Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Joseph Reveals Who He Is
45 Joseph could not ·control [or express] himself in front of ·his servants [L all those standing around him] any longer, so he cried out, “Have everyone leave me.” ·When only the brothers were left with Joseph [L So no one was standing around him when], he ·told them who he was [L revealed himself to his brothers]. 2 Joseph cried so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and the ·people in the king’s palace [L house of Pharaoh] heard about it. 3 ·He [L Joseph] said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But the brothers could not answer him, because they were ·very afraid of [or startled by] him.
4 So Joseph said to them, “Come close to me.” When the brothers came close to him, he said to them, “I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold as a slave to go to Egypt [37:25–28]. 5 Now don’t be ·worried [in anguish; distressed] or angry with yourselves because you sold me here. God sent me here ahead of you to ·save [preserve] people’s lives. 6 ·No food has grown on the land [L The famine has been in the land] for two years now, and there will be five more years without ·planting [L plowing] or harvest. 7 So God sent me here ahead of you to ·make sure you have some descendants left [L preserve a remnant for you] on earth and to keep you alive in ·an amazing way [L a great deliverance]. 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God [50:19–20]. God has made me ·the highest officer of the king of Egypt [L father to Pharaoh]. I am ·in charge [master; lord] of his palace, and I am the ·master [ruler] of all the land of Egypt.
9 “So leave quickly and go to my father. Tell him, ‘Your son Joseph says: God has made me ·master [lord] over all Egypt. Come down to me ·quickly [without delay]. 10 Live in the land of Goshen [C the northeast area of the Nile Delta] where you will be near me. Your children, your grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all that you have will also be near me. 11 I will ·care for [sustain; maintain] you ·during the next five years of hunger [L for there are still five years of famine] so that you and your family and all that you have will not ·starve [L become impoverished].’
12 “Now you can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that ·the one speaking to you is really Joseph [L my mouth is speaking to you]. 13 So tell my father about ·how powerful I have become [L my glory/prestige/status] in Egypt. Tell him about everything you have seen. Now hurry and bring him back to me.” 14 Then Joseph ·hugged [L fell on the neck of] his brother Benjamin and cried, and Benjamin cried ·also [L on his neck]. 15 And Joseph kissed all his brothers and cried ·as he hugged them [L over them]. After this, his brothers talked with him.
The Love of God’s People
A song ·for going up to worship [of ascents; C perhaps sung while traveling to Jerusalem to celebrate an annual religious festival like Passover]. Of David.
133 ·It is [L How] good and pleasant
when ·God’s people [L brothers] live together [C in unity]!
2 It is like ·perfumed [fine] oil on the head
and running down his beard [Ex. 30:22–33].
It ran down Aaron’s beard
and on to the collar of his robes.
3 It is like the dew of Mount Hermon [C in the extreme north of Israel]
falling on the hills of ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple].
There the Lord ·gives [L commanded] his blessing
of life forever.
God Shows Mercy to All People
11 So I ask: Did God ·throw out [cast away; reject] his people? ·No [Absolutely not; May it never be; 9:14]! I myself am an Israelite from the ·family [descendants; L seed] of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not ·thrown out [cast away; rejected] his people, whom he ·chose [or knew] ·long ago [from the beginning; L beforehand]. ·Surely you know [L Do you not know…?] what the Scripture says about Elijah, how he ·prayed [appealed; complained] to God against the people of Israel.
29 ·God never changes his mind about the people he calls and the things he gives them [L For God’s gifts and calling are irrevocable]. 30 [L For] At one time you refused to obey God. But now you have received mercy, because those people refused to obey. 31 And now the Jews refuse to obey, ·because God showed mercy to you. But this happened so that they also can[a] receive mercy from him [or but this happened so that they also can[b] receive mercy from him, because of the mercy God showed to you]. 32 God has ·given [imprisoned] all people ·over to their stubborn ways [L to/in disobedience] so that he can show mercy to all.
10 After Jesus called the crowd to him, he said, “Listen and ·understand what I am saying [try to understand]. 11 It is not what ·people put into their mouths [L goes into the mouth] that ·makes them unclean [pollutes/defiles the person]. It is what comes out of their mouths that ·makes them unclean [pollutes/defiles the person].”
12 Then his ·followers [disciples] came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees are ·angry [offended; shocked] because of what you said?”
13 Jesus answered, “Every plant that my Father in heaven has not planted himself will be pulled up by the roots. 14 ·Stay away from the Pharisees [L Leave/Ignore them]; they are blind ·leaders [guides].[a] And if a blind person ·leads [guides] a blind person, both will fall into a ·ditch [pit; hole].”
15 Peter said, “Explain the ·example [parable] to us.”
16 Jesus said, “·Do you still not understand [L Are you still so dull/foolish]? 17 ·Surely you know [L Don’t you know…?] that all the food that enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then goes ·out of the body [L into the sewer/latrine].” 18 But ·what people say with their mouths [L the things that come out of the mouth] comes from the ·way they think [L the heart]; these are the things that ·make people unclean [pollute/defiled a person]. 19 [L For] Out of the ·mind [heart] come evil ·thoughts [intentions; ideas], murder, adultery, sexual sins, stealing, ·lying [false witness/testimony], and ·speaking evil of others [slander; blasphemy]. 20 These things make people ·unclean [polluted; defiled]; eating with unwashed hands does not make them ·unclean [polluted; defiled].”
Jesus Helps a Gentile Woman(A)
21 Jesus left that place and went to the ·area [district; region] of Tyre and Sidon [C cities on the coast north of Israel]. 22 A ·Canaanite [C a non-Jewish (Gentile) resident of Palestine (Canaan was the ancient name for Palestine)] woman from that area came to Jesus and cried out, “Lord, Son of David [C a title for the Messiah], have mercy on me! My daughter ·has a demon, and she is suffering very much [is tormented; L is severely demon-possessed].”
23 But Jesus did not ·answer the woman [L answer her a word]. So his ·followers [disciples] came to Jesus and ·begged [asked; urged] him, “Tell the woman to go away. [L Because] She is following us and ·shouting [crying out].”
24 Jesus answered, “·God sent me [L I was sent] only to the lost sheep, the ·people [L house] of Israel.”
25 Then the woman came to Jesus again and bowed before him and said, “Lord, help me!”
26 Jesus answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and ·give [throw] it to the dogs.” [C “Children” refers to Israel; “dogs” to the Gentiles.]
27 The woman said, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”
28 Then Jesus answered, “[L O] Woman, you have great faith! ·I will do what you asked [L Let it be done for you as you wish].” And ·at that moment [L from that hour] the woman’s daughter was healed.
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