Genesis 44
Joseph’s Stolen Cup
1 Now Joseph commanded the steward of his house, 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.
2 Also put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his grain money.” So he did according to the word Joseph had spoken.
3 As soon as the morning dawned, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys.
4 When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, “Get up, follow the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good?
5 Why have you stolen my silver cup? Is not this the cup from which my lord drinks, and with which he indeed practices divination? You have done evil in so doing.’ ”
6 So he overtook them, and he spoke to them these same words.
7 But they said to him, “Why does my lord say these words? Far be it from us that your servants should do such a thing.
8 Look, we brought back to you from the land of Canaan the money we found in the mouth of our sacks. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord’s house?
9 With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord’s servants.”
10 Then he replied, “Now as you say, so it will be; he with whom it is found shall be my servant, and you shall be blameless.”
11 Then each man speedily let down his sack to the ground, and each opened his sack.
12 So he searched the oldest and left off with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.
13 Then they tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey and returned to the city.
14 So Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, and he was still there; and they fell before him on the ground.
15 Thus Joseph said to them, “What is this thing you have done? Did you not know that such a man as I can certainly practice divination?”
16 Then Judah said, “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves? God has found out the wrongdoing of your servants; here we are, my lord’s slaves, both we and he also with whom the cup was found.”
17 But Joseph said, “Far be it from me that I should do so; the man in whose hand the cup was found, he shall be my servant. And as for you, go up in peace to your father.”
Judah Speaks Up for Benjamin
18 Then Judah came near to him and said, “O my lord, let your servant speak a word in my lord’s hearing, and do not let your anger burn against your servant; for you are even like Pharaoh.
19 My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father or a brother?’
20 Then we said to my lord, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, who is young; 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 But we said to my lord, ‘The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’
23 But you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall see my face no more.’
24 “So it was, when we went up to your servant my father, that we told him the words of my lord.
25 And our father said, ‘Go back and buy us a little food.’
26 But we said, ‘We cannot go down; if our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we may not see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’
27 Then your servant our father said to us, ‘You know my wife bore me two sons;
28 and the one went out from me, and I said, “Surely he was eaten by a wild animal”; and I have not seen him since.
29 But if you take this one also from me, and calamity befalls him, you shall bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.’
30 Now therefore, when I come to your servant our father, and the lad is not with us, since his life is bound up in the lad’s life,
31 it will happen, when he sees the lad is not with us, he will die. So your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father with sorrow to the grave.
32 For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father all my days.’
33 Now therefore, let your servant remain instead of the lad as a servant to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers.
34 For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me, lest perhaps I see the evil that would come upon my father?”
Psalms 39
1 For the End; a psalm by David. †
2 I waited patiently for the Lord, and He heeded me; And He heard my supplication,
3 And brought me up out of a miserable pit And from miry clay; And He established my feet on a rock And kept straight my steps.
4 He put a new song in my mouth, A hymn to our God; Many will see and be afraid, And shall hope in the Lord.
5 Blessed is the man whose hope is the name of the Lord, And who did not look into vanities and false frenzies.
6 Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders You performed, And in Your thoughts there is no one who shall be likened to You; I declared and said, “They are multiplied beyond number.
7 Sacrifice and offering You did not will; But a body You prepared for me; A whole burnt offering and a sin offering You did not require.”
8 Then I said, “Behold, I come (it is written of me in the volume of the book);
9 I willed to do Your will, O my God, And Your law in the midst of my heart.”
10 I proclaimed righteousness in the great church; Behold, I shall not restrain my lips, O Lord, You know.
11 I did not hide Your righteousness in my heart; I declared Your truth and Your salvation; I did not hide Your mercy and Your truth from the great congregation.
12 O Lord, do not remove Your compassion from me; May Your mercy and Your truth take hold of me continually.
13 For evils without number surrounded me; My transgressions overpowered me, and I could not see; They multiplied more than the hairs of my head, And my heart failed me.
14 Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; O Lord, give heed to help me.
15 May those who seek my soul to make away with it Be disgraced and confounded together; May those who wish evil for me be turned back and disgraced;
16 May those who say to me, “Well done! Well done!” Receive their shame immediately.
17 May all who seek You, O Lord, Rejoice exceedingly, and be glad in You; And may those who love Your salvation Say continually, “The Lord be magnified.”
18 But I am poor and needy; the Lord will take care of me. You are my helper and my protector; O my God, do not delay.
Proverbs of Solomon 8
17 I love those who love me, And those who seek me shall find me.
18 Riches and glory belong to me, And abundant possessions, and righteousness;
19 It is better to enjoy my fruits than gold and precious stones, And my fruits are better than choice silver.
20 I walk in the ways of righteousness, And I am conversant with the paths of judgment;
21 That I may distribute substance to those who love me, And may fill their treasuries with good things.
Matthew 26
Betrayed, Arrested, Forsaken
47 And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people.
48 Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him.”
49 Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.
50 But Jesus said to him, “Friend, why have you come?” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him.
51 And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.
52 But Jesus said to him, “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.†
53 Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?
54 How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?”
55 In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, “Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me? I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize Me.
56 But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.
Before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin
57 And those who had laid hold of Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.
58 But Peter followed Him at a distance to the high priest’s courtyard. And he went in and sat with the servants to see the end.
59 Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death,
60 but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward
61 and said, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’ ”†
62 And the high priest arose and said to Him, “Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?”
63 But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!”
64 Jesus said to him, “ It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”†
65 Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, “He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His blasphemy!
66 What do you think?” They answered and said, “He is deserving of death.”
67 Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands,
68 saying, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is the one who struck You?”
Peter’s Three Denials
69 Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, “You also were with Jesus of Galilee.”†
70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are saying.”
71 And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth.”
72 But again he denied with an oath, “I do not know the Man!”
73 And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, “Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you.”
74 Then he began to curse and swear, saying, “I do not know the Man!” Immediately a rooster crowed.
75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” So he went out and wept bitterly.