Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But they could not answer him because they were terrified in his presence.
4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please, come near me,” and they came near. “I am Joseph, your brother,” he said, “the one you sold into Egypt.(A) 5 And now don’t be grieved or angry with yourselves for selling me here, because God sent me ahead of you to preserve life.(B) 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there will be five more years without plowing or harvesting. 7 God sent me ahead of you to establish you as a remnant within the land and to keep you alive by a great deliverance.[a] 8 Therefore it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.
9 “Return quickly to my father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: “God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me without delay. 10 You can settle in the land of Goshen(C) and be near me—you, your children, and your grandchildren, your flocks, your herds, and all you have. 11 There I will sustain you, for there will be five more years of famine. Otherwise, you, your household, and everything you have will become destitute.”’(D)
15 Joseph kissed each of his brothers as he wept,[a] and afterward his brothers talked with him.
Psalm 37
Instruction in Wisdom
Of David.
1 Do not be agitated by evildoers;
do not envy those who do wrong.(A)
2 For they wither quickly like grass
and wilt like tender green plants.(B)
3 Trust in the Lord and do what is good;(C)
dwell in the land and live securely.[a](D)
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you your heart’s desires.(E)
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act,(F)
6 making your righteousness shine like the dawn,
your justice like the noonday.(G)
7 Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for him;(H)
do not be agitated by one who prospers in his way,
by the person who carries out evil plans.(I)
The Nature of the Resurrection Body
35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? What kind of body will they have when they come?” 36 You fool! What you sow does not come to life(A) unless it dies. 37 And as for what you sow—you are not sowing the body that will be, but only a seed, perhaps of wheat or another grain. 38 But God gives it a body as he wants,(B) and to each of the seeds its own body.
42 So it is with the resurrection of the dead: Sown in corruption, raised in incorruption;(A) 43 sown in dishonor,(B) raised in glory;(C) sown in weakness, raised in power;(D) 44 sown a natural body, raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written, The first man Adam became a living being;[a](E) the last Adam(F) became a life-giving spirit. 46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, then the spiritual.
47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust;(G) the second man is[b] from heaven. 48 Like the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; like the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven.(H) 49 And just as we have borne the image(I) of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven.(J)
Victorious Resurrection
50 What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: Flesh(K) and blood(L) cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor can corruption inherit incorruption.
Love Your Enemies
27 “But I say to you who listen: Love your enemies, do what is good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.(A) 29 If anyone hits you on the cheek,(B) offer the other also. And if anyone takes away your coat, don’t hold back your shirt either. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and from someone who takes your things, don’t ask for them back. 31 Just as you want others to do for you, do the same for them.(C) 32 If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.(D) 33 If you do what is good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you?(E) Even sinners lend to sinners to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do what is good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High.(F) For he is gracious to the ungrateful and evil. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.(G)
Do Not Judge
37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged.(H) Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.(I) 38 Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over—will be poured into your lap.(J) For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”(K)
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