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Psalm 2
The Messiah Reigns Victoriously
1
Why are the nations so angry?
Why do they waste their time with futile plans?2
The kings of the earth prepare for battle;
the rulers plot together
against the Lord
and against his anointed one.3
“Let us break their chains,” they cry,
“and free ourselves from slavery to God.”4
But the one who rules in heaven laughs.
The Lord scoffs at them.5
Then in anger he rebukes them,
terrifying them with his fierce fury.6
For the Lord declares, “I have placed my chosen king on the throne
in Jerusalem, on my holy mountain.”7
The king proclaims the Lord’s decree:
“The Lord said to me, ‘You are my son.
Today I have become your Father.8
Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance,
the whole earth as your possession.9
You will break them with an iron rod
and smash them like clay pots.’”10
Now then, you kings, act wisely!
Be warned, you rulers of the earth!11
Serve the Lord with reverent fear,
and rejoice with trembling.12
Submit to God’s royal son, or he will become angry,
and you will be destroyed in the midst of all your activities—
for his anger flares up in an instant.
But what joy for all who take refuge in him!Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 41
1 At the end of two full years, Pharaoh had a dream. In his dream, there he was, standing by the Nile River,
2 when seven good-looking, robust cows emerged from the Nile River and started grazing in the marsh.
3 Then seven other cows, ugly and scrawny, emerged after them from the Nile River, and they stood next to the good-looking cows on the bank of the Nile River.
4 The ugly, scrawny cows ate up the seven good-looking, robust cows. Pharaoh then woke up.
5 He fell asleep and dreamed a second time. In this dream, there were seven ears of grain, healthy and good-looking, growing on a single stalk.
6 Then seven ears of grain sprouted after them, gaunt and parched from being battered by the east wind.
7 The gaunt ears then swallowed up the seven healthy, full ears. Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was clear to him that he had dreamed a dream that needed to be interpreted.
8 In the morning, his spirit was agitated, so he sent for all the necromancers and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but none of them were able to interpret them to Pharaoh’s satisfaction.
9 The chief cupbearer then spoke up and said to Pharaoh, “I must mention my transgressions today.
10 Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and he put the chief baker and me into custody in the house of the chief butcher.
11 We both had a dream on the same night, he and I, each having a dream that accorded with its interpretation.
12 And there, in custody with us, was a youth, a Hebrew, a servant of the chief butcher. We told him our dreams and he interpreted them for us, interpreting them for each of us according to his dream and its details.
13 And just as he had interpreted them for us, so it transpired: Your Majesty reinstated me to my post, while Your Majesty hanged him, the chief baker.”
14 Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was hurried out of the dungeon. He had his hair cut in honor of his audience with Pharaoh, changed from his prison clothes into ordinary clothes, and then appeared before Pharaoh.
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Luke 15:1-7
Christ Rejoices when Sinners Repent
15 Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. 2 This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!
3 So Jesus told them this story: 4 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. 6 When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!
Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 41
15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, but none can interpret it, and I have heard about you that you can understand a dream and interpret it.”
16 Joseph answered Pharaoh, “It is not by my own power; God will provide an answer through me for Pharaoh’s welfare.”
17 Pharaoh then spoke to Joseph: “In my dream, I was standing on the bank of the Nile River.
18 And then, out of the Nile River emerged seven cows, robust and well-formed, and they grazed in the marsh.
19 Then seven other cows emerged after them, meager, very ill-formed, and emaciated; I have never seen such bad-looking ones in all Egypt.
20 The emaciated, ill-formed cows then ate up the first seven robust cows.
21 These were ingested whole inside them, but it wasn’t visibly apparent that they had been ingested whole inside them: their appearance was just as ill-formed as before. Then I woke up.
22 I fell asleep again and saw in my second dream that seven full, good-looking ears of grain were growing on a single stalk.
23 Then seven ears of grain, shriveled, gaunt, and battered by the east wind, sprouted after them.
24 The gaunt ears of grain then swallowed up the seven good-looking ears. I told this to the necromancers, but not even one of them could explain it to me.”
25 Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The two parts of Pharaoh’s dream are actually a repetition of one and the same dream. God has told Pharaoh what He is about to do.
26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are the same seven years; it is all one dream.
