Genesis 45
Joseph Reveals Himself to His Brothers
1 Now Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Make everyone go out from me!” So no one stood with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers.
2 Then he wept aloud, and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard it.
3 Joseph then said to his brothers, “I am Joseph; does my father still live?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were stunned in his presence.
4 But Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said, “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.
5 Now therefore, do not be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to save life.†
6 For this is the second year of famine in the land, and five years still remain in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.
7 For God sent me before you to preserve you as a remnant on the earth, and to sustain you as a great remnant.
8 So now, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.
9 “Hurry then and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, “God 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 to me, you and your children, your children’s children, your sheep and oxen, and all you have.
11 There I will provide for you, lest you and your household, and all you have, come to poverty; for five years of famine still remain.’ ”
12 And behold, your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see it is my mouth that speaks to you.
13 Therefore, you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all you have seen; and you shall hurry and bring my father down here.”
14 Then he fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck.
15 Moreover he kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and after this his brothers talked with him.
16 Now the report of it was heard in Pharaoh’s house, saying, “Joseph’s brothers have come.” So it pleased Pharaoh and his servants well. †
17 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this, load your conveyances and depart; go to the land of Canaan.
18 Bring your father and your households and come to me; I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you will eat the fat of the land.
19 Now you are commanded—do this, take carts out of the land of Egypt for your little ones and your wives; bring your father and come.
20 Also do not be concerned about your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’ ”
21 Thus the sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them carts, according to the command of Pharaoh, and he gave them provisions for the journey.
22 He gave to all of them, to each man, two changes of garments; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of gold and five changes of exceptionally fine garments.
23 He also sent to his father these things: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten mules loaded with grain, bread, and food for his father for the journey.
24 So he sent his brothers away, and they departed; and he said to them, “See that you do not become angry with each other along the way.”
25 Then they went up out of Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan to Jacob their father.
26 Thus they told him, saying, “Joseph your son is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” But Jacob’s mind was completely stunned, for he could not believe them.
27 But when they told him all the words Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived.†
28 Then Israel said, “It is a great thing to me that my son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”
Psalms 40
1 For the End; a psalm by David. †
2 Blessed is he who understands the poor and needy; The Lord will deliver him in an evil day.
3 May the Lord keep him, and give him life, And make him blessed on the earth, And not deliver him into the hands of his enemies.
4 May the Lord help him on his bed of pain; You turned his bed from sickness to wholeness.
5 O Lord, I said, “Have mercy on me; Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.”
6 My enemies speak evil things against me, “When will he die, and his name perish?”
7 And if he comes to see us, he speaks in vain; His heart gathered lawlessness to itself; He went forth and spoke the same.
8 All my enemies whisper together against me; Against me they devise evils for me;
9 They testify a lawless word against me, “Since he is asleep, will he rise up again?”
10 For even the man of my peace, in whom I hoped, He who ate my bread, dealt deceptively with me;
11 But You, O Lord, have mercy on me, And raise me up; and I will repay them.
12 By this I know You are pleased with me, Because my enemy did not rejoice over me.
13 And because of my innocence, You supported me, And established me before You forever.
14 Blessed is the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting. Amen! Amen!
Proverbs of Solomon 8
Divine Wisdom and the Father
22 “If I declare to you the things that happen daily, I will also remember to recount the things of old.†
23 The Lord created me in the beginning of His ways for His works; He established me in the beginning before time,†
24 Before He made the earth, and before He made the abysses, Before the going forth of the fountains of waters,†
25 Before the mountains were created; And He begot me before all hills.
26 The Lord made the fields and the uninhabited places And the inhabited heights under heaven.†
Matthew 27
Friday: The Sanhedrin Delivers Jesus to Pilate
1 When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death.
2 And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor.†
The Death of Judas
3 Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,†
4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” And they said, “What is that to us? You see to it! ”
5 Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.
6 But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood.”
7 And they consulted together and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in.
8 Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.
9 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced,
10 and gave them for the potter’s field, as the LORD directed me.”
“King of the Jews”
11 Now Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus said to him, “ It is as you say.”†
12 And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing.
13 Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?”
14 But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.
Pilate Barters over Barabbas
15 Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished.
16 And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.†
17 Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?”†
18 For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy.
19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.”
20 But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus.
21 The governor answered and said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” They said, “Barabbas!”
22 Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said to him, “Let Him be crucified!”
23 Then the governor said, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they cried out all the more, saying, “Let Him be crucified!”
24 When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it. ”
25 And all the people answered and said, “His blood be on us and on our children.”†
26 Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.