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Psalm 133

1  Behold how good and pleasant it is ♦︎
   to dwell together in unity.
2  It is like the precious oil upon the head, ♦︎
   running down upon the beard,
3  Even on Aaron’s beard, ♦︎
   running down upon the collar of his clothing.
4  It is like the dew of Hermon ♦︎
   running down upon the hills of Zion.
5  For there the Lord has promised his blessing: ♦︎
   even life for evermore.

8 When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, he said, ‘Who are these?’ ⁹Joseph said to his father, ‘They are my sons, whom God has given me here.’ And he said, ‘Bring them to me, please, that I may bless them.’ ¹⁰Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, and he could not see well. So Joseph brought them near him; and he kissed them and embraced them. ¹¹Israel said to Joseph, ‘I did not expect to see your face; and here God has let me see your children also.’ ¹²Then Joseph removed them from his father’s knees,^* and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. ¹³Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand towards Israel’s left, and Manasseh in his left hand towards Israel’s right, and brought them near him. ¹⁴But Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands, for Manasseh was the firstborn. ¹⁵He blessed Joseph, and said,
‘The God before whom my ancestors Abraham and Isaac walked,
the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,
¹⁶ the angel who has redeemed me from all harm, bless the boys;
and in them let my name be perpetuated, and the name of my ancestors Abraham and Isaac;
and let them grow into a multitude on the earth.’

17 When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took his father’s hand, to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. ¹⁸Joseph said to his father, ‘Not so, my father! Since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head.’ ¹⁹But his father refused, and said, ‘I know, my son, I know; he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.’ ²⁰So he blessed them that day, saying,
‘By you^* Israel will invoke blessings, saying,
“God make you^* like Ephraim and like Manasseh.” ’
So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh. ²¹Then Israel said to Joseph, ‘I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your ancestors. ²²I now give to you one portion^* more than to your brothers, the portion^* that I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow.’

The Faith of Moses

23 By faith Moses was hidden by his parents for three months after his birth, because they saw that the child was beautiful; and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.^{* 24}By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called a son of Pharaoh’s daughter, ²⁵choosing rather to share ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. ²⁶He considered abuse suffered for the Christ^* to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to the reward. ²⁷By faith he left Egypt, unafraid of the king’s anger; for he persevered as though^* he saw him who is invisible. ²⁸By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.^*

The Faith of Other Israelite Heroes

29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as if it were dry land, but when the Egyptians attempted to do so they were drowned.