27 The seven emaciated, ill-formed cows that emerged after them are seven years, as are also the seven empty ears of grain that were battered by the east wind. They will be seven years of famine.
28 With regard to these years of famine, it is also as I have told Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what He is going to do after the years of plenty.
29 Seven years are coming during which there will be great abundance in all Egypt.
30 These seven years of plenty will be followed by seven years of famine, when all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten. The famine will ravage the land.
31 The former abundance will not be discernible in the land, due to the famine that is to follow, for it will be very severe.
32 As for Pharaoh having dreamed the same dream twice, this is because the matter stands ready before God, and God is moving quickly to carry it out.
33 So now, let Pharaoh seek out a man of discernment and wisdom and put him in charge of Egypt.
34 Let Pharaoh take steps to appoint officials over the land and prepare Egypt for the years of famine during the seven years of plenty.
35 Let them gather all the food during these coming good years, and let them store grain to be under Pharaoh’s control for food in the cities, and guard it.
36 The stored food will then be held in reserve for the land for the seven years of famine that will occur in Egypt, so that the land not be depopulated by the famine.”
37 The way in which Joseph explained the dream pleased Pharaoh and all his courtiers,
38 and Pharaoh said to his courtiers, “Could we find another man like this, who has the spirit of God within him?
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Zechariah 4:1-7
The Spirit Accomplishes God’s Will
4 Then the angel who had been talking with me returned and woke me, as though I had been asleep. 2 “What do you see now?” he asked.
I answered, “I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl of oil on top of it. Around the bowl are seven lamps, each having seven spouts with wicks. 3 And I see two olive trees, one on each side of the bowl.” 4 Then I asked the angel, “What are these, my lord? What do they mean?”
5 “Don’t you know?” the angel asked.
“No, my lord,” I replied.
6 Then he said to me, “This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 7 Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel’s way; it will become a level plain before him! And when Zerubbabel sets the final stone of the Temple in place, the people will shout: ‘May God bless it! May God bless it!’”
Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 41
39 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one as discerning and wise as you.
40 You will be in charge of my court, and by your orders will all my people be provided for. Only by the throne will I outrank you.”
41 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby confer on you power over all Egypt.”
42 Pharaoh removed his signet ring from the finger of his own hand and put it on a finger of Joseph’s hand. He had him dressed in robes of linen and placed the gold chain of office around his neck.
43 He had him ride in his second royal chariot, and they proclaimed before him, “The king’s counselor! How wise he is for his young age! Bend the knee to him!” He was thus given kinglike authority over all Egypt.
44 Pharaoh then said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh. I decree that without your say, no man may lift his hand or his foot in all Egypt.”
45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Tzafnat Pa’ne’ach [“He who deciphers the cryptic”], and gave him Asenat, daughter of Potiphera, lord of On, as a wife. Joseph thus went out to oversee Egypt.
46 Joseph was 30 years old when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Joseph left Pharaoh’s presence, and he traveled all throughout Egypt.
47 During the seven years of plenty, the inhabitants of the land gathered grain in unending handfuls.
48 Joseph collected all the surplus food during the seven years that had now come to pass in Egypt, and he placed the food in the cities. Joseph placed with the food some soil from the fields surrounding the city.
49 Joseph amassed quantities of grain as abundant as the sands of the sea, until the treasurer had to stop counting it since there was too much to count.
50 Two sons were born to Joseph before the first year of famine arrived, borne to him by Asenat, daughter of Potiphera, lord of On.
51 Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh [Menasheh, “causing to forget”]—“because,” he said, “God has made me forget all my past hardships, and all my father’s household.”
52 He named the second son Ephraim [from peri, “fruit”]—“because,” he said, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”
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1 Corinthians 12:1-13
The Spirit Bestows Gifts
12 Now, dear brothers and sisters, regarding your question about the special abilities the Spirit gives us. I don’t want you to misunderstand this. 2 You know that when you were still pagans, you were led astray and swept along in worshiping speechless idols. 3 So I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus, and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit.
4 There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. 5 There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. 6 God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.
7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. 8 To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. 9 The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. 10 He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. 11 It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.
One Body with Many Parts
12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. 13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.
Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 41
seven years of plenty that came to pass in Egypt came to an end.
54 The seven years of famine then began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but throughout Egypt there was bread.
