Matthew 8:23-34
[23]
And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. [24] And
behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being
swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. [25] And they went and woke
him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” [26] And he said to
them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and
rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. [27] And the
men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea
obey him?”
[28]
And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes,
two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that
no one could pass that way. [29] And behold, they cried out, “What have
you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us
before the time?” [30] Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some
distance from them. [31] And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast
us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.” [32] And he said to them,
“Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole
herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters.
[33] The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything,
especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men. [34] And
behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they
begged him to leave their region.
Acts 12
[1]
About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged
to the church. [2] He killed James the brother of John with the sword,
[3] and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest
Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. [4] And when
he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four
squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring
him out to the people. [5] So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest
prayer for him was made to God by the church.
[6]
Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter
was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries
before the door were guarding the prison. [7] And behold, an angel of
the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck
Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains
fell off his hands. [8] And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and
put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your
cloak around you and follow me.” [9] And he went out and followed him.
He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but
thought he was seeing a vision. [10] When they had passed the first and
the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It
opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one
street, and immediately the angel left him. [11] When Peter came to
himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and
rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people
were expecting.”
[12]
When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John
whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were
praying. [13] And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant
girl named Rhoda came to answer. [14] Recognizing Peter’s voice, in her
joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was
standing at the gate. [15] They said to her, “You are out of your mind.”
But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is his
angel!” [16] But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they
saw him and were amazed. [17] But motioning to them with his hand to be
silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the
prison. And he said, “Tell these things to James and to the brothers.”
Then he departed and went to another place.
[18]
Now when day came, there was no little disturbance among the soldiers
over what had become of Peter. [19] And after Herod searched for him and
did not find him, he examined the sentries and ordered that they should
be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent
time there.
[20]
Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they came to
him with one accord, and having persuaded Blastus, the king’s
chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the
king’s country for food. [21] On an appointed day Herod put on his
royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to
them. [22] And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of
a man!” [23] Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because
he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed
his last.
[24] But the word of God increased and multiplied.
[25]
And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had completed
their service, bringing with them John, whose other name was Mark.
Psalm 20
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
[1] May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!
May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!
[2] May he send you help from the sanctuary
and give you support from Zion!
[3] May he remember all your offerings
and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah
[4] May he grant you your heart’s desire
and fulfill all your plans!
[5] May we shout for joy over your salvation,
and in the name of our God set up our banners!
May the LORD fulfill all your petitions!
[6] Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;
he will answer him from his holy heaven
with the saving might of his right hand.
[7] Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
[8] They collapse and fall,
but we rise and stand upright.
[9] O LORD, save the king!
May he answer us when we call.
Genesis 44
[1]
Then he commanded the steward of his house, “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, [2] and put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the
sack of the youngest, with his money for the grain.” And he did as
Joseph told him.
[3]
As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away with their
donkeys. [4] They had gone only a short distance from the city. Now
Joseph said to his steward, “Up, follow after the men, and when you
overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good? [5] Is
it not from this that my lord drinks, and by this that he practices
divination? You have done evil in doing this.’”
[6]
When he overtook them, he spoke to them these words. [7] They said to
him, “Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your
servants to do such a thing! [8] Behold, the money that we found in the
mouths of our sacks we brought back to you from the land of Canaan. How
then could we steal silver or gold from your lord’s house? [9] Whichever
of your servants is found with it shall die, and we also will be my
lord’s servants.” [10] He said, “Let it be as you say: he who is found
with it shall be my servant, and the rest of you shall be innocent.”
[11] Then each man quickly lowered his sack to the ground, and each man
opened his sack. [12] And he searched, beginning with the eldest and
ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. [13]
Then they tore their clothes, and every man loaded his donkey, and they
returned to the city.
[14]
When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, he was still there.
