Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 124

A pilgrimage song. Of David.

Jacob’s death and burial

²⁹ Jacob ordered them, “I am soon to join my people. Bury me with my ancestors in the cave that’s in the field of Ephron the Hittite; ³⁰ in the cave that’s in the field of Machpelah near Mamre in the land of Canaan that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite as a burial property. ³¹ That is where Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried, and where Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried, and where I buried Leah. ³² It is the field and the cave in it that belonged to the Hittites.” ³³ After he finished giving orders to his sons, he put his feet up on the bed, took his last breath, and joined his people.

50 Joseph fell across his father’s body, wept over him, and kissed him. ² Joseph then ordered the physicians in his service to embalm his father, and the physicians embalmed Israel. ³ They mourned for him forty days because that is the period required for embalming. Then the Egyptians mourned him for seventy days. ⁴ After the period of mourning had passed, Joseph spoke to Pharaoh’s household: “If you approve my request, give Pharaoh this message: ⁵ My father made me promise, telling me, ‘I’m about to die. You must bury me in the tomb I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.’ Now, let me leave and let me bury my father, and then I will return.”

⁶ Pharaoh replied, “Go, bury your father as you promised.”

⁷ So Joseph left to bury his father. All of Pharaoh’s servants went with him, together with the elder statesmen in his household and all of the elder statesmen in the land of Egypt, ⁸ Joseph’s entire household, his brothers, and his father’s household. Only the children, flocks, and cattle remained in the land of Goshen. ⁹ Even chariots and horsemen went with him; it was a huge collection of people. ¹⁰ When they arrived at the threshing floor of Atad on the other side of the Jordan River, they observed a solemn, deeply sorrowful period of mourning. He grieved seven days for his father.

¹¹ When the Canaanites who lived in the land saw the observance of grief on Atad’s threshing floor, they said, “This is a solemn observance of grief by the Egyptians.” Therefore, its name is Abel-mizraim.^[a] It is on the other side of the Jordan River. ¹² Israel’s sons did for him just as he had ordered. ¹³ His sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre, which Abraham had purchased as burial property from Ephron the Hittite. ¹⁴ Then^[b] Joseph returned to Egypt, he, his brothers, and everyone who left with him to bury his father.

¹² We won’t dare to place ourselves in the same league or to compare ourselves with some of those who are promoting themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves, and compare themselves with themselves, they have no understanding.

¹³ We won’t take pride in anything more than what is appropriate. Let’s look at the boundaries of our work area that God has assigned to us. It’s an area that includes you. ¹⁴ We aren’t going out of bounds, as if our work area doesn’t extend as far as you. We were the first ones to travel as far as Corinth with the gospel of Christ. ¹⁵ We don’t take pride in what other people do outside of our boundaries. We hope that our work will be extended even more by you as your faith grows, until it expands fully (within the boundaries, of course). ¹⁶ We hope that our work grows even to the point of the gospel being preached in places beyond Corinth, without bragging about what has already been done in another person’s work area. ¹⁷ But, the one who brags should brag in the Lord.^{[a] 18} It isn’t the person who promotes himself or herself who is approved but the person whom the Lord commends.