55 When all the inhabitants of Egypt were starving, the people cried out to Pharaoh for bread, so Pharaoh announced to all Egypt, “Go to Joseph, and do whatever he tells you to.”
56 When the famine affected all the wealthy people of the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses containing grain and sold it to the Egyptians. Meanwhile, the famine in Egypt continued to intensify.
57 People from the entire region came to Egypt, to Joseph, to buy produce, for the famine had grown severe in the entire region.
Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 42
1 Jacob heard that there was produce in Egypt. Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you pretend that we have enough provisions?”
2 He then said, “Look, I have heard that there is produce in Egypt. Go down there and buy us produce from there, so that we may live and not die.”
3 Joseph’s brothers thus went down to Egypt as 10 individuals to buy grain from Egypt.
4 But Jacob did not send along Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his other brothers, for he said, “Lest some disaster befall him.”
5 The sons of Israel came to buy produce among those who had come to buy produce, for the famine had extended to Canaan.
6 Joseph, as viceroy of the land, was the one who sold produce to all the people of the region, and Joseph’s brothers came and prostrated themselves before him with their faces to the ground.
7 Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted like a stranger toward them and spoke to them harshly. He asked them, “Where are you from?” They replied, “From Canaan, to buy food.”
8 Joseph recognized his brothers but they did not recognize him.
9 Joseph recalled the dreams that he had dreamed about them, and he said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see where the land is vulnerable.”
10 They said to him, “No, my lord! We, your servants, have come just to buy food.
11 We are all the sons of the same man. We are truthful men; your servants have never been spies!”
12 He said to them, “No! You have come to see where the land is vulnerable!”
13 They answered, “We, your servants, were 12 brothers, the sons of one man who is in Canaan. The youngest is today with our father, and the other one has gone missing.”
14 Joseph said to them, “It is as I told you: you are spies.
15 By this you will be put to the test: I swear to you by the life of Pharaoh that you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.
16 Send one of you to bring me your youngest brother, while the rest of you remain imprisoned here, so that the veracity of your words may be put to the test. If he does not bring him, then by the life of Pharaoh, you are indeed spies!”
17 He then held them all in custody for three days.
18 On the third day, Joseph said to them, “Do as follows, and you will live. I am a God-fearing person.
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Isaiah 11:1-9
The Spirit Gives Wisdom and Understanding
1
Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot—
yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.2
And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.3
He will delight in obeying the Lord.
He will not judge by appearance
nor make a decision based on hearsay.4
He will give justice to the poor
and make fair decisions for the exploited.
The earth will shake at the force of his word,
and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked.5
He will wear righteousness like a belt
and truth like an undergarment.6
In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together;
the leopard will lie down with the baby goat.
The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion,
and a little child will lead them all.7
The cow will graze near the bear.
The cub and the calf will lie down together.
The lion will eat hay like a cow.8
The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra.
Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm.9
Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,
for as the waters fill the sea,
so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord.Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 42
19 If you are being truthful, prove it: Let one of your brothers remain as hostage in your present place of detention, while the rest of you go back to your homeland and bring the produce you have purchased for satiating the hunger of your households.
20 You must then bring me your youngest brother, and thus your words will be substantiated and you will not die.” They agreed to do this.
21 They said to one another, “We are indeed guilty regarding our brother, for we saw his anguish when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this misfortune has come upon us.”
22 Reuben responded to them and said, “Did I not tell you, ‘Do not sin against the boy’? But you would not listen. And now we are being called to account for spilling his blood.”
23 They did not realize that Joseph understood them, for there was an interpreter between them.
24 He turned aside from them and wept. He came back to them and spoke to them, and took Simeon away from them and imprisoned him before their eyes.
25 Joseph then gave orders that when their containers were filled with grain, each one’s money should be returned to his sack, and that they should be given provisions for the journey. This order was carried out for them.
26 The brothers then loaded their produce onto their donkeys and departed.
27 As one of them was opening his sack at the inn to give fodder to his donkey, he saw his money, right there at the opening of his pack.
28 He said to his brothers, “My money has been returned! It, too, is here in my pack!” Their hearts sank. Trembling, they turned to one another, saying, “What is this that God has done to us?”
