Joseph and His Brothers

¹⁵ When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and will pay us back in full for all of the evil that we did to him.”

¹⁶ They sent the following message to Joseph: “Before he died your father commanded us, ¹⁷ ‘You are to tell Joseph, “Please forgive the offense of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.”’ Now, please forgive the offense of the servants of the God of your father.”

Joseph wept when they spoke to him.

¹⁸ His brothers also came and fell down in front of him, and they said, “See now, we are your servants.”

¹⁹ Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? ²⁰ You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring this to pass and to keep many people alive, as it is this day. ²¹ Now therefore, do not be afraid. I will nourish you and your little ones.” He comforted them and spoke to them in a kind way.

Psalm 103

Bless the Lord, Who Forgives All Your Sins

Heading
By David.

Invitation to Praise

Praise for Personal Blessings

Praise for Blessings Through Moses

God’s Great Mercy

God’s Mercy Illustrated

Man’s Short Life

The Covenant With Moses Proclaims God’s Eternal Mercy

Closing Praise

The Unmerciful Servant

²¹ Then Peter came up and asked Jesus, “Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother when he sins against me? As many as seven times?”

²² Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but I tell you as many as seventy-seven times.^{[a] 23} For this reason the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴ When he began to settle them, a man who owed him ten thousand talents^[b] was brought to him. ²⁵ Because the man was not able to pay the debt, his master ordered that he be sold, along with his wife, children, and all that he owned to repay the debt.

²⁶ “Then the servant fell down on his knees in front of him, saying, ‘Master, be patient with me, and I will pay you everything!’ ²⁷ The master of that servant had pity on him, released him, and forgave him the debt.

²⁸ “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him one hundred denarii.^[c] He grabbed him and began choking him, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’

²⁹ “So his fellow servant fell down and begged him, saying, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back!’ ³⁰ But he refused. Instead he went off and threw the man into prison until he could pay back what he owed.

³¹ “When his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were very distressed. They went and reported to their master everything that had taken place.

³² “Then his master called him in and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt when you begged me to. ³³ Should you not have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had mercy on you?’ ³⁴ His master was angry and handed him over to the jailers until he could pay back everything he owed.

³⁵ “This is what my heavenly Father will also do to you unless each one of you forgives his brother from his heart.”

²⁹ Do not let any unwholesome talk come from your mouths. Say only what is beneficial when there is a need to build up others, so that it will be a blessing to those who hear. ³⁰ Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Get rid of every kind of bitterness, rage, anger, quarreling, and slander, along with every kind of malice. ³² Instead, be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ has forgiven us.^[a]

5 Therefore, be imitators of God as his dearly loved children. ² And walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself for us, as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.