Today’s Reading :  Genesis 43 – 44  and Matthew 22  (KJV)

 

 

Genesis 43

Gen 43:1  And the famine was sore in the land.

Gen 43:2  And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food.

Gen 43:3  And Judah spoke unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.

Gen 43:4  If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food:

Gen 43:5  But if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down: for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.

Gen 43:6  And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother?

Gen 43:7  And they said, The man asked us straitly of our state, and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we certainly know that he would say, Bring your brother down?

Gen 43:8  And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones.

Gen 43:9  I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame forever:

Gen 43:10  For except we had lingered, surely now we had returned this second time.

Gen 43:11  And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds:

Gen 43:12  And take double money in your hand; and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight:

Gen 43:13  Take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man:

Gen 43:14  And God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin. If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.

Gen 43:15  And the men took that present, and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin; and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph.

Gen 43:16  And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the ruler of his house, Bring these men home, and slay, and make ready; for these men shall dine with me at noon.

Gen 43:17  And the man did as Joseph bade; and the man brought the men into Joseph's house.

Gen 43:18  And the men were afraid, because they were brought into Joseph's house; and they said, Because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time are we brought in; that he may seek occasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen, and our asses.

Gen 43:19  And they came near to the steward of Joseph's house, and they communed with him at the door of the house,

Gen 43:20  And said, O sir, we came indeed down at the first time to buy food:

Gen 43:21  And it came to pass, when we came to the inn, that we opened our sacks, and, behold, every man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight: and we have brought it again in our hand.

Gen 43:22  And other money have we brought down in our hands to buy food: we cannot tell who put our money in our sacks.

Gen 43:23  And he said, Peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks: I had your money. And he brought Simeon out unto them.

Gen 43:24  And the man brought the men into Joseph's house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their asses provender.

Gen 43:25  And they made ready the present against Joseph came at noon: for they heard that they should eat bread there.

Gen 43:26  And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed themselves to him to the earth.

Gen 43:27  And he asked them of their welfare, and said, Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spoke? Is he yet alive?

Gen 43:28  And they answered, Thy servant our father is in good health, he is yet alive. And they bowed down their heads, and made obeisance.

Gen 43:29  And he lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, Is this your younger brother, of whom ye spoke unto me? And he said, God be gracious unto thee, my son.

Gen 43:30  And Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his brother: and he sought where to weep; and he entered into his chamber, and wept there.

Gen 43:31  And he washed his face, and went out, and refrained himself, and said, Set on bread.

Gen 43:32  And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves: because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians.

Gen 43:33  And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marvelled one at another.

Gen 43:34  And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin's mess was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him.

 

Genesis 44

Gen 44:1  And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's mouth.

Gen 44:2  And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his corn money. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.

Gen 44:3  As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses.

Gen 44:4  And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good?

Gen 44:5  Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth? ye have done evil in so doing.

Gen 44:6  And he overtook them, and he spoke unto them these same words.

Gen 44:7  And they said unto him, Wherefore saith my lord these words? God forbid that thy servants should do according to this thing:

Gen 44:8  Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks' mouths, we brought again unto thee out of the land of Canaan: how then should we steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold?

Gen 44:9  With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let him die, and we also will be my lord's bondmen.

Gen 44:10  And he said, Now also let it be according unto your words: he with whom it is found shall be my servant; and ye shall be blameless.

Gen 44:11  Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack.

Gen 44:12  And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

Gen 44:13  Then they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, and returned to the city.

Gen 44:14  And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house; for he was yet there: and they fell before him on the ground.

Gen 44:15  And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? know ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine?

Gen 44:16  And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are my lord's servants, both we, and he also with whom the cup is found.

Gen 44:17  And he said, God forbid that I should do so: but the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father.

Gen 44:18  Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou art even as Pharaoh.

Gen 44:19  My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother?

Gen 44:20  And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him.

Gen 44:21  And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him.

Gen 44:22  And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die.

Gen 44:23  And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more.

Gen 44:24  And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.

Gen 44:25  And our father said, Go again, and buy us a little food.

Gen 44:26  And we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down: for we may not see the man's face, except our youngest brother be with us.

Gen 44:27  And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bore me two sons:

Gen 44:28  And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I saw him not since:

Gen 44:29  And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.

Gen 44:30  Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad's life;

Gen 44:31  It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave.

Gen 44:32  For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father forever.

Gen 44:33  Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren.

Gen 44:34  For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father.

    

Matthew 22

Mat 22:1  And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,

Mat 22:2  The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son.

Mat 22:3  And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.

Mat 22:4  Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.

Mat 22:5  But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:

Mat 22:6  And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.

Mat 22:7  But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.

Mat 22:8  Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.

Mat 22:9  Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.

Mat 22:10  So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.

Mat 22:11  And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:

Mat 22:12  And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.

Mat 22:13  Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Mat 22:14  For many are called, but few are chosen.

Mat 22:15  Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.

Mat 22:16  And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men.

Mat 22:17  Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?

Mat 22:18  But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?

Mat 22:19  Show me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.

Mat 22:20  And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?

Mat 22:21  They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.

Mat 22:22  When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.

Mat 22:23  The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,

Mat 22:24  Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.

Mat 22:25  Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother:

Mat 22:26  Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh.

Mat 22:27  And last of all the woman died also.

Mat 22:28  Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.

Mat 22:29  Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God.

Mat 22:30  For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.

Mat 22:31  But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,

Mat 22:32  I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

Mat 22:33  And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.

Mat 22:34  But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.

Mat 22:35  Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,

Mat 22:36  Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

Mat 22:37  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

Mat 22:38  This is the first and great commandment.

Mat 22:39  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Mat 22:40  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Mat 22:41  While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,

Mat 22:42  Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David.

Mat 22:43  He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,

Mat 22:44  The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?

Mat 22:45  If David then call him, Lord, how is he his son?

Mat 22:46  And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.