29 When they came to their father Jacob in Canaan, they told him about all that had happened to them, as follows:
30 “The man who is the lord of the land spoke to us harshly and accused us of spying out the land.
31 We said to him, ‘We are truthful men; we have never been spies.
32 We were 12 brothers, sons of the same father; one of us went missing, and the youngest is today with our father in Canaan.’
33 The man who is the lord of the land said to us, ‘By this I will know that you are being honest: Leave one of your brothers with me, take the grain you have purchased for satiating the hunger of your households, and go home.
34 But you must bring me your youngest brother, and then I will know that you are not spies, but are being honest. I will give your brother back to you, and you will be able to move about in the land freely.’”
35 While they were emptying their sacks, there, in each one’s sack, was his money-pouch. When they and their father saw their money-pouches, they became afraid.
36 Their father Jacob said to them, “You are bereaving me of my sons! Joseph is gone, Simeon is gone, and now you would take Benjamin away?! All this has befallen me!”
37 Reuben then said to his father, “You may put my own two sons to death if I do not bring Benjamin back to you. Entrust him to my care, and I promise that I will bring him back to you.”
38 He replied, “My son Benjamin will not go down to Egypt with you! For his brother Joseph is dead and he alone remains from his mother, and should disaster befall him along the road you travel, you will bring my white-haired head down to the grave in grief.”
Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 43
1 The famine in the region continued to be severe.
2 When they had fully consumed the produce that they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back to Egypt and buy us a little food.”
3 So Judah said to him, “The man sternly warned us, saying, ‘Do not appear before me again unless your brother is with you.’
4 If you agree to send along our brother with us, we will go down to Egypt and buy you food.
5 But if you do not send him, we will not go down there, for the man told us, ‘You may not appear before me again unless your brother is with you.’”
6 Israel said, “Why did you do me such a disservice by telling the man that you have another brother?”
7 They replied, “The man kept asking about us and our families, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ We told him that we had a father and another brother in response to his questions. Could we have known that he would say, ‘Bring down your brother’?!”
8 Judah then said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me and let us set out and go, so that we should live and not die—we, you, and also our little ones.
9 I offer myself as a guarantor for him; you can demand him from me. If I do not bring him back to you and present him to you alive, I will have sinned against you for all time.
10 For had we not lingered here, we could have been there and back twice by now.”
11 Their father Israel said to them, “If it is so, then this is what you must do: Take some of the land of Canaan’s most celebrated, choice products in your containers, and bring them down to the man as a gift—a little stacte, a little honey, and some beeswax, lotus, pistachios, and almonds.
12 Take along a double amount of money, and take with you the money that you found returned at the opening of your packs; perhaps it was an oversight.
13 And take your brother, and arise and return to the man.
14 I will pray that God Almighty grant that the man be merciful to you and release for you your other brother, Simeon, and send him and Benjamin back. As for me, just as I have been bereaved of Joseph and Simeon, so, too, will I be bereaved of Benjamin until he returns with you.”
15 The brothers took this gift, and also took along a double amount of money, as well as Benjamin. They set out and went down to Egypt, and they presented themselves before Joseph.
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Matthew 1:18-25
The Spirit Works in Jesus’s Birth
18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.
20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:
23
“Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,
which means ‘God is with us.’”24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.
Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 43
16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the overseer of his household, “Bring the men into the house and have animals slaughtered and their meat prepared, for these men will dine with me at the first meal of the day.”
17 The man did as Joseph said, and the man escorted the people into Joseph’s house.
18 The men were fearful because they had been brought into Joseph’s house. They said, “It is on account of the money that was returned to our packs the first time that we are being brought here, so that we may be falsely accused, attacked, and seized as slaves, along with our donkeys.”
19 They approached the overseer of Joseph’s household and spoke to him at the entrance of the house
20 as follows: “If you please, sir, we originally came down to buy food.
21 Then, when we arrived at the inn and opened our packs, we saw that each man’s money was at the opening of his pack, our own money, in its exact weight. We have brought it back with us.
22 We have also brought down additional money with which to buy food. We do not know who replaced the money into our packs.”
23 He replied, “All is well with you; do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has placed a hidden treasure for you in your packs. Your money reached me.” With that, he brought Simeon out to them.
