Day 23 of 365

Gen 43:1–44:34

43:1 The famine was severe in the land.

43:2 It happened, when they had eaten up the grain which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said to them, "Go again, buy us a little more food."

43:3 Judah spoke to him, saying, "The man solemnly warned us, saying, 'You shall not see my face, unless your brother is with you.'

43:4 If you'll send our brother with us, we'll go down and buy you food,

43:5 but if you'll not send him, we'll not go down, for the man said to us, 'You shall not see my face, unless your brother is with you.'"

43:6 Israel said, "Why did you treat me so badly, telling the man that you had another brother?"

43:7 They said, "The man asked directly concerning ourselves, and concerning our relatives, saying, 'Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?' We just answered his questions. Is there any way we could know that he would say, 'Bring your brother down?'"

43:8 Judah said to Israel, his father, "Send the boy with me, and we'll get up and go, so that we may live, and not die, both we, and you, and also our little ones.

43:9 I'll be collateral for him. From my hand will you require him. If I do not bring him to you, and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever,

43:10 for if we hadn't delayed, surely we would have returned a second time by now."

43:11 Their father, Israel, said to them, "If it must be so, then do this. Take from the choice fruits of the land in your bags, and carry down a present for the man, a little balm, a little honey, spices and myrrh, nuts, and almonds;

43:12 and take double money in your hand, and take back the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks. Perhaps it was an oversight.

43:13 Take your brother also, get up, and return to the man.

43:14 May God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release to you your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved."

43:15 The men took that present, and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin; and got up, went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph.

43:16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, "Bring the men into the house, and butcher an animal, and make ready; for the men will dine with me at noon."

43:17 The man did as Joseph commanded, and the man brought the men to Joseph's house.

43:18 The men were afraid, because they were brought to Joseph's house; and they said, "Because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time, we're brought in; that he may seek occasion against us, attack us, and seize us as slaves, along with our donkeys."

43:19 They came near to the steward of Joseph's house, and they spoke to him at the door of the house,

43:20 and said, "Oh, my lord, we indeed came down the first time to buy food.

43:21 When we came to the lodging place, we opened our sacks, and behold, every man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight. We have brought it back in our hand.

43:22 We have brought down other money in our hand to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks."

43:23 He said, "Peace be to you. Do not be afraid. Your God, and the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks. I received your money." He brought Simeon out to them.

43:24 The man brought the men into Joseph's house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet. He gave their donkeys fodder.

43:25 They made ready the present for Joseph's coming at noon, for they heard that they should eat bread there.

43:26 When Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed themselves down to him to the earth.

43:27 He asked them of their welfare, and said, "Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he yet alive?"

43:28 They said, "Your servant, our father, is well. He is still alive." They bowed the head, and did homage.

43:29 He lifted up his eyes, and saw Benjamin, his brother, his mother's son, and said, "Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me?" He said, "God be gracious to you, my son."

43:30 Joseph hurried, for his heart yearned over his brother; and he sought a place to weep. He entered into his room, and wept there.

43:31 He washed his face, and came out. He controlled himself, and said, "Serve the meal."

43:32 They served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians, that ate with him, by themselves, because the Egyptians do not eat bread with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians.

43:33 They sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth, and the men marveled one with another.

43:34 He sent portions to them from before him, but Benjamin's portion was five times as much as any of theirs. They drank, and were merry with him.

44:1 He commanded the steward of his house, saying, "Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's mouth.

44:2 Put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, with his grain money." He did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.

44:3 As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys.

44:4 When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, "Up, follow after the men. When you overtake them, ask them, 'Why have you rewarded evil for good?

44:5 Isn't this that from which my lord drinks, and by which he indeed divines? You have done evil in so doing.'"

44:6 He overtook them, and he spoke these words to them.

44:7 They said to him, "Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants that they should do such a thing!

44:8 Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks' mouths, we brought again to you out of the land of Canaan. How then should we steal silver or gold out of your lord's house?

44:9 With whoever of your servants it be found, let him die, and we also will be my lord's bondservants."

44:10 He said, "Now also let it be according to your words: he with whom it is found will be my bondservant; and you will be blameless."

44:11 Then they hurried, and every man took his sack down to the ground, and every man opened his sack.

44:12 He searched, beginning with the eldest, and ending at the youngest. The cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

44:13 Then they tore their clothes, and every man loaded his donkey, and returned to the city.

44:14 Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house, and he was still there. They fell on the ground before him.

44:15 Joseph said to them, "What deed is this that you have done? Do you not know that such a man as I can indeed divine?"

44:16 Judah said, "What will we tell my lord? What will we speak? Or how will we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants. Behold, we are my lord's bondservants, both we, and he also in whose hand the cup is found."

