Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

How Good and Pleasant Is Unity

A Song of Ascents. Of David.

¹⁴ Then Pharaoh sent and ^(A)called for Joseph, and they ^(B)rushed him out of the pit; and he shaved himself and changed his clothes, and he came to Pharaoh. ¹⁵ And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, ^(C)but no one can interpret it; yet ^(D)I have heard ^[a]it said about you, that ^[b]you hear a dream and that you can interpret it.” ¹⁶ Joseph then answered Pharaoh, saying, “^[c](E)It is not in me; ^(F)God will ^[d]answer concerning the welfare of Pharaoh.” ¹⁷ So Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, “In my dream, behold, I was standing on the bank of the Nile; ¹⁸ and behold, seven cows, ^[e]fat and sleek came up out of the Nile, and they grazed in the reeds. ¹⁹ And behold, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and lean, such as I had never seen in all the land of Egypt, in regard to ^[f]ugliness; ²⁰ and the lean and ugly cows ate up the first seven fat cows. ²¹ But they ^[g]devoured them, and yet it could not be known that they had ^[h]devoured them. ^[i]For they were just as ugly as ^[j]before. Then I awoke. ²² Then I saw also in my dream, and behold, seven ears, full and good, came up on a single stalk; ²³ and behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them; ²⁴ and the thin ears swallowed the seven good ears. So ^(G)I told it to the ^[k]magicians, but there was no one who could declare it to me.”

²⁵ Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Pharaoh’s ^[l]dreams are one and the same; ^(H)God has declared to Pharaoh what He is about to do. ²⁶ The seven good cows are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years; the ^[m]dreams are one and the same. ²⁷ And the seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven lean ears scorched by the east wind ^(I)will be seven years of famine. ^28 [n]It is as I have spoken to Pharaoh: ^(J)God has shown to Pharaoh what He is about to do. ²⁹ Behold, ^(K)seven years of great abundance are coming in all the land of Egypt; ³⁰ and after them ^(L)seven years of famine will arise, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine will ^[o]ravage the land, ³¹ so that the abundance will be unknown in the land because of that subsequent famine; for it will be very heavy. ³² Now as for the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh twice, it means that ^(M)the matter is confirmed by God, and God will quickly bring it about. ³³ So now let Pharaoh look for a man ^(N)understanding and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. ³⁴ Let Pharaoh take action and appoint overseers over the land, and let him exact a fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven years of abundance. ³⁵ Then let them ^(O)gather all the food of these good years that are coming, and let them store up the grain for food in the cities under Pharaoh’s authority, and let them keep watch over it. ³⁶ And let the food be appointed for the land for the seven years of famine which will happen in the land of Egypt, so that the land will not be cut off during the famine.”

Seven Angels, Seven Plagues

15 Then I saw ^(A)another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, ^(B)seven angels who have ^(C)seven plagues, which are ^(D)the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished.

² Then I saw something like a ^(E)sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who have ^(F)overcome ^[a]the ^(G)beast and ^(H)his image and the ^(I)number of his name, standing on the ^(J)sea of glass, having ^(K)harps of God. ³ And they *sang the ^(L)song of Moses, ^(M)the slave of God, and the ^(N)song of the Lamb, saying,