They fell before him to the ground. [15] Joseph said to them, “What
deed is this that you have done? Do you not know that a man like me can
indeed practice divination?” [16] And Judah said, “What shall we say to
my lord? What shall we speak? Or how can we clear ourselves? God has
found out the guilt of your servants; behold, we are my lord’s servants,
both we and he also in whose hand the cup has been found.” [17] But he
said, “Far be it from me that I should do so! Only the man in whose hand
the cup was found shall be my servant. But as for you, go up in peace
to your father.”
[18]
Then Judah went up to him and said, “Oh, my lord, please let your
servant speak a word in my lord’s ears, and let not your anger burn
against your servant, for you are like Pharaoh himself. [19] My lord
asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father, or a brother?’ [20] And
we said to my lord, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a young brother,
the child of his old age. His brother is dead, and he alone is left of
his mother’s children, and his father loves him.’ [21] Then you said to
your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.’
[22] We said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father, for if he
should leave his father, his father would die.’ [23] Then you said to
your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you
shall not see my face again.’
[24]
“When we went back to your servant my father, we told him the words of
my lord. [25] And when our father said, ‘Go again, buy us a little
food,’ [26] we said, ‘We cannot go down. If our youngest brother goes
with us, then we will go down. For we cannot see the man’s face unless
our youngest brother is with us.’ [27] Then your servant my father said
to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons. [28] One left me, and I
said, “Surely he has been torn to pieces,” and I have never seen him
since. [29] If you take this one also from me, and harm happens to him,
you will bring down my gray hairs in evil to Sheol.’
[30]
“Now therefore, as soon as I come to your servant my father, and the
boy is not with us, then, as his life is bound up in the boy’s life,
[31] as soon as he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die, and
your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father
with sorrow to Sheol. [32] For your servant became a pledge of safety
for the boy to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you,
then I shall bear the blame before my father all my life.’ [33] Now
therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a
servant to my lord, and let the boy go back with his brothers. [34] For
how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I fear to see
the evil that would find my father.”
Genesis 45
[1]
Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by
him. He cried, “Make everyone go out from me.” So no one stayed with him
when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. [2] And he wept aloud,
so that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it.
[3] And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still
alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at
his presence.
[4]
So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they
came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into
Egypt. [5] And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because
you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. [6] For
the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five
years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. [7] And God
sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep
alive for you many survivors. [8] So it was not you who sent me here,
but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house
and ruler over all the land of Egypt. [9] Hurry and go up to my father
and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all
Egypt. Come down to me; do not tarry. [10] You shall dwell in the land
of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your
children’s children, and your flocks, your herds, and all that you have.
[11] There I will provide for you, for there are yet five years of
famine to come, so that you and your household, and all that you have,
do not come to poverty.’ [12] And now your eyes see, and the eyes of my
brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth that speaks to you. [13] You
must tell my father of all my honor in Egypt, and of all that you have
seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.” [14] Then he fell upon his
brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck. [15]
And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them. After that his
brothers talked with him.
[16]
When the report was heard in Pharaoh’s house, “Joseph’s brothers have
come,” it pleased Pharaoh and his servants. [17] And Pharaoh said to
Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: load your beasts and go back to
the land of Canaan, [18] and take your father and your households, and
come to me, and I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you
shall eat the fat of the land.’ [19] And you, Joseph, are commanded to
say, ‘Do this: take wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones
and for your wives, and bring your father, and come. [20] Have no
concern for your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is
yours.’”
[21]
The sons of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them wagons, according to
the command of Pharaoh, and gave them provisions for the journey. [22]
To each and all of them he gave a change of clothes, but to Benjamin he
gave three hundred shekels of silver and five changes of clothes. [23]
To his father he sent as follows: ten donkeys loaded with the good
things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and
provision for his father on the journey. [24] Then he sent his brothers
away, and as they departed, he said to them, “Do not quarrel on the
way.”
[25]
So they went up out of Egypt and came to the land of Canaan to their
father Jacob. [26] And they told him, “Joseph is still alive, and he is
ruler over all the land of Egypt.” And his heart became numb, for he did
not believe them. [27] But when they told him all the words of Joseph,
which he had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had
sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. [28] And
Israel said, “It is enough; Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and
see him before I die.”
