Joseph Tests His Brothers

¹Then he commanded pthe steward of his house, q“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, ²and 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.

³As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away with their donkeys. ⁴They had gone only a short distance from the city. Now Joseph said to his rsteward, “Up, follow after the men, and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good?1 ⁵Is it not from this that my lord drinks, and sby this that he practices divination? You have done evil in doing this.’”

⁶When he overtook them, he spoke to them these words. ⁷They said to him, “Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing! ⁸Behold, tthe 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? ⁹uWhichever of your servants is found with it shall die, and we also will be vmy lord's servants.” ¹⁰He 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.” ¹¹Then each man quickly lowered his sack to the ground, and each man opened his sack. ¹²And he searched, beginning with the eldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. ¹³Then they wtore their clothes, and every man loaded his donkey, and they returned to the city.

¹⁴When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house, he was still there. They xfell before him to the ground. ¹⁵Joseph said to them, “What deed is this that you have done? Do you not know that a man like me ycan indeed practice divination?” ¹⁶And Judah said, “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how can we clear ourselves? God has found out zthe guilt of your servants; behold, we are amy lord's servants, both we and he also in whose hand the cup has been found.” ¹⁷But 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.”

¹⁸Then Judah went up to him and said, b“Oh, my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord's ears, and clet not your anger burn against your servant, for dyou are like Pharaoh himself. ¹⁹My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father, or a brother?’ ²⁰And we said to my lord, ‘We have a father, an old man, eand a young brother, fthe child of his old age. His brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother's children, and his father loves him.’ ²¹Then you said to your servants, g‘Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.’ ²²We said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, hhis father would die.’ ²³Then you said to your servants, i‘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. ²⁵And when jour father said, ‘Go again, buy us a little food,’ ²⁶we 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.’ ²⁷Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me ktwo sons. ²⁸One left me, and I said, l“Surely he has been torn to pieces,” and I have never seen him since. ²⁹If you mtake this one also from me, nand 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, ³¹as 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. ³²For your servant became a pledge of safety for the boy to my father, saying, o‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father all my life.’ ³³Now 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. ³⁴For 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.”

The Plot to Kill Jesus

¹xIt was now two days before ythe Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes zwere seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, ²for they said, “Not during the feast, alest there be an uproar from the people.”

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

³bAnd while he was at cBethany in the house of Simon the leper,1 as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. ⁴There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? ⁵For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii2 and dgiven to the poor.” And they escolded her. ⁶But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. ⁷For fyou always have the poor with you, and whenever gyou want, you can do good for them. But hyou will not always have me. ⁸iShe has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand jfor burial. ⁹And truly, I say to you, wherever kthe gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told lin memory of her.”

Judas to Betray Jesus

¹⁰mThen nJudas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, nwent to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. ¹¹And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to obetray him.

The Passover with the Disciples

¹²pAnd on qthe first day of Unleavened Bread, when they rsacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, “Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?” ¹³And he sent stwo of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him, ¹⁴and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, t‘The Teacher says, Where is umy guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ ¹⁵And he will show you va large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us.” ¹⁶And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

¹⁷wAnd when it was evening, he came with the twelve. ¹⁸And as they were reclining at table and eating, xJesus said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me, yone who is eating with me.” ¹⁹They began to be sorrowful and to say to him one after another, “Is it I?” ²⁰He said to them, “It is zone of the twelve, yone who is dipping bread into the dish with me. ²¹For the Son of Man goes aas it is written of him, but bwoe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! cIt would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”

Institution of the Lord's Supper

²²dAnd as they were eating, he took bread, and after eblessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; fthis is my body.” ²³And he took a cup, and when he had ggiven thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. ²⁴And he said to them, f“This is my hblood of the3 covenant, which is poured out for imany. ²⁵Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

Jesus Foretells Peter's Denial

²⁶jAnd when they had sung a hymn, kthey went out to lthe Mount of Olives. ²⁷And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will mstrike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ ²⁸But after I am raised up, nI will go before you to Galilee.” ²⁹oPeter said to him, “Even though they all fall away, I will not.” ³⁰And pJesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before qthe rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” ³¹But rhe said emphatically, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And they all said the same.

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

³²sAnd they went kto a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” ³³And he took with him tPeter and James and John, and began uto be greatly distressed and troubled. ³⁴And he said to them, v“My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and wwatch.”4 ³⁵And going a little farther, he fell on the ground xand prayed that, if it were possible, ythe hour might pass from him. ³⁶And he said, z“Abba, Father, aall things are possible for you. Remove bthis cup from me. cYet not what I will, but what you will.” ³⁷And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? ³⁸wWatch and dpray that you may not eenter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” ³⁹And again he went away and prayed, fsaying the same words. ⁴⁰And again he came and found them sleeping, for gtheir eyes were very heavy, and hthey did not know what to answer him. ⁴¹And he came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? iIt is enough; jthe hour has come. kThe Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴²Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”

Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

⁴³lAnd immediately, while he was still speaking, mJudas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. ⁴⁴Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard.” ⁴⁵And when he came, he went up to him at once and said, n“Rabbi!” And he okissed him. ⁴⁶And they laid hands on him and seized him. ⁴⁷But one of those who stood by drew his psword and struck the servant5 of the high priest and cut off his ear. ⁴⁸And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? ⁴⁹qDay after day I was with you in the temple rteaching, and you did not seize me. But slet the Scriptures be fulfilled.” ⁵⁰tAnd they all left him and fled.

