Jan 28th

And Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn. Place your right hand on his head.”

But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know; he also will become a people, and he also will be great. However, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become the fullness of nations.”

And he blessed them that day, saying,

Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you back to the land of your fathers.

And I give you one portion more than your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow.”

Then Jacob summoned his sons and said, “Gather together that I may tell you what will befall you in the last days.

All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them. So he blessed them. He blessed them, every one with the blessing appropriate to him.

Then he commanded them and said to them, “I am about to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field from Ephron the Hittite as a possession for a burial site.

There they buried Abraham and his wife Sarah, there they buried Isaac and his wife Rebekah, and there I buried Leah—

the field and the cave that is in it, purchased from the sons of Heth.”

So Jacob finished commanding his sons. And he drew his feet into the bed and breathed his last and was gathered to his people.

Then Joseph fell on his father’s face and wept over him and kissed him.

And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel.

Then the forty days to do this were fulfilled, because in this manner the days of embalming are fulfilled. And the Egyptians wept for him seventy days.

Then the days of weeping for him were past, and Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your sight, please speak in the ears of Pharaoh, saying,

‘My father made me swear, saying, “Behold, I am about to die; in my grave which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me.” So now, please let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.’ ”

And Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.”

So Joseph went up to bury his father, and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt,

and all the household of Joseph and his brothers and his father’s household; they left only their little ones and their flocks and their herds in the land of Goshen.

There also went up with him both chariots and horsemen; and it was a very immense camp.

And they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, and they lamented there with a very great and immense lamentation; and he observed seven days of mourning for his father.

Now the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, and they said, “This is an immense mourning for the Egyptians.” Therefore it was named Abel-mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan.

Thus his sons did for him as he had commanded them.

Indeed, his sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre, which Abraham had bought along with the field for his possession as a burial site from Ephron the Hittite.

After he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers, and all who had gone up with him to bury his father.

Then Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, and they said, “What if Joseph bears a grudge against us and returns back to us all the evil which we dealt against him!”

So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father commanded before he died, saying,

‘Thus you shall say to Joseph, “Please forgive, I beg you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they dealt evil against you.” ’ So now, please forgive the transgression of the slaves of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.

Then his brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your slaves.”

But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place?

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to do what has happened on this day, to keep many people alive.

So now, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke to their heart.

And as they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him.

And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus *was passing by, cried out, saying, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”

But the crowd sternly told them to be quiet, but they cried out all the more, saying, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

And Jesus stopped and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?”

They *said to Him, “Lord, that our eyes be opened.”

And moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him.

And when they had approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me.

And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.”

And this took place in order that what was spoken through the prophet would be fulfilled, saying,

And the disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them,

and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their garments on them; and He sat on the garments.

And most of the crowd spread their garments in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road.

And the crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were crying out, saying,

And when He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?”

And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.”

And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves.

And He *said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a robbers’ den.”

And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.

But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the marvelous things which He had done, and the children who were shouting in the temple, saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they became indignant

and said to Him, “Do You hear what these children are saying?” And Jesus *said to them, “Yes; have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies You have prepared praise for Yourself’?”

And He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there.

Now in the morning, when He was returning to the city, He became hungry.

And seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it except leaves only; and He *said to it, “No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you.” And at once the fig tree withered.