24 So the man brought the men into Joseph’s house and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he provided fodder for their donkeys.
25 They readied their gift for when Joseph would come for the first meal of the day, for they heard that they would be dining there.
26 When Joseph arrived home, they presented him with the gift they had brought into the inner chamber, and they prostrated themselves on the ground before him.
27 He inquired as to their welfare and asked, “How is your aged father of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?”
28 They replied, “Your servant, our father, is well; he is still alive.” They bowed their heads and prostrated themselves again.
29 Joseph raised his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and he said, “Is this your youngest brother of whom you spoke to me?” And then he said, addressing Benjamin, “May God be kind to you, my son.”
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Acts 7:51-60
The Spirit Reveals God’s Glory
51 “You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you! 52 Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One—the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered. 53 You deliberately disobeyed God’s law, even though you received it from the hands of angels.”
54 The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen’s accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 56 And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!”
57 Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him 58 and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59 As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died.
Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 43
30 Joseph hurried out, for he was overcome with compassion for his brother and was on the verge of tears. He went to another room and wept there.
31 He then washed his face and came back out, restraining his emotions, and said, “Serve the meal.”
32 They served him and his family separately, and them (i.e., his brothers) separately, and the Egyptians who were eating with him separately, for the Egyptians could not eat a meal together with the Hebrews, since this was an abomination for the Egyptians.
33 The brothers were seated before Joseph, the firstborn according to his seniority and the youngest according to his youth, and the men looked at each other in amazement.
34 He had portions served to them from his table. Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as the others’. They drank with him and became intoxicated.
Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 44
1 Meanwhile, Joseph gave orders to the overseer of his household, as follows: “Fill the men’s packs with as much food as they can carry, and place each man’s money at the top of his pack.
2 And put my goblet—the silver goblet—at the top of the youngest one’s pack, together with the money for his produce.” He did exactly as Joseph instructed him.
3 With the first light of morning, the men were sent on their way, together with their donkeys.
4 They had barely left the city and had not yet gone far, when Joseph said to the overseer of his household, “Set out and pursue those men, and when you catch up with them, say to them, ‘Why did you repay good with evil?
5 After all, this is the goblet from which my master drinks; indeed, he also uses it for divination. What you have done is an evil thing!’”
6 He caught up with them, and told them these very words.
7 They said to him, “Sir, why do you say such things? It would be a disgrace for us, your servants, to do such a thing! May God protect us from ever doing such a thing!
8 After all, we brought you back the money that we found at the top of our packs when we returned from Canaan. How then could we have stolen silver or gold from your master’s house?
9 Whichever of your servants with whom it is found will die, and the rest of us will become slaves to my lord.”
10 He replied, “Although it should be as you have now declared, only the one in whose possession it is actually found will be my slave, and the rest of you will go free.”
11 Each man quickly lowered his pack to the ground, and each man opened his pack.
12 The overseer searched each one, beginning with that of the eldest and ending with that of the youngest, and the goblet was found in Benjamin’s pack.
13 The brothers rent their clothes. Each one loaded his donkey and they returned to the city.
14 When Judah and his brothers arrived at Joseph’s house, he was still there, and they threw themselves on the ground before him.
15 Joseph said to them, “What is this deed that you have done? Do you not know that a man as I can determine the truth by logic?”
16 Judah replied, “What can we say to my lord? How can we speak and how can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants’ transgression. Here we are, then, slaves to my lord, we together with the one in whose possession the goblet was found.”
17 But Joseph replied, “It would be a disgrace for me to do that! The one in whose possession the goblet was found will be my slave, and the rest of you will go up in peace to your father.”
Bamidbar (Numbers) Chapter 28
9 On the Sabbath day: two unblemished, one-year-old lambs, and two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour as a grain-offering, mixed with oil, and its libation.
10 The ascent-offering of each Sabbath on its Sabbath, following the continual ascent-offering and its libation.
11 On your first days of the month, you must offer up an ascent-offering to God: two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old lambs, unblemished,
12 and three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain-offering for each bull, two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain-offering for each ram,
13 and one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain-offering for each lamb, an ascent-offering, a fire-offering pleasing to God.
14 And their libations: half a hin of wine for each bull, a third of a hin of wine for each ram, and a quarter of a hin of wine for each lamb. This is the ascent-offering of each month in its month throughout the months of the year.
