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4 When the days of weeping for him were past, Joseph addressed the household of Pharaoh, ‘If now I have found favour with you, please speak to Pharaoh as follows: ⁵My father made me swear an oath; he said, “I am about to die. In the tomb that I hewed out for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me.” Now therefore let me go up, so that I may bury my father; then I will return.’ ⁶Pharaoh answered, ‘Go up, and bury your father, as he made you swear to do.’

7 So Joseph went up to bury his father. With him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, ⁸as well as all the household of Joseph, his brothers, and his father’s household. Only their children, their flocks, and their herds were left in the land of Goshen. ⁹Both chariots and charioteers went up with him. It was a very great company. ¹⁰When they came to the threshing-floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, they held there a very great and sorrowful lamentation; and he observed a time of mourning for his father for seven days. ¹¹When the Canaanite inhabitants of the land saw the mourning on the threshing-floor of Atad, they said, ‘This is a grievous mourning on the part of the Egyptians.’ Therefore the place was named Abel-mizraim;^* it is beyond the Jordan. ¹²Thus his sons did for him as he had instructed them. ¹³They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field at Machpelah, the field near Mamre, which Abraham bought as a burial site from Ephron the Hittite. ¹⁴After he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had gone up with him to bury his father.

Joseph Forgives His Brothers

15 Realizing that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers said, ‘What if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong that we did to him?’ ¹⁶So they approached^* Joseph, saying, ‘Your father gave this instruction before he died, ¹⁷“Say to Joseph: I beg you, forgive the crime of your brothers and the wrong they did in harming you.” Now therefore please forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father.’ Joseph wept when they spoke to him. ¹⁸Then his brothers also wept,^* fell down before him, and said, ‘We are here as your slaves.’ ¹⁹But Joseph said to them, ‘Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? ²⁰Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today. ²¹So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and your little ones.’ In this way he reassured them, speaking kindly to them.

Joseph’s Last Days and Death

22 So Joseph remained in Egypt, he and his father’s household; and Joseph lived for one hundred and ten years. ²³Joseph saw Ephraim’s children of the third generation; the children of Machir son of Manasseh were also born on Joseph’s knees.

24 Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am about to die; but God will surely come to you, and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.’ ²⁵So Joseph made the Israelites swear, saying, ‘When God comes to you, you shall carry up my bones from here.’ ²⁶And Joseph died, being one hundred and ten years old; he was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt.

Psalm 107

1  O give thanks to the Lord, for he is gracious, ♦︎
   for his steadfast love endures for ever.
2  Let the redeemed of the Lord say this, ♦︎
   those he redeemed from the hand of the enemy,
3  And gathered out of the lands
      from the east and from the west, ♦︎
   from the north and from the south.
4  Some went astray in desert wastes ♦︎
   and found no path to a city to dwell in.
5  Hungry and thirsty, ♦︎
   their soul was fainting within them.
6  So they cried to the Lord in their trouble ♦︎
   and he delivered them from their distress.
7  He set their feet on the right way ♦︎
   till they came to a city to dwell in.
8  Let them give thanks to the Lord for his goodness ♦︎
   and the wonders he does for his children.
9  For he satisfies the longing soul ♦︎
   and fills the hungry soul with good.
10  Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, ♦︎
   bound fast in misery and iron,
11  For they had rebelled against the words of God ♦︎
   and despised the counsel of the Most High.
12  So he bowed down their heart with heaviness; ♦︎
   they stumbled and there was none to help them.
13  Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, ♦︎
   and he delivered them from their distress.
14  He brought them out of darkness and out of the shadow of death, ♦︎
   and broke their bonds asunder.
15  Let them give thanks to the Lord for his goodness ♦︎
   and the wonders he does for his children.
16  For he has broken the doors of bronze ♦︎
   and breaks the bars of iron in pieces.
17  Some were foolish and took a rebellious way, ♦︎
   and were plagued because of their wrongdoing.
18  Their soul abhorred all manner of food ♦︎
   and drew near to the gates of death.
19  Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, ♦︎
   and he delivered them from their distress.
20  He sent forth his word and healed them, ♦︎
   and saved them from destruction.
21  Let them give thanks to the Lord for his goodness ♦︎
   and the wonders he does for his children.
22  Let them offer him sacrifices of thanksgiving ♦︎
   and tell of his acts with shouts of joy.
23  Those who go down to the sea in ships ♦︎
   and ply their trade in great waters,
24  These have seen the works of the Lord ♦︎
   and his wonders in the deep.
25  For at his word the stormy wind arose ♦︎
   and lifted up the waves of the sea.
26  They were carried up to the heavens
      and down again to the deep; ♦︎
   their soul melted away in their peril.
27  They reeled and staggered like a drunkard ♦︎
   and were at their wits’ end.
28  Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, ♦︎
   and he brought them out of their distress.
29  He made the storm be still ♦︎
   and the waves of the sea were calmed.
30  Then were they glad because they were at rest, ♦︎
   and he brought them to the haven they desired.
31  Let them give thanks to the Lord for his goodness ♦︎
   and the wonders he does for his children.
32  Let them exalt him in the congregation of the people ♦︎
   and praise him in the council of the elders.

Gifts of Prophecy and Tongues

14Pursue love and strive for the spiritual gifts, and especially that you may prophesy. ²For those who speak in a tongue do not speak to other people but to God; for nobody understands them, since they are speaking mysteries in the Spirit. ³On the other hand, those who prophesy speak to other people for their building up and encouragement and consolation. ⁴Those who speak in a tongue build up themselves, but those who prophesy build up the church. ⁵Now I would like all of you to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. One who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.

6 Now, brothers and sisters,^* if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I speak to you in some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? ⁷It is the same way with lifeless instruments that produce sound, such as the flute or the harp. If they do not give distinct notes, how will anyone know what is being played? ⁸And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle? ⁹So with yourselves; if in a tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is being said? For you will be speaking into the air. ¹⁰There are doubtless many different kinds of sounds in the world, and nothing is without sound. ¹¹If then I do not know the meaning of a sound, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me. ¹²So with yourselves; since you are eager for spiritual gifts, strive to excel in them for building up the church.

13 Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray for the power to interpret. ¹⁴For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unproductive. ¹⁵What should I do then? I will pray with the spirit, but I will pray with the mind also; I will sing praise with the spirit, but I will sing praise with the mind also. ¹⁶Otherwise, if you say a blessing with the spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say the ‘Amen’ to your thanksgiving, since the outsider does not know what you are saying? ¹⁷For you may give thanks well enough, but the other person is not built up. ¹⁸I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you; ¹⁹nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind, in order to instruct others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

Jesus Walks on the Water

45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. ⁴⁶After saying farewell to them, he went up on the mountain to pray.

47 When evening came, the boat was out on the lake, and he was alone on the land. ⁴⁸When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came towards them early in the morning, walking on the lake. He intended to pass them by. ⁴⁹But when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; ⁵⁰for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’ ⁵¹Then he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, ⁵²for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.