egypt with you, and I will bring you ·out of Egypt [L up] again. Joseph’s own hands will close your eyes when you die.”
5 Then Jacob left Beersheba. The sons of Israel loaded their father, their ·children [little ones], and their wives in the wagons ·the king of Egypt [L Pharaoh] had sent. 6 They also took their farm animals and everything they had gotten in Canaan. So Jacob went to Egypt with all his ·descendants [L seed]— 7 his sons and grandsons, his daughters and granddaughters. He took all his ·family [L seed] to Egypt with him.
Jacob’s Family
8 Now these are the names of the ·children [sons] of Israel who went into Egypt (Jacob and his descendants).
Reuben was Jacob’s ·first son [L firstborn]. 9 Reuben’s sons were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
10 Simeon’s sons were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul (Simeon’s son by a Canaanite woman).
11 Levi’s sons were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
12 Judah’s sons were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan [38:1–11]). Perez’s sons were Hezron and Hamul.
13 Issachar’s sons were Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron.
14 Zebulun’s sons were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
15 These are the sons of Leah and Jacob born in ·northwestern Mesopotamia [L Paddan-aram], in addition to his daughter Dinah [34:1]. There were thirty-three persons in this part of Jacob’s family.
16 Gad’s sons were Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.
17 Asher’s sons were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah, and their sister was Serah. Beriah’s sons were Heber and Malkiel.
18 These are Jacob’s sons by Zilpah, the slave girl whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah [29:24]. There were sixteen persons in this part of Jacob’s family.
19 The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin. 20 In Egypt, Joseph became the father of Manasseh and Ephraim by his wife Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On [41:45].
21 Benjamin’s sons were Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.
22 These are the sons of Jacob by his wife Rachel. There were fourteen persons in this part of Jacob’s family.
23 Dan’s son was Hushim.
24 Naphtali’s sons were Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.
25 These are Jacob’s sons by Bilhah, the slave girl whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel [29:29]. There were seven persons in this part of Jacob’s family.
26 So the total number of ·Jacob’s direct descendants [L those who came from the thigh/loins of Jacob] who went to Egypt was sixty-six, not counting the wives of Jacob’s sons. 27 Joseph had two sons born in Egypt, so the total number in the family of Jacob in Egypt was seventy.
Jacob Arrives in Egypt
28 Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to ·see [or lead the way to] Joseph in Goshen [45:10]. When Jacob and his people came into the land of Goshen, 29 Joseph prepared his chariot and went to meet his father Israel in Goshen. As soon as Joseph saw his father, he ·hugged him [L fell on his neck], and cried there for a long time.
30 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Now I am ready to die, because I have seen your face and I know you are still alive.”
31 Joseph said to his brothers and his father’s ·family [household], “I will go and tell ·the king [L Pharaoh] you are here. I will say, ‘My brothers and my father’s ·family [household] have left the land of Canaan and have come here to me. 32 They are shepherds and take care of ·farm animals [livestock], and they have brought their flocks and their herds and everything they own with them.’ 33 When ·the king [L Pharaoh] calls you, he will ask, ‘What work do you do?’ 34 This is what you should tell him: ‘We, your servants, have taken care of ·farm animals [livestock] all our lives. Our ·ancestors [fathers] did the same thing.’ Then ·the king [L he] will allow you to settle in the land of Goshen, ·away from the Egyptians, because they don’t like to be near shepherds [L for all shepherds of flocks are an abomination to the Egyptians].”
Jacob Settles in Goshen
47 Joseph went in and spoke to ·the king [L Pharaoh] and said, “My father and my brothers have arrived from Canaan with their flocks and herds and everything they own. They are now in the land of Goshen [45:10].” 2 Joseph ·chose [took] five of his brothers to ·introduce [present] to ·the king [L Pharaoh].
3 ·The king [L Pharaoh] said to his brothers, “What work do you do?”
And they said to him, “We, your servants, are shepherds, just as our ·ancestors [fathers] were.” 4 They said to ·the king [L Pharaoh], “We have come to ·live [sojourn; reside as aliens] in this land, because there is no ·grass in the land of Canaan for our animals to eat [L pasturage for the flocks of your servants], and the ·hunger [famine] is ·terrible [severe; heavy] there. So please allow ·us [L your servants] to live in the land of Goshen.”
5 Then ·the king [L Pharaoh] said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you, 6 and ·you may choose any place in Egypt for them to live [L the land of Egypt is before you]. Give your father and your brothers the best land; let them live in the land of Goshen. And if any of them are skilled shepherds, put them in charge of my ·sheep and cattle [L livestock].”
7 Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and ·introduced him to the king [L he stood before Pharaoh], and Jacob blessed ·the king [L Pharaoh].
8 Then ·the king [L Pharaoh] said to Jacob, “How ·old are you [L many of the days are the years of your life]?”
9 Jacob said to him, “My life has been spent ·wandering from place to place [sojourning; residing as an alien]. It has been short and filled with trouble—only one hundred thirty years. My ·ancestors [fathers] ·lived [L wandered; sojourned; lived as an alien] much longer than I.” 10 Then Jacob blessed ·the king [L Pharaoh] and ·left [L went out from before the Pharaoh].
11 Joseph obeyed the king and ·gave his father and brothers [L settled his father and brothers and gave them a possession in] the best land in Egypt, near the city of Rameses [C a city built later during the time of Moses in the Nile Delta region; Ex. 1:11]. 12 And Joseph gave his father, his brothers, and ·everyone who lived with them [L all his father’s household] the food ·they needed [L according to their little ones/dependents].
A Story About Mustard Seed(A)
30 Then Jesus said, “How can I show you what the kingdom of God is like? What ·story [parable; see 3:23] can I use to explain it? 31 The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, the smallest seed you plant in the ground. [C The mustard seed was the smallest seed known to Jesus’ hearers.] 32 But when planted, this seed grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants. It produces large branches, and the wild birds can make nests in its shade.”
33 Jesus used many ·stories [parables] like these to teach the crowd God’s ·message [word]—as much as they could ·understand [hear]. 34 He always used ·stories [parables] to teach them. But when he and his ·followers [disciples] were alone, Jesus explained everything to them.
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