Bible Readings for January 22, 2019

Today our passages are Genesis 44:1–45:28; Matthew 14:13-36; Psalm 18:37-50; and Proverbs 4:11-13. The readings are the Contemporary English Version. If you find these readings helpful, please consider sending an offering directly to Cove Presbyterian Church, 3404 Main Street, Weirton, West Virginia or through PayPal by using the link below.

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Genesis 44-45:28 (Contemporary English Version)

Genesis 44

The Missing Cup

 ^1-2Later, Joseph told the servant in charge of his house, "Fill the men's grain sacks with as much as they can hold and put their money in the sacks. Also put my silver cup in the sack of the youngest brother." The servant did as he was told.     ³Early the next morning, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys. ⁴But they had not gone far from the city when Joseph told the servant, "Go after those men! When you catch them, say, `My master has been good to you. So why have you stolen his silver cup? ⁵Not only does he drink from his cup, but he also uses it to learn about the future. You have done a terrible thing.' "
    ⁶When the servant caught up with them, he said exactly what Joseph had told him to say. ⁷But they replied, "Sir, why do you say such things? We would never do anything like that! ⁸We even returned the money we found in our grain sacks when we got back to Canaan. So why would we want to steal any silver or gold from your master's house? ⁹If you find that one of us has the cup, then kill him, and the rest of us will become your slaves."
    ¹⁰"Good!" the man replied, "I'll do what you have said. But only the one who has the cup will become my slave. The rest of you can go free."
    ¹¹Each of the brothers quickly put his sack on the ground and opened it. ¹²Joseph's servant started searching the sacks, beginning with the one that belonged to the oldest brother. When he came to Benjamin's sack, he found the cup. ¹³This upset the brothers so much that they began tearing their clothes in sorrow. Then they loaded their donkeys and returned to the city.
    ¹⁴When Judah and his brothers got there, Joseph was still at home. So they bowed down to Joseph, ¹⁵who asked them, "What have you done? Didn't you know I could find out?"
    ¹⁶"Sir, what can we say?" Judah replied. "How can we prove we are innocent? God has shown that we are guilty. And now all of us are your slaves, especially the one who had the cup."
    ¹⁷Joseph told them, "I would never punish all of you. Only the one who was caught with the cup will become my slave. The rest of you are free to go home to your father."
    

Judah Pleads for Benjamin

 ¹⁸Judah went over to Joseph and said:    Sir, you have as much power as the king ^{a<="" value="[a]" >[]} himself, and I am only your slave. Please don't get angry if I speak. ¹⁹You asked us if our father was still alive and if we had any more brothers. ²⁰So we told you, "Our father is a very old man. In fact, he was already old when Benjamin was born. Benjamin's brother is dead. Now Benjamin is the only one of the two brothers who is still alive, and our father loves him very much." ²¹You ordered us to bring him here, so you could see him for yourself. ²²We told you that our father would die if Benjamin left him. ²³But you warned us that we could never see you again, unless our youngest brother came with us. ²⁴So we returned to our father and reported what you had said.
    ²⁵Later our father told us to come back here and buy more grain. ²⁶But we answered, "We can't go back to Egypt without our youngest brother. We will never be let in to see the governor, unless he is with us."
    ²⁷Sir, our father then reminded us that his favorite wife had given birth to two sons. ²⁸One of them was already missing and had not been seen for a long time. My father thinks the boy was torn to pieces by some wild animal, ²⁹and he said, "I am an old man. If you take Benjamin from me, and something happens to him, I will die of a broken heart."
    ³⁰That's why Benjamin must be with us when I go back to my father. He loves him so much ³¹that he will die if Benjamin doesn't come back with me. ³²I promised my father that I would bring him safely home. If I don't, I told my father he could blame me the rest of my life.
    ³³Sir, I am your slave. Please let me stay here in place of Benjamin and let him return home with his brothers. ³⁴How can I face my father if Benjamin isn't with me? I couldn't bear to see my father in such sorrow.
    

