Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
130 The people of God from their bottomless miseries do cry unto God, and are heard. 3 They confess their sins, and flee unto God’s mercies.
A song of degrees.
1 Out of the [a]deep places have I called unto thee, O Lord.
2 Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears attend to the voice of my prayers.
3 If thou, O Lord, straightly markest iniquities, O Lord, [b]who shall stand?
4 But mercy is with thee, that thou [c]mayest be feared.
5 I have waited on the Lord: my soul hath waited, and I have trusted in his word.
6 My soul waiteth on the Lord more than the morning watch watcheth for the morning.
7 Let Israel wait on the Lord: for with the Lord is [d]mercy, and with him is great redemption.
8 And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
43 13 Jacob suffereth Benjamin to depart with his children. 14 Simeon is delivered out of prison. 30 Joseph goeth aside and weepeth.
1 Now great [a]famine was in the land.
2 And when they had eaten up the vittles, which they had brought from Egypt, their father said unto them, Turn again and buy us a little food.
3 And Judah answered him, saying, The man charged us by an oath, saying, (A)Never see my face, except your brother be with you.
4 If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down, and buy thee food.
5 But if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down: for the man said unto us, (B)Look me not in the face, except your brother be with you.
6 And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so evil with me, as to tell the man, whether ye had yet a brother or no?
7 And they answered, The man asked straightly of [b]ourselves and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye any brother? And we told him according to [c]these words: could we know certainly that he would say, Bring your brother down?
8 Then said Judah to Israel his father, Send the boy with me, that we may rise and go, and that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and our children.
9 I will be surety for him: of mine hand shalt thou require him. (C)If I bring him not to thee, and set him before thee, [d]then let me bear the blame forever.
10 For except we had made this tarrying, doubtless by this we had returned the second time.
11 Then their father Israel said unto them, If it must needs be so now, do thus: take of the best fruits of the land in your vessels, and bring the man a present, a little rosin, and a little honey, [e]spices and myrrh, nuts, and almonds:
12 And take [f]double money in your hand, and the money, that was brought again in your sacks’ mouths carry it again in your hand, lest it were some oversight.
13 Take also your brother and arise, and go again to the man.
14 And [g]God Almighty give you mercy in the sight of the man, that he may deliver you your other brother, and Benjamin: but I shall be [h]robbed of my child, as I have been.
15 Thus the men took this present, and took twice so much money in their hand with Benjamin, and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph.
16 And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said [i]to his steward, Bring these men home and kill meat, and make ready: for the men shall eat with me at noon.
17 And the men did as Joseph bade, and brought the men unto Joseph’s house.
18 Now when the men were brought into Joseph’s house, they were [j]afraid, and said, Because of the money, that came in our sack’s mouths at the first time, are we brought, that he may [k]pick a quarrel against us, and [l]lay something to our charge, and bring us in bondage and our asses.
19 Therefore came they to Joseph’s steward, and communed with him at the door of his house,
20 And said, O sir, (D)we came indeed down hither at the first time to buy food,
21 And as we came to an Inn and opened our sacks, behold, every man’s money was in his sack’s mouth, even our money in full weight, but we have brought it in our hands.
22 Also other money have we brought in our hands to buy food, but we cannot tell, who put our money in our sacks.
23 And he said, [m]Peace be to you, fear not: [n]your God, and the God of your father hath given you that treasure in your sacks, I had your money: and he brought forth Simeon to them.
24 So the man led them into Joseph’s house, and gave them water to wash their feet, and gave their asses provender.
25 And they made ready their present against Joseph came at noon, (for they heard say, that they should eat bread there.)
26 When Joseph came home, they brought the present into the house to him, which was in their hands, and bowed down to the ground before him.
27 And he asked them of their [o]prosperity, and said, Is your father the old man, of whom ye told me, in good health? is he yet alive?
28 Who answered, Thy servant our father is in good health, he is yet alive: and they bowed down, and made obeisance.
29 And he lifting up his eyes, beheld his brother Benjamin, his [p]mother’s son, and said, Is this your younger brother of whom ye told me? And he said, God be merciful unto thee, my son.
30 And Joseph made haste (for his [q]affection was inflamed toward his brother, and sought where to weep) and entered into his chamber and wept there.
31 Afterward he washed his face, and came out, and refrained himself, and said, Set on [r]meat.
32 And they [s]prepared for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves, because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews: for that was an [t]abomination unto the Egyptians.
33 So they sat before him: the eldest according unto his age, and the youngest according unto his youth: and the men marveled among themselves.
34 And they took meats from before him, and sent to them: but Benjamin’s meat was five times so much as any of theirs: and they drank, [u]and had of the best drink with him.
15 1 Certain go about to bring in circumcision at Antioch: 6 About which matter the Apostles consult: 19 and what must be done 23 they declare by letters. 36 Paul and Barnabas 39 are at great variance.
1 Then [a]came down [b]certain from Judea, and taught the brethren, saying, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.
2 [c]And when there was great dissension, and disputation by Paul and Barnabas against them, they ordained that Paul and Barnabas, and certain others of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the Apostles and Elders about this question.
3 Thus [d]being brought forth by the Church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles, and they brought great joy unto all the brethren.
4 And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the Church, and of the Apostles and Elders, and they declared what things God had done by them.
5 But said they, certain of the sect of the Pharisees, which did believe, rose up, saying that it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the Law of Moses.
6 [e]Then the Apostles and Elders came together to look to this matter.
7 And when there had been great disputation, Peter rose up, and said unto them, (A)[f]Ye men and brethren, ye know that a [g]good while ago, among us God chose out me, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the Gospel, and believe.
8 And God which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, in giving unto them the holy Ghost even as he did unto us.
9 And he put no [h]difference between us and them, after that (B)[i]by faith he had purified their hearts.
10 [j]Now therefore, why [k]tempt ye God, to (C)lay a yoke on the disciples’ necks, which neither our fathers, nor we were able to bear?
11 But we believe, through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved, even as they do.
12 [l]Then all the multitude kept silence, and heard Barnabas and Paul, which told what signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles by them.
13 And when they held their peace, [m]James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me.
14 [n]Simeon hath declared, how God first did visit the Gentiles, to take of them a people unto his Name.
15 And to this agree the words of the Prophets, as it is written,
16 (D)After this I will return, and will build again the Tabernacle of David, which is fallen down, and the ruins thereof will I build again, and I will set it up.
17 That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles upon whom my Name is called, saith the Lord which doeth all these things.
18 From the beginning of the world, God [o]knoweth all his works.
19 [p]Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them of the Gentiles that are turned to God,
20 But that we send unto them, that they abstain themselves from [q]filthiness of idols, and fornication, and that is strangled, and from blood.
21 For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, seeing he is read in the Synagogues every Sabbath day.
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