A Young Man Flees

⁵¹And a young man followed him, with nothing but ua linen cloth about his body. And they seized him, ⁵²but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked.

Jesus Before the Council

⁵³vAnd wthey led Jesus to the high priest. And all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes came together. ⁵⁴wAnd xPeter had followed him at a distance, yright into zthe courtyard of the high priest. And he was sitting with athe guards and bwarming himself at the fire. ⁵⁵Now the chief priests and the whole council6 were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none. ⁵⁶cFor many bore false witness against him, but their testimony ddid not agree. ⁵⁷And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying, ⁵⁸e“We heard him say, f‘I will destroy this temple gthat is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, hnot made with hands.’” ⁵⁹Yet even about this their testimony did not agree. ⁶⁰And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?”7 ⁶¹But ihe remained silent and made no answer. jAgain the high priest asked him, “Are you kthe Christ, the Son of lthe Blessed?” ⁶²And Jesus said, “I am, and myou will see the Son of Man nseated at the right hand of Power, and mcoming with the clouds of heaven.” ⁶³And the high priest otore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need? ⁶⁴You have heard phis blasphemy. What is your decision?” And they qall condemned him as rdeserving death. ⁶⁵sAnd some began tto spit on him and uto cover his face and to strike him, saying to him, “Prophesy!” And the guards received him vwith blows.

Peter Denies Jesus

⁶⁶wAnd as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came, ⁶⁷and seeing Peter xwarming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.” ⁶⁸But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you mean.” And he went out into the gateway8 and ythe rooster crowed.9 ⁶⁹And the servant girl saw him and began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.” ⁷⁰But again he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.” ⁷¹But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak.” ⁷²And immediately the rooster crowed za second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, a“Before the rooster crows twice, you will bdeny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.10

Job Continues: A Plea to God

¹“I uloathe my life;

I will give free utterance to my vcomplaint;

I will speak in wthe bitterness of my soul.

²I will say to God, Do not xcondemn me;

let me know why you ycontend against me.

³zDoes it seem good to you to oppress,

to despise athe work of your hands

band favor the designs of the wicked?

⁴Have you ceyes of flesh?

dDo you see as man sees?

⁵Are your days as the days of man,

or your eyears as a man's years,

⁶that you fseek out my iniquity

and search for my sin,

⁷although you gknow that I am not guilty,

and there is hnone to deliver out of your hand?

⁸iYour hands fashioned and made me,

and now you have destroyed me altogether.

⁹Remember that you have made me like jclay;

and will you return me to the kdust?

¹⁰Did you not pour me out like milk

and curdle me like cheese?

¹¹You clothed me with skin and flesh,

and knit me together with bones and sinews.

¹²You have granted me life and steadfast love,

and your care has preserved my spirit.

¹³Yet these things you hid in your heart;

I know that lthis was your purpose.

¹⁴If I sin, you mwatch me

and do not nacquit me of my iniquity.

¹⁵oIf I am guilty, woe to me!

If I am pin the right, I cannot lift up my head,

for I am filled with disgrace

and qlook on my affliction.

¹⁶And were my head lifted up,1 you would hunt me like ra lion

and again work swonders against me.

¹⁷You renew your twitnesses against me

and increase your vexation toward me;

you ubring fresh troops against me.

¹⁸v“Why did you bring me out from the womb?

Would that I had died before any eye had seen me

¹⁹wand were as though I had not been,

carried from the womb to the grave.

²⁰xAre not my days few?

yThen cease, and leave me alone, zthat I may find a little cheer

²¹before I go—and aI shall not return—

to the land of bdarkness and cdeep shadow,

²²the land of gloom like thick darkness,

like deep shadow without any order,

where light is as thick darkness.”

Do Not Pass Judgment on One Another

¹As for mthe one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. ²nOne person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. ³Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and olet not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. ⁴pWho are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master1 that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

⁵qOne person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. rEach one should be fully convinced in his own mind. ⁶The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since she gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. ⁷For tnone of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. ⁸For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, uwhether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. ⁹For to this end Christ vdied and lived again, that he might be Lord both wof the dead and of the living.

¹⁰Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For wwe will all stand before xthe judgment seat of God; ¹¹for it is written,

y“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,

and every tongue shall confess2 to God.”

¹²So then zeach of us will give an account of himself to God.

Do Not Cause Another to Stumble

¹³aTherefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide bnever to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. ¹⁴I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus cthat nothing is unclean in itself, dbut it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. ¹⁵For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, eyou are no longer walking in love. fBy what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. ¹⁶gSo do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. ¹⁷hFor the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but iof righteousness and jpeace and joy in the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸Whoever thus serves Christ is kacceptable to God and approved by men. ¹⁹So then let us lpursue what makes for peace and for mmutual upbuilding.

²⁰nDo not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. oEverything is indeed clean, but pit is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. ²¹qIt is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.3 ²²The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. rBlessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. ²³But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.4