Genesis 45

Joseph Tells His Brothers Who He Is

 ¹Since Joseph could no longer control his feelings in front of his servants, he sent them out of the room. When he was alone with his brothers, he told them, "I am Joseph." ²Then he cried so loudly that the Egyptians heard him and told about it in the king's ^[b<="">] palace. ³Joseph asked his brothers if his father was still alive, but they were too frightened to answer. ⁴Joseph told them to come closer to him, and when they did, he said:    Yes, I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt. ⁵Don't worry or blame yourselves for what you did. God is the one who sent me ahead of you to save lives.
    ⁶There has already been a famine for two years, and for five more years no one will plow fields or harvest grain. ⁷But God sent me on ahead of you to keep your families alive and to save you in this wonderful way. ⁸After all, you weren't really the ones who sent me here--it was God. He made me the highest official in the king's court and placed me over all Egypt.
    ⁹Now hurry back and tell my father that his son Joseph says, "God has made me ruler of Egypt. Come here as quickly as you can. ¹⁰You will live near me in the region of Goshen with your children and grandchildren, as well as with your sheep, goats, cattle, and everything else you own. ¹¹I will take care of you there during the next five years of famine. But if you don't come, you and your family and your animals will starve to death."
    ¹²All of you, including my brother Benjamin, can tell by what I have said that I really am Joseph. ¹³Tell my father about my great power here in Egypt and about everything you have seen. Hurry and bring him here.
    ¹⁴Joseph and Benjamin hugged each other and started crying. ¹⁵Joseph was still crying as he kissed each of his other brothers. After this, they started talking with Joseph.
    ¹⁶When it was told in the palace that Joseph's brothers had come, the king and his officials were happy. ¹⁷So the king said to Joseph:
   Tell your brothers to load their donkeys and return to Canaan. ¹⁸Have them bring their father and their families here. I will give them the best land in Egypt, and they can eat and enjoy everything that grows on it. ¹⁹Also tell your brothers to take some wagons from Egypt for their wives and children to ride in. And be sure to have them bring their father. ²⁰They can leave their possessions behind, because they will be given the best of everything in Egypt.
    ²¹Jacob's sons agreed to do what the king had said. And Joseph gave them wagons and food for their trip home, just as the king had ordered. ²²Joseph gave some new clothes to each of his brothers, but to Benjamin he gave five new outfits and three hundred pieces of silver. ²³To his father he sent ten donkeys loaded with the best things in Egypt, and ten other donkeys loaded with grain and bread and other food for the return trip. ²⁴Then he sent his brothers off and told them, "Don't argue on the way home!"
    ²⁵Joseph's brothers left Egypt, and when they arrived in Canaan, ²⁶they told their father that Joseph was still alive and was the ruler of Egypt. But their father was so surprised that he could not believe them. ²⁷Then they told him everything Joseph had said. When he saw the wagons Joseph had sent, he felt much better ²⁸and said, "Now I can believe you! My son Joseph must really be alive, and I will get to see him before I die."
    

Footnotes:

1. Genesis 44:18 the king: See the note at 12.15.
2. Genesis 45:2 the king: See the note at 12.15.

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Matthew 14:13-36 (Contemporary English Version)

Jesus Feeds Five Thousand

(Mark 6.30-44; Luke 9.10-17; John 6.1-14)

 ¹³After Jesus heard about John, he crossed Lake Galilee ^{a<="" value="[a]" >[]} to go to some place where he could be alone. But the crowds found out and followed him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴When Jesus got out of the boat, he saw the large crowd. He felt sorry for them and healed everyone who was sick. ¹⁵That evening the disciples came to Jesus and said, "This place is like a desert, and it is already late. Let the crowds leave, so they can go to the villages and buy some food."     ¹⁶Jesus replied, "They don't have to leave. Why don't you give them something to eat?"
    ¹⁷But they said, "We have only five small loaves of bread ^[b<="">] and two fish." ¹⁸Jesus asked his disciples to bring the food to him, ¹⁹and he told the crowd to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish. He looked up toward heaven and blessed the food. Then he broke the bread and handed it to his disciples, and they gave it to the people. ²⁰After everyone had eaten all they wanted, Jesus' disciples picked up twelve large baskets of leftovers.
    ²¹There were about five thousand men who ate, not counting the women and children.
    

