Monday, 29 January

1.   Now Jacob dwelt in the land where his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan. 2.   This is the history of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. And the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father. 3.   Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors. 4.   But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him. 5.   Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more. 6.   So he said to them, "Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: 7.   "There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf." 8.   And his brothers said to him, "Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?" So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. 9.   Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, "Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me." 10.   So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, "What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?" 11.   And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind . 12.   Then his brothers went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem. 13.   And Israel said to Joseph, "Are not your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, I will send you to them." So he said to him, "Here I am." 14.   Then he said to him, "Please go and see if it is well with your brothers and well with the flocks, and bring back word to me." So he sent him out of the Valley of Hebron, and he went to Shechem. 15.   Now a certain man found him, and there he was, wandering in the field. And the man asked him, saying, "What are you seeking?" 16.   So he said, "I am seeking my brothers. Please tell me where they are feeding their flocks ." 17.   And the man said, "They have departed from here, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’" So Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan. 18.   Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them, they conspired against him to kill him. 19.   Then they said to one another, "Look, this dreamer is coming! 20.   "Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, ‘Some wild beast has devoured him.’ We shall see what will become of his dreams!" 21.   But Reuben heard it , and he delivered him out of their hands, and said, "Let us not kill him." 22.   And Reuben said to them, "Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit which is in the wilderness, and do not lay a hand on him" ––that he might deliver him out of their hands, and bring him back to his father. 23.   So it came to pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him. 24.   Then they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it. 25.   And they sat down to eat a meal. Then they lifted their eyes and looked, and there was a company of Ishmaelites, coming from Gilead with their camels, bearing spices, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry them down to Egypt. 26.   So Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27.   "Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother and our flesh." And his brothers listened. 28.   Then Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt. 29.   Then Reuben returned to the pit, and indeed Joseph was not in the pit; and he tore his clothes. 30.   And he returned to his brothers and said, "The lad is no more ; and I, where shall I go?" 31.   So they took Joseph’s tunic, killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the tunic in the blood. 32.   Then they sent the tunic of many colors, and they brought it to their father and said, "We have found this. Do you know whether it is your son’s tunic or not?" 33.   And he recognized it and said, " It is my son’s tunic. A wild beast has devoured him. Without doubt Joseph is torn to pieces." 34.   Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days. 35.   And all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, "For I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning." Thus his father wept for him. 36.   Now the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.

1.   Then Job answered and said: 2.   "Oh, that my grief were fully weighed, And my calamity laid with it on the scales! 3.   For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea––Therefore my words have been rash. 4.   For the arrows of the Almighty are within me; My spirit drinks in their poison; The terrors of God are arrayed against me. 5.   Does the wild donkey bray when it has grass, Or does the ox low over its fodder? 6.   Can flavorless food be eaten without salt? Or is there any taste in the white of an egg? 7.   My soul refuses to touch them; They are as loathsome food to me. 8.   "Oh, that I might have my request, That God would grant me the thing that I long for! 9.   That it would please God to crush me, That He would loose His hand and cut me off! 10.   Then I would still have comfort; Though in anguish, I would exult, He will not spare; For I have not concealed the words of the Holy One. 11.   "What strength do I have, that I should hope? And what is my end, that I should prolong my life? 12.   Is my strength the strength of stones? Or is my flesh bronze? 13.   Is my help not within me? And is success driven from me? 14.   "To him who is afflicted, kindness should be shown by his friend, Even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty. 15.   My brothers have dealt deceitfully like a brook, Like the streams of the brooks that pass away, 16.   Which are dark because of the ice, And into which the snow vanishes. 17.   When it is warm, they cease to flow; When it is hot, they vanish from their place. 18.   The paths of their way turn aside, They go nowhere and perish. 19.   The caravans of Tema look, The travelers of Sheba hope for them. 20.   They are disappointed because they were confident; They come there and are confused. 21.   For now you are nothing, You see terror and are afraid. 22.   Did I ever say, ‘Bring something to me’? Or, ‘Offer a bribe for me from your wealth’? 23.   Or, ‘Deliver me from the enemy’s hand’? Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of oppressors’? 24.   "Teach me, and I will hold my tongue; Cause me to understand wherein I have erred. 25.   How forceful are right words! But what does your arguing prove? 26.   Do you intend to rebuke my words, And the speeches of a desperate one, which are as wind? 27.   Yes, you overwhelm the fatherless, And you undermine your friend. 28.   Now therefore, be pleased to look at me; For I would never lie to your face. 29.   Yield now, let there be no injustice! Yes, concede, my righteousness still stands! 30.   Is there injustice on my tongue? Cannot my taste discern the unsavory?

1.   " Is there not a time of hard service for man on earth? Are not his days also like the days of a hired man? 2.   Like a servant who earnestly desires the shade, And like a hired man who eagerly looks for his wages, 3.   So I have been allotted months of futility, And wearisome nights have been appointed to me. 4.   When I lie down, I say, ‘When shall I arise, And the night be ended?’ For I have had my fill of tossing till dawn. 5.   My flesh is caked with worms and dust, My skin is cracked and breaks out afresh. 6.   "My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, And are spent without hope. 7.   Oh, remember that my life is a breath! My eye will never again see good. 8.   The eye of him who sees me will see me no more; While your eyes are upon me, I shall no longer be . 9.   As the cloud disappears and vanishes away, So he who goes down to the grave does not come up. 10.   He shall never return to his house, Nor shall his place know him anymore. 11.   "Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. 12.   Am I a sea, or a sea serpent, That You set a guard over me? 13.   When I say, ‘My bed will comfort me, My couch will ease my complaint,’ 14.   Then You scare me with dreams And terrify me with visions, 15.   So that my soul chooses strangling And death rather than my body. 16.   I loathe my life ; I would not live forever. Let me alone, For my days are but a breath. 17.   "What is man, that You should exalt him, That You should set Your heart on him, 18.   That You should visit him every morning, And test him every moment? 19.   How long? Will You not look away from me, And let me alone till I swallow my saliva? 20.   Have I sinned? What have I done to You, O watcher of men? Why have You set me as Your target, So that I am a burden to myself? 21.   Why then do You not pardon my transgression, And take away my iniquity? For now I will lie down in the dust, And You will seek me diligently, But I will no longer be ."

1.   Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, that He departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2.   And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there. 3.   The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?" 4.   And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ 5.   "and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6.   "So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate." 7.   They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?" 8.   He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9.   "And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery." 10.   His disciples said to Him, "If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry." 11.   But He said to them, "All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given: 12.   "For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He who is able to accept it , let him accept it ." 13.   Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. 14.   But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." 15.   And He laid His hands on them and departed from there. 16.   Now behold, one came and said to Him, "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" 17.   So He said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is , God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments." 18.   He said to Him, "Which ones?" Jesus said, "‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ 19.   ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’" 20.   The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?" 21.   Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." 22.   But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 23.   Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24.   "And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." 25.   When His disciples heard it , they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?" 26.   But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." 27.   Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?" 28.   So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29.   "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. 30.   "But many who are first will be last, and the last first.