Genesis 44

• 1. When his brothers were ready to leave, Joseph gave these instructions to the man in charge of his household: "Fill each of their sacks with as much grain as they can carry, and put each man's money back into his sack.
• 2. Then put my personal silver cup at the top of the youngest brother's sack, along with his grain money." So the household manager did as he was told.
• 3. The brothers were up at dawn and set out on their journey with their loaded donkeys.
• 4. But when they were barely out of the city, Joseph said to his household manager, "Chase after them and stop them. Ask them, `Why have you repaid an act of kindness with such evil?
• 5. What do you mean by stealing my master's personal silver drinking cup, which he uses to predict the future? What a wicked thing you have done!'"
• 6. So the man caught up with them and spoke to them in the way he had been instructed.
• 7. "What are you talking about?" the brothers responded. "What kind of people do you think we are, that you accuse us of such a terrible thing?
• 8. Didn't we bring back the money we found in our sacks? Why would we steal silver or gold from your master's house?
• 9. If you find his cup with any one of us, let that one die. And all the rest of us will be your master's slaves forever."
• 10. "Fair enough," the man replied, "except that only the one who stole it will be a slave. The rest of you may go free."
• 11. They quickly took their sacks from the backs of their donkeys and opened them.
• 12. Joseph's servant began searching the oldest brother's sack, going on down the line to the youngest. The cup was found in Benjamin's sack!
• 13. At this, they tore their clothing in despair, loaded the donkeys again, and returned to the city.
• 14. Joseph was still at home when Judah and his brothers arrived, and they fell to the ground before him.
• 15. "What were you trying to do?" Joseph demanded. "Didn't you know that a man such as I would know who stole it?"
• 16. And Judah said, "Oh, my lord, what can we say to you? How can we plead? How can we prove our innocence? God is punishing us for our sins. My lord, we have all returned to be your slaves--we and our brother who had your cup in his sack."
• 17. "No," Joseph said. "Only the man who stole the cup will be my slave. The rest of you may go home to your father."
• 18. Then Judah stepped forward and said, "My lord, let me say just this one word to you. Be patient with me for a moment, for I know you could have me killed in an instant, as though you were Pharaoh himself.
• 19. "You asked us, my lord, if we had a father or a brother.
• 20. We said, `Yes, we have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, his youngest son. His brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother's children, and his father loves him very much.'
• 21. And you said to us, `Bring him here so I can see him.'
• 22. But we said to you, `My lord, the boy cannot leave his father, for his father would die.'
• 23. But you told us, `You may not see me again unless your youngest brother is with you.'
• 24. So we returned to our father and told him what you had said.
• 25. And when he said, `Go back again and buy us a little food,'
• 26. we replied, `We can't unless you let our youngest brother go with us. We won't be allowed to see the man in charge of the grain unless our youngest brother is with us.'
• 27. Then my father said to us, `You know that my wife had two sons,
• 28. and that one of them went away and never returned--doubtless torn to pieces by some wild animal. I have never seen him since.
• 29. If you take away his brother from me, too, and any harm comes to him, you would bring my gray head down to the grave in deep sorrow.'
• 30. "And now, my lord, I cannot go back to my father without the boy. Our father's life is bound up in the boy's life.
• 31. When he sees that the boy is not with us, our father will die. We will be responsible for bringing his gray head down to the grave in sorrow.
• 32. My lord, I made a pledge to my father that I would take care of the boy. I told him, `If I don't bring him back to you, I will bear the blame forever.'
• 33. Please, my lord, let me stay here as a slave instead of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers.
• 34. For how can I return to my father if the boy is not with me? I cannot bear to see what this would do to him."

