Jan 25th

So the man did as Joseph said and brought the men to Joseph’s house.

And the men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph’s house; and they said, “It is because of the money that was returned in our sacks the first time that we are being brought in, that he may seek occasion against us and fall upon us and take us for slaves with our donkeys.”

So they came near to Joseph’s house steward and spoke to him at the entrance of the house,

and they said, “Oh, my lord, we indeed came down the first time to buy food,

and it happened when we came to the lodging place, that we opened our sacks, and behold, each man’s money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full. So we have brought it back in our hand.

We have also brought down other money in our hand to buy food; we do not know who put our money in our sacks.”

And he said, “Be well, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; your money has come to me.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.

Then the man brought the men into Joseph’s house and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their donkeys fodder.

So they prepared the present for Joseph’s coming at noon; for they had heard that they were to eat a meal there.

Then Joseph came home, and they brought into the house to him the present which was in their hand and bowed to the ground before him.

And he asked them about their well-being and said, “Is your old father well, of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?”

And they said, “Your servant our father is well; he is still alive.” They bowed down and prostrated themselves.

Then he lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son. And he said, “Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me?” And he said, “May God be gracious to you, my son.”

And Joseph hurried out for he was deeply stirred with compassion over his brother, and he sought a place to weep; and he entered his chamber and wept there.

Then he washed his face and came out; and he restrained himself and said, “Set the meal.”

So they set the meal for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat bread with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians.

And they were seated before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth, and the men looked at one another in astonishment.

And he took portions to them from his own table, but Benjamin’s portion was five times greater than any of theirs. So they feasted and drank freely with him.

Then he commanded his house steward, saying, “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money in the mouth of his sack.

Now put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his money for the grain.” And he did as Joseph had told him.

As the morning light broke, the men were sent away, they with their donkeys.

Now they had just gone out of the city and were not far off when Joseph said to his house steward, “Arise, pursue the men; you shall overtake them and say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good?

Is not this the one from which my lord drinks and which he indeed uses to interpret omens? You have done evil in doing this.’ ”

So he overtook them and spoke these words to them.

And they said to him, “Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing.

Behold, the money which we found in the mouth of our sacks we have brought back to you from the land of Canaan. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord’s house?

With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord’s slaves.”

So he said, “Now let it also be according to your words; he with whom it is found shall be my slave, but the rest of you shall be innocent.”

Then they hurried, each man brought his sack down to the ground, and each man opened his sack.

So he searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.

Then they tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey and returned to the city.

Then Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, and he was still there. So they fell to the ground before him.

And Joseph said to them, “What is this deed that you have done? Do you not know that such a man as I can indeed interpret omens?”

So Judah said, “What can we say to my lord? What can we speak? And how can we justify ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; behold, we are my lord’s slaves, both we and the one in whose possession the cup has been found.”

But he said, “Far be it from me to do this. The man in whose possession the cup has been found, he shall be my slave; but as for you, go up in peace to your father.”

Then Judah came near to him and said, “O my lord, may your servant please speak a word in my lord’s ears, and do not be angry with your servant; for you are equal to Pharaoh.

My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father or a brother?’

And we said to my lord, ‘We have an old father and a little child of his old age. Now his brother is dead, so he alone is left of his mother, and his father loves him.’

Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me that I may set my eyes on him.’

And we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father; if he should leave his father, his father would die.’

You said to your servants, however, ‘If your youngest brother does not come down with you, you will not see my face again.’

Thus it happened that when we went up to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.

And our father said, ‘Go back, buy us a little food.’

But we said, ‘We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we cannot see the man’s face if our youngest brother is not with us.’

And your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons;

and the one went out from me, and I said, “Surely he is torn to pieces,” and I have not seen him since.

If you take this one also from me and harm befalls him, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in evil.’

So now, when I come to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us—and his life is bound up in the boy’s life—

so it will be that when he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. Thus your servants will bring the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow.

For your servant became a guarantee for the boy to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the sin before my father all my days.’

So now, please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a slave to my lord, and let the boy go up with his brothers.

For how shall I go up to my father if the boy is not with me, lest I see the evil that would overtake my father?”

Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he called out, “Have everyone go out from me.” So there was no man with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.

Then he wept loudly. And the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it.

Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were terrified at his presence.

“For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves.

When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him.

But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made.

Therefore, the slave fell to the ground and was prostrating himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’

And feeling compassion, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt.

But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him one hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe.’

So, his fellow slave fell to the ground and was pleading with him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’

But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed.

So, when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened.

Then summoning him, his lord *said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.

Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’

And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him.

Now it happened that when Jesus had finished these words, He departed from Galilee and came into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan;

and large crowds followed Him, and He healed them there.

And some Pharisees came to Jesus, testing Him and saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?”

And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female,

and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?

So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”

They *said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give her a certificate of divorce and send her away?”

He *said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way.

The disciples *said to Him, “If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry.”

But He said to them, “Not all men can accept this statement, but only those to whom it has been given.

Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them.

But Jesus said, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

And after laying His hands on them, He departed from there.

And behold, someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”

And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

Then he *said to Him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness;

Honor your father and mother; and You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

The young man *said to Him, “All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?”

Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.