Jesus Walks on the Water

(Mark 6.45-52; John 6.15-21)

 ²²Right away, Jesus made his disciples get into a boat and start back across the lake. ^[c<="">] But he stayed until he had sent the crowds away. ²³Then he went up on a mountain where he could be alone and pray. Later that evening, he was still there. ²⁴By this time the boat was a long way from the shore. It was going against the wind and was being tossed around by the waves. ²⁵A little while before morning, Jesus came walking on the water toward his disciples. ²⁶When they saw him, they thought he was a ghost. They were terrified and started screaming.     ²⁷At once, Jesus said to them, "Don't worry! I am Jesus. Don't be afraid."
    ²⁸Peter replied, "Lord, if it is really you, tell me to come to you on the water."
    ²⁹"Come on!" Jesus said. Peter then got out of the boat and started walking on the water toward him.
    ³⁰But when Peter saw how strong the wind was, he was afraid and started sinking. "Save me, Lord!" he shouted.
    ³¹Right away, Jesus reached out his hand. He helped Peter up and said, "You surely don't have much faith. Why do you doubt?"
    ³²When Jesus and Peter got into the boat, the wind died down. ³³The men in the boat worshiped Jesus and said, "You really are the Son of God!"
    

Jesus Heals Sick People in Gennesaret

(Mark 6.53-56)

 ³⁴Jesus and his disciples crossed the lake and came to shore near the town of Gennesaret. ³⁵The people found out that he was there, and they sent word to everyone who lived in that part of the country. So they brought all the sick people to Jesus. ³⁶They begged him just to let them touch his clothes, and everyone who did was healed.     

Footnotes:

1. Matthew 14:13 crossed Lake Galilee: To the east side.
2. Matthew 14:17 small loaves of bread: These would have been flat and round or in the shape of a bun.
3. Matthew 14:22 back across the lake: To the west side.

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Psalm 18:37-50 (Contemporary English Version)

³⁷I kept chasing my enemies,
   until I caught them
   and destroyed them.
    ³⁸I stuck my sword
   through my enemies,
   and they were crushed
   under my feet.
    ³⁹You helped me win victories,
   and you forced my attackers
   to fall victim to me.
    ⁴⁰You made my enemies run,
   and I killed them.
    ⁴¹They cried out for help,
   but no one saved them;
   they called out to you,
   but there was no answer.
    ⁴²I ground them to dust
   blown by the wind,
   and I poured them out
   like mud in the streets.
    ⁴³You rescued me
   from stubborn people,
   and you made me the leader
   of foreign nations,
   who are now my slaves.
    ⁴⁴They obey and come crawling.
    ⁴⁵They have lost all courage,
   and from their fortresses,
   they come trembling.
    ⁴⁶You are the living LORD!
   I will praise you.
   You are a mighty rock. ^{a<="" value="[a]" >[]} I will honor you
   for keeping me safe.
    ⁴⁷You took revenge for me,
   and you put nations
   in my power.
    ⁴⁸You protected me
   from violent enemies
   and made me much greater
   than all of them.
    ⁴⁹I will praise you, LORD,
   and I will honor you
   among the nations.
    ⁵⁰You give glorious victories
   to your chosen king.
   Your faithful love for David
   and for his descendants
   will never end.
    

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 18:46 mighty rock: See the note at 18.2.

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Proverbs 4:11-13 (Contemporary English Version)

¹¹I have shown you the way
   that makes sense;
   I have guided you
   along the right path.
    ¹²Your road won't be blocked,
   and you won't stumble
   when you run.
    ¹³Hold firmly to my teaching
   and never let go.
   It will mean life for you.

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Verse of the Day

“[Ask, Search, Knock][(Luke 11.9-13)]Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you. Everyone who asks will receive. Everyone who searches will find. And the door will be opened for everyone who knocks.” - Matthew 7:7-8 

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter, August Strindberg wrote, “A man with a so-called character is often a simple piece of mechanism; he has often only one point of view for the extremely complicated relationships of life.”

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A Joke for Today

A well-respected surgeon was relaxing on his sofa one evening just after arriving home from work. As he was tuning into the evening news, the phone rang. The doctor calmly answered it and heard the familiar voice of a colleague on the other end of the line.

"We need a fourth for poker," said the friend.

"I'll be right over," whispered the doctor.

As he was putting on his coat, his wife asked, "Is it serious?"

"Oh yes, quite serious," said the doctor gravely. "In fact, three doctors are there already!"