MATTHEW 16:13- 17:9
PSALM 21:1- 13
PROVERBS 5:1- 6
Joseph threw himself on his father and wept over him and kissed him. 2 Then Joseph told his morticians to embalm the body. 3 The embalming process took forty days, and there was a period of national mourning for seventy days. 4 When the period of mourning was over, Joseph approached Pharaoh's advisers and asked them to speak to Pharaoh on his behalf. 5 He told them, "Tell Pharaoh that my father made me swear an oath. He said to me, `I am about to die; take my body back to the land of Canaan, and bury me in our family's burial cave. 'Now I need to go and bury my father. After his burial is complete, I will return without delay." 6 Pharaoh agreed to Joseph's request. "Go and bury your father, as you promised," he said. 7 So Joseph went, with a great number of Pharaoh's counselors and advisers-- all the senior officers of Egypt. 8 Joseph also took his brothers and the entire household of Jacob. But they left their little children and flocks and herds in the land of Goshen. 9 So a great number of chariots, cavalry, and people accompanied Joseph. 10 When they arrived at the threshing floor of Atad, near the Jordan River, they held a very great and solemn funeral, with a seven- day period of mourning for Joseph's father. 11 The local residents, the Canaanites, renamed the place Abel- mizraim, for they said, "This is a place of very deep mourning for these Egyptians." 12 So Jacob's sons did as he had commanded them. 13 They carried his body to the land of Canaan and buried it there in the cave of Machpelah. This is the cave that Abraham had bought for a permanent burial place in the field of Ephron the Hittite, near Mamre. 14 Then Joseph returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had accompanied him to his father's funeral. 15 But now that their father was dead, Joseph's brothers became afraid. "Now Joseph will pay us back for all the evil we did to him," they said. 16 So they sent this message to Joseph:"Before your father died, he instructed us 17 to say to you:`Forgive your brothers for the great evil they did to you.' So we, the servants of the God of your father, beg you to forgive us." When Joseph received the message, he broke down and wept. 18 Then his brothers came and bowed low before him. "We are your slaves," they said. 19 But Joseph told them, "Don't be afraid of me. Am I God, to judge and punish you? 20 As far as I am concerned, God turned into good what you meant for evil. He brought me to the high position I have today so I could save the lives of many people. 21 No, don't be afraid. Indeed, I myself will take care of you and your families." And he spoke very kindly to them, reassuring them. 22 So Joseph and his brothers and their families continued to live in Egypt. Joseph was 110 years old when he died. 23 He lived to see three generations of descendants of his son Ephraim and the children of Manasseh's son Makir, who were treated as if they were his own. 24 "Soon I will die," Joseph told his brothers, "but God will surely come for you, to lead you out of this land of Egypt. He will bring you back to the land he vowed to give to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." 25 Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath, and he said, "When God comes to lead us back to Canaan, you must take my body back with you." 26 So Joseph died at the age of 110. They embalmed him, and his body was placed in a coffin in Egypt. 1:1 THESE are the sons of Jacob who went with their father to Egypt, each with his family:2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, 3 Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, 4 Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. 5 Joseph was already down in Egypt. In all, Jacob had seventy direct descendants. 6 In time, Joseph and each of his brothers died, ending that generation. 7 But their descendants had many children and grandchildren. In fact, they multiplied so quickly that they soon filled the land. 8 Then a new king came to the throne of Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph or what he had done. 9 He told his people, "These Israelites are becoming a threat to us because there are so many of them. 10 We must find a way to put an end to this. If we don't and if war breaks out, they will join our enemies and fight against us. Then they will escape from the country." 11 So the Egyptians made the Israelites their slaves and put brutal slave drivers over them, hoping to wear them down under heavy burdens. They forced them to build the cities of Pithom and Rameses as supply centers for the king. 12 But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more quickly the Israelites multiplied! The Egyptians soon became alarmed 13 and decided to make their slavery more bitter still. 14 They were ruthless with the Israelites, forcing them to make bricks and mortar and to work long hours in the fields. 15 Then Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, gave this order to the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah:16 "When you help the Hebrew women give birth, kill all the boys as soon as they are born. Allow only the baby girls to live." 17 But because the midwives feared God, they refused to obey the king and allowed the boys to live, too. 18 Then the king called for the midwives. "Why have you done this?" he demanded. "Why have you allowed the boys to live?" 19 "Sir," they told him, "the Hebrew women are very strong. They have their babies so quickly that we cannot get there in time! They are not slow in giving birth like Egyptian women." 20 So God blessed the midwives, and the Israelites continued to multiply, growing more and more powerful. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own. 22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people:"Throw all the newborn Israelite boys into the Nile River. But you may spare the baby girls." 