15 One young he-goat as a sin-offering to God, and its libation, must be offered up following the continual ascent-offering.
Maftir: (Numbers 7:42-47)
42 On the sixth day, the prince who brought his offering was of the tribe of Gad: Elyasaf son of De’u’el.
43 His offering was one silver bowl weighing 130 shekels, one silver dashing basin weighing 70 shekels according to the value of the sacred shekel, both filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain-offering,
44 one gold spoon weighing 10 shekels filled with incense,
45 one young bull, one ram, one lamb in its first year as an ascent-offering,
46 one young he-goat as a sin-offering,
47 and for the peace-promoting feast-offering: two bulls, five rams, five he-goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Elyasaf son of De’u’el.
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Zechariah Chapter 2
14 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for, behold! I will come and dwell in your midst, says the Lord.
15 And many nations shall join the Lord on that day, and they shall be My people; and I will dwell in your midst and you shall know that the Lord of Hosts sent me to you.
16 And the Lord shall inherit Judah as His share on the Holy Land, and He shall again choose Jerusalem.
17 Silence all flesh from before the Lord, for He is aroused out of His holy habitation.
Zechariah Chapter 3
1 And He showed me Joshua, the High Priest, standing before the angel of the Lord. And Satan was standing on his right, to accuse him.
2 And the Lord said to Satan: The Lord shall rebuke you, O Satan; and the Lord shall rebuke you, He who chose Jerusalem. Is this one not a brand plucked from fire?
3 Now Joshua was wearing filthy garments and standing before the angel.
4 And he [the angel] raised his voice and said to those standing before him, saying, "Take the filthy garments off him." And he said to him, "See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I have clad you with clean garments."
5 And I said, "Let them put a pure miter on his head," and they put the pure miter on his head. And they had clothed him with garments while the angel of the Lord was standing.
6 And the angel of the Lord warned Joshua, saying,
7 So said the Lord of Hosts: If you walk in My ways, and if you keep My charge, you, too, shall judge My house, and you, too, shall guard My courtyards, and I will give you free access among these who stand by.
8 Hearken, now, O Joshua the High Priest-you and your companions who sit before you, for they are men worthy of a miracle-for, behold! I bring My servant, the Shoot.
9 For, behold the stone that I have placed before Joshua. Seven eyes are directed to one stone. Behold! I untie its knots, says the Lord of Hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
10 On that day, says the Lord of Hosts, you shall call-each man to his neighbor-to come under his vine and under his fig tree.
Zechariah Chapter 4
1 And the angel who spoke with me returned, and he awakened me as a man who wakes up from his sleep.
2 And he said to me, "What do you see?" And I said, "I saw, and behold [there was] a candelabrum all of gold, with its oil-bowl on top of it, and its seven lamps thereon; seven tubes each to the lamps that were on top of it.
3 And [there were] two olive trees near it; one on the right of the bowl, and one on its left.
4 So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, "What are these, my lord?"
5 And the angel who spoke with me answered, and he said to me, "Do you not know what these are?" And I said, "No, my lord."
6 And he answered and spoke to me, saying, "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, saying: 'Not by military force and not by physical strength, but by My spirit,' says the Lord of Hosts.
7 Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you sink to a plain! He will bring out the stone of the main architect, with shouts of grace, grace to it."
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) Chapter 66
1 So says the Lord, "The heavens are My throne, and the earth is My footstool; which is the house that you will build for Me, and which is the place of My rest?
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) Chapter 66
23 And it shall be from new moon to new moon and from Sabbath to Sabbath, that all flesh shall come to prostrate themselves before Me," says the Lord.
24 ”And they shall go out and see the corpses of the people who rebelled against Me, for their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorring for all flesh."
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) Chapter 66
23 And it shall be from new moon to new moon and from Sabbath to Sabbath, that all flesh shall come to prostrate themselves before Me," says the Lord.
Shmuel I (I Samuel) Chapter 20
18 And Jonathan said to him, "Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be remembered, for your seat will be vacant.
Shmuel I (I Samuel) Chapter 20
42 And Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace! (And bear in mind) that we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, 'May the Lord be between me and you, and between my descendants and your descendants forever.' "