Wednesday, April 21

1Cry aloud with strength, and spare not; lift up your voice like a trumpet, and declare to My people their sins, and to the house of Jacob their lawlessness.

2They seek Me day by day, and desire to know My ways. As a people who did righteousness, and did not forsake the judgment of their God, they now ask Me about righteous judgment, and desire to draw near to God,

3saying, 'Why have we fasted, but You did not see it? Why have we humbled our souls, but You did not know it?' Because in the days of your fasts, you seek your own wills, and mistreat those under your authority.

4If you fast for condemnations and quarrels, and strike a humble man with your fists, why do you fast to Me as you do today, so your voice may be heard in crying?

5I did not choose this fast, and such a day for a man to humble his soul; nor if you should bow your neck like a ring and spread sackcloth and ashes under yourself, could you thus call such a fast acceptable.

6I did not choose such a fast,' says the Lord; 'rather, loose every bond of wrongdoing; untie the knots of violent dealings; cancel the debts of the oppressed; and tear apart every unjust contract.

7Break your bread for the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house. If you see a naked man, clothe him, nor shall you disregard your offspring in your own household.

8Then your light shall break forth as the morning, and your healing shall spring forth quickly. Your righteousness shall go before you, and the glory of God shall cover you.

9Then you shall cry out, and God will hear you. While you are still speaking, He will say, 'Behold, I am here.' If you take away your fetter and the pointing of the finger, and the word of grumbling,

10and if you give bread to the hungry from your soul, and satisfy the humble soul, then your light shall rise up in the darkness, and your darkness shall be as midday.

11God shall be with you continually, and you shall be satisfied as your soul desires. Your bones shall be enriched, and you shall be like a well-watered garden and like a spring of water that does not fail. Your bones will arise and be enriched like a green plant, and they shall inherit generations of generations.

26Thus when Joseph came home, they brought the present in their hand to him in the house, and bowed down before him to the earth.

27Then he asked them about their well-being, and said, 'Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?'

28So they answered, 'Your servant our father is in good health; he is still alive.' Then he said, 'Blessed be that man in God'; and they bowed their heads down and prostrated themselves.

29Then Joseph lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, 'Is this your younger brother you said you would bring to me?' So he said, 'May God grant you mercy, my son.'

30Now his heart yearned for his brother; so Joseph made haste and sought somewhere to weep. Then he went into his inner chamber and wept there.

31He then washed his face and came out; and he composed himself, and said, 'Serve the bread.'

32So they set him a place by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves; because the Egyptians could not eat food with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians.

33Now they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth; and the men looked in astonishment at one another.

34Then he took servings to them from before him, but Benjamin's serving was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and were merry with him.

1Now Joseph commanded the steward of his house, saying, '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.

2Also put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his grain money.' So he did according to the word Joseph had spoken.

3As soon as the morning dawned, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys.

4When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, 'Get up, follow the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, 'Why have you repaid evil for good?

5Why have you stolen my silver cup? Is not this the cup from which my lord drinks, and with which he indeed practices divination? You have done evil in so doing.' '

6So he overtook them, and he spoke to them these same words.

7But they said to him, 'Why does my lord say these words? Far be it from us that your servants should do such a thing.

8Look, we brought back to you from the land of Canaan the money we found in the mouth of our sacks. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord's house?

9With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord's servants.'

10Then he replied, 'Now as you say, so it will be; he with whom it is found shall be my servant, and you shall be blameless.'

11Then each man speedily let down his sack to the ground, and each opened his sack.

12So he searched the oldest and left off with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

13Then they tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey and returned to the city.

14So Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house, and he was still there; and they fell before him on the ground.

15Thus Joseph said to them, 'What is this thing you have done? Did you not know that such a man as I can certainly practice divination?'

16Then Judah said, 'What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves? God has found out the wrongdoing of your servants; here we are, my lord's slaves, both we and he also with whom the cup was found.'

17But Joseph said, 'Far be it from me that I should do so; the man in whose hand the cup was found, he shall be my servant. And as for you, go up in peace to your father.'

18Then Judah came near to him and said, 'O my lord, let your servant speak a word in my lord's hearing, and do not let your anger burn against your servant; for you are even like Pharaoh.

19My lord asked his servants, saying, 'Have you a father or a brother?'

20Then we said to my lord, 'We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, who is young; 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, 'Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.'

22But we said to my lord, 'The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.'

23But you said to your servants, 'Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall see my face no more.'

24'So it was, when we went up to your servant my father, that we told him the words of my lord.

25And our father said, 'Go back and buy us a little food.'

26But we said, 'We cannot go down; if our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we may not see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.'

27Then your servant our father said to us, 'You know my wife bore me two sons;

28and the one went out from me, and I said, 'Surely he was eaten by a wild animal'; and I have not seen him since.

29But if you take this one also from me, and calamity befalls him, you shall bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.'

30Now therefore, when I come to your servant our father, and the lad is not with us, since his life is bound up in the lad's life,

31it will happen, when he sees the lad is not with us, he will die. So your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father with sorrow to the grave.

32For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, 'If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father all my days.'

33Now therefore, let your servant remain instead of the lad as a servant to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers.

34For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me, lest perhaps I see the evil that would come upon my father?'

1Now Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, 'Make everyone go out from me!' So no one stood with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers.

2Then he wept aloud, and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard it.

3Joseph then said to his brothers, 'I am Joseph; does my father still live?' But his brothers could not answer him, for they were stunned in his presence.

4But Joseph said to his brothers, 'Come near to me.' So they came near. Then he said, 'I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.

5Now therefore, do not be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to save life.

6For this is the second year of famine in the land, and five years still remain in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.

7For God sent me before you to preserve you as a remnant on the earth, and to sustain you as a great remnant.

8So now, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

9'Hurry then and go up to my father, and say to him, 'Thus says your son Joseph, 'God made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not tarry.

10You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to me, you and your children, your children's children, your sheep and oxen, and all you have.

11There I will provide for you, lest you and your household, and all you have, come to poverty; for five years of famine still remain.' '

12And behold, your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see it is my mouth that speaks to you.

13Therefore, you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all you have seen; and you shall hurry and bring my father down here.'

14Then he fell on his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck.

15Moreover he kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and after this his brothers talked with him.

16Now the report of it was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, 'Joseph's brothers have come.' So it pleased Pharaoh and his servants well.

23A troublemaker is called rash, arrogant, and boastful, And he who bears malice is called lawless.

24Desires kill a slothful man, For his hands choose not to do any thing.

25The ungodly man desires evil all day long, But the righteous man shows mercy and compassion unsparingly.

26The sacrifices of the ungodly are an abomination to the Lord, For they offer them lawlessly.

27A false witness shall perish, But an obedient man will speak guardedly.

28An ungodly man resists shamelessly to the face, But the upright man himself understands his ways.

29There is no wisdom, there is no courage, There is no counsel for the ungodly.

30The horse is prepared for the day of war, But help is from the Lord.

1A good name is to be chosen more than much wealth, And good grace more than silver and gold.

2The rich man and the poor man meet with one another, But the Lord made both.

3An astute man, seeing an evil man severely punished, is himself instructed, But those passing by without discernment suffer loss.

4The fear of the Lord and riches and glory and life Are the offspring of wisdom.