2:1 DURING this time, a man and woman from the tribe of Levi got married. 2 The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She saw what a beautiful baby he was and kept him hidden for three months. 3 But when she could no longer hide him, she got a little basket made of papyrus reeds and waterproofed it with tar and pitch. She put the baby in the basket and laid it among the reeds along the edge of the Nile River. 4 The baby's sister then stood at a distance, watching to see what would happen to him. 5 Soon after this, one of Pharaoh's daughters came down to bathe in the river, and her servant girls walked along the riverbank. When the princess saw the little basket among the reeds, she told one of her servant girls to get it for her. 6 As the princess opened it, she found the baby boy. His helpless cries touched her heart. "He must be one of the Hebrew children," she said. 7 Then the baby's sister approached the princess. "Should I go and find one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?" she asked. 8 "Yes, do!" the princess replied. So the girl rushed home and called the baby's mother. 9 "Take this child home and nurse him for me," the princess told her. "I will pay you for your help." So the baby's mother took her baby home and nursed him. 10 Later, when he was older, the child's mother brought him back to the princess, who adopted him as her son. The princess named him Moses, for she said, "I drew him out of the water."
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" 14 "Well," they replied, "some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets." 15 Then he asked them, "Who do you say I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." 17 Jesus replied, "You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. 18 Now I say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you lock on earth will be locked in heaven, and whatever you open on earth will be opened in heaven." 20 Then he sternly warned them not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. 21 From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that he had to go to Jerusalem, and he told them what would happen to him there. He would suffer at the hands of the leaders and the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, and he would be raised on the third day. 22 But Peter took him aside and corrected him. "Heaven forbid, Lord," he said. "This will never happen to you!" 23 Jesus turned to Peter and said, "Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, and not from God's." 24 Then Jesus said to the disciples, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me. 25 If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life. 26 And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process? Is anything worth more than your soul? 27 For I, the Son of Man, will come in the glory of my Father with his angels and will judge all people according to their deeds. 28 And I assure you that some of you standing here right now will not die before you see me, the Son of Man, coming in my Kingdom." 17:1 SIX days later Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain. 2 As the men watched, Jesus 'appearance changed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothing became dazzling white. 3 Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus. 4 Peter blurted out, "Lord, this is wonderful! If you want me to, I'll make three shrines, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 5 But even as he said it, a bright cloud came over them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, and I am fully pleased with him. Listen to him." 6 The disciples were terrified and fell face down on the ground. 7 Jesus came over and touched them. "Get up," he said, "don't be afraid." 8 And when they looked, they saw only Jesus with them. 9 As they descended the mountain, Jesus commanded them, "Don't tell anyone what you have seen until I, the Son of Man, have been raised from the dead."
For the choir director:A psalm of David.
1 How the king rejoices in your strength, O LORD!
He shouts with joy because of your victory.
2 For you have given him his heart's desire;
you have held back nothing that he requested.
Interlude3 You welcomed him back with success and prosperity.
You placed a crown of finest gold on his head.
4 He asked you to preserve his life,
and you have granted his request.
The days of his life stretch on forever.
5 Your victory brings him great honor,
and you have clothed him with splendor and majesty.
6 You have endowed him with eternal blessings.
You have given him the joy of being in your presence.
7 For the king trusts in the LORD.
The unfailing love of the Most High will keep him from stumbling.
8 You will capture all your enemies.
Your strong right hand will seize all those who hate you.
9 You will destroy them as in a flaming furnace
when you appear.
The LORD will consume them in his anger;
fire will devour them.
10 You will wipe their children from the face of the earth;
they will never have descendants.
11 Although they plot against you,
their evil schemes will never succeed.
12 For they will turn and run
when they see your arrows aimed at them.
13 We praise you, LORD, for all your glorious power.
With music and singing we celebrate your mighty acts.
My son, pay attention to my wisdom; listen carefully to my wise counsel. Then you will learn to be discreet and will store up knowledge. The lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil. But the result is as bitter as poison, sharp as a double- edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave. For she does not care about the path to life. She staggers down a crooked trail and doesn't even realize where it leads
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