44:17 He said, "Far be it from me that I should do so. The man in whose hand the cup is found, he will be my bondservant; but as for you, go up in peace to your father."

44:18 Then Judah came near to him, and said, "Oh, my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord's ears, and do not let your anger burn against your servant; for you are even as Pharaoh.

44:19 My lord asked his servants, saying, 'Have you a father, or a brother?'

44:20 We said to my lord, 'We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother; and his father loves him.'

44:21 You said to your servants, 'Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.'

44:22 We said to my lord, 'The boy can't leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die.'

44:23 You said to your servants, 'Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will see my face no more.'

44:24 It happened when we came up to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.

44:25 Our father said, 'Go again, buy us a little food.'

44:26 We said, 'We can't 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.'

44:27 Your servant, my father, said to us, 'You know that my wife bore me two sons:

44:28 and the one went out from me, and I said, "Surely he is torn in pieces;" and I haven't seen him since.

44:29 If you take this one also from me, and harm happens to him, you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.'

44:30 Now therefore when I come to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the boy's life;

44:31 it will happen, when he sees that the boy is no more, that he will die. Your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant, our father, with sorrow to Sheol.

44:32 For your servant became collateral for the boy to my father, saying, 'If I do not bring him to you, then I will bear the blame to my father forever.'

44:33 Now therefore, please let your servant stay instead of the boy, a bondservant to my lord; and let the boy go up with his brothers.

44:34 For how will I go up to my father, if the boy isn't with me?-lest I see the evil that will come on my father."

Matt 15:1–39

1 Then the Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying,

2 "Why do your disciples disobey the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."

3 And he answered them, "Why do you also disobey the commandment of God because of your tradition?

4 For God said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death.'

5 But you say, 'Whoever may tell his father or his mother, "Whatever help you might otherwise have gotten from me is a gift devoted to God,"

6 he shall not honor his father or mother.' You have made the word of God void because of your tradition.

7 You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying,

8 'These people honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

9 And in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrine rules made by men.'"

10 He summoned the multitude, and said to them, "Hear, and understand.

11 That which enters into the mouth does not defile the man; but that which proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man."

12 Then the disciples came, and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended, when they heard this saying?"

13 But he answered, "Every plant which my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted.

14 Leave them alone. They are blind guides of the blind. If the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit."

15 Peter answered him, "Explain the parable to us."

16 So he said, "Do you also still not understand?

17 Do you not understand that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the belly, and then out of the body?

18 But the things which proceed out of the mouth come out of the heart, and they defile the man.

19 For out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual sins, thefts, false testimony, and blasphemies.

20 These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man."

21 Jesus went out from there, and withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon.

22 Behold, a Canaanite woman came out from those borders, and started shouting, saying, "Have mercy on me, Lord, you son of David! My daughter is severely demonized!"

23 But he answered her not a word. His disciples came and begged him, saying, "Send her away; for she cries after us."

24 But he answered, "I was not sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

25 But she came and worshiped him, saying, "Lord, help me."

26 But he answered, "It is not appropriate to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."

27 But she said, "Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."

28 Then Jesus answered her, "Woman, great is your faith! Be it done to you even as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that hour.

29 Jesus departed there, and came near to the sea of Galilee; and he went up into the mountain, and sat there.

30 Great multitudes came to him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, crippled, and many others, and they put them down at his feet. He healed them,

31 so that the crowd wondered when they saw the mute speaking, injured whole, lame walking, and blind seeing-and they glorified the God of Israel.

32 Jesus summoned his disciples and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away fasting, or they might faint on the way."

33 Then the disciples said to him, "Where should we get so many loaves in a deserted place as to satisfy so great a multitude?"

34 Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" They said, "Seven, and a few small fish."

35 He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground;

36 and he took the seven loaves and the fish. He gave thanks and broke them, and gave to the disciples, and the disciples to the multitudes.

37 They all ate, and were filled. They took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces that were left over.

38 Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.

39 Then he sent away the multitudes, got into the boat, and came into the borders of Magadan.

Prov 6:1–9

1 My son, if you have become collateral for your neighbor, if you have struck your hands in pledge for a stranger;

2 You are trapped by the words of your mouth. You are ensnared with the words of your mouth.

3 Do this now, my son, and deliver yourself, seeing you have come into the hand of your neighbor. Go, humble yourself. Press your plea with your neighbor.

4 Give no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids.

5 Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.

6 Go to the ant, you sluggard. Consider her ways, and be wise;

7 which having no chief, overseer, or ruler,

8 provides her bread in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest.

9 How long will you sleep, sluggard? When will you arise out of your sleep?