Mark 15

• 1. Very early in the morning the leading priests, other leaders, and teachers of religious law--the entire high council--met to discuss their next step. They bound Jesus and took him to Pilate, the Roman governor.
• 2. Pilate asked Jesus, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus replied, "Yes, it is as you say."
• 3. Then the leading priests accused him of many crimes,
• 4. and Pilate asked him, "Aren't you going to say something? What about all these charges against you?"
• 5. But Jesus said nothing, much to Pilate's surprise.
• 6. Now it was the governor's custom to release one prisoner each year at Passover time--anyone the people requested.
• 7. One of the prisoners at that time was Barabbas, convicted along with others for murder during an insurrection.
• 8. The mob began to crowd in toward Pilate, asking him to release a prisoner as usual.
• 9. "Should I give you the King of the Jews?" Pilate asked.
• 10. (For he realized by now that the leading priests had arrested Jesus out of envy.)
• 11. But at this point the leading priests stirred up the mob to demand the release of Barabbas instead of Jesus.
• 12. "But if I release Barabbas," Pilate asked them, "what should I do with this man you call the King of the Jews?"
• 13. They shouted back, "Crucify him!"
• 14. "Why?" Pilate demanded. "What crime has he committed?" But the crowd only roared the louder, "Crucify him!"
• 15. So Pilate, anxious to please the crowd, released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to crucify him.
• 16. The soldiers took him into their headquarters and called out the entire battalion.
• 17. They dressed him in a purple robe and made a crown of long, sharp thorns and put it on his head.
• 18. Then they saluted, yelling, "Hail! King of the Jews!"
• 19. And they beat him on the head with a stick, spit on him, and dropped to their knees in mock worship.
• 20. When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.
• 21. A man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, was coming in from the country just then, and they forced him to carry Jesus' cross. (Simon is the father of Alexander and Rufus.)
• 22. And they brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha (which means Skull Hill).
• 23. They offered him wine drugged with myrrh, but he refused it.
• 24. Then they nailed him to the cross. They gambled for his clothes, throwing dice to decide who would get them.
• 25. It was nine o'clock in the morning when the crucifixion took place.
• 26. A signboard was fastened to the cross above Jesus' head, announcing the charge against him. It read: "The King of the Jews."
• 27. Two criminals were crucified with him, their crosses on either side of his.
• 28. See Footnote
• 29. And the people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. "Ha! Look at you now!" they yelled at him. "You can destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days, can you?
• 30. Well then, save yourself and come down from the cross!"
• 31. The leading priests and teachers of religious law also mocked Jesus. "He saved others," they scoffed, "but he can't save himself!
• 32. Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down from the cross so we can see it and believe him!" Even the two criminals who were being crucified with Jesus ridiculed him.
• 33. At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o'clock.
• 34. Then, at that time Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
• 35. Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah.
• 36. One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a stick so he could drink. "Leave him alone. Let's see whether Elijah will come and take him down!" he said.
• 37. Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last.
• 38. And the curtain in the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.
• 39. When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, "Truly, this was the Son of God!"
• 40. Some women were there, watching from a distance, including Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James the younger and of Joseph ), and Salome.
• 41. They had been followers of Jesus and had cared for him while he was in Galilee. Then they and many other women had come with him to Jerusalem.
• 42. This all happened on Friday, the day of preparation, the day before the Sabbath. As evening approached,
• 43. an honored member of the high council, Joseph from Arimathea (who was waiting for the Kingdom of God to come), gathered his courage and went to Pilate to ask for Jesus' body.
• 44. Pilate couldn't believe that Jesus was already dead, so he called for the Roman military officer in charge and asked him.
• 45. The officer confirmed the fact, and Pilate told Joseph he could have the body.
• 46. Joseph bought a long sheet of linen cloth, and taking Jesus' body down from the cross, he wrapped it in the cloth and laid it in a tomb that had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone in front of the entrance.
• 47. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where Jesus' body was laid.

Job 11

• 1. Then Zophar the Naamathite replied to Job:
• 2. "Shouldn't someone answer this torrent of words? Is a person proved innocent just by talking a lot?
• 3. Should I remain silent while you babble on? When you mock God, shouldn't someone make you ashamed?
• 4. You claim, `My teaching is pure,' and `I am clean in the sight of God.'
• 5. If only God would speak; if only he would tell you what he thinks!
• 6. If only he would tell you the secrets of wisdom, for true wisdom is not a simple matter. Listen! God is doubtless punishing you far less than you deserve!
• 7. "Can you solve the mysteries of God? Can you discover everything there is to know about the Almighty?
• 8. Such knowledge is higher than the heavens--but who are you? It is deeper than the underworld--what can you know in comparison to him?
• 9. It is broader than the earth and wider than the sea.
• 10. If God comes along and puts a person in prison, or if he calls the court to order, who is going to stop him?
• 11. For he knows those who are false, and he takes note of all their sins.
• 12. An empty-headed person won't become wise any more than a wild donkey can bear human offspring!
• 13. "If only you would prepare your heart and lift up your hands to him in prayer!
• 14. Get rid of your sins and leave all iniquity behind you.
• 15. Then your face will brighten in innocence. You will be strong and free of fear.
• 16. You will forget your misery. It will all be gone like water under the bridge.
• 17. Your life will be brighter than the noonday. Any darkness will be as bright as morning.
• 18. You will have courage because you will have hope. You will be protected and will rest in safety.
• 19. You will lie down unafraid, and many will look to you for help.
• 20. But the wicked will lose hope. They have no escape. Their hope becomes despair."

New Living Translation: 43 of 365 days.