Daily Reading for Wednesday, July 12th, 2023

Reading 1, Genesis 41:55-57; 42:5-7, 17-24

⁵⁵ But when all Egypt too began to feel the famine and the people appealed to Pharaoh for food, Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, 'Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.'

⁵⁶ There was famine all over the world. Then Joseph opened all the granaries and rationed out grain to the Egyptians, as the famine grew even worse in Egypt.

⁵⁷ People came to Egypt from all over the world to get supplies from Joseph, for the famine had grown severe throughout the world.

⁵ Thus the sons of Israel were among the other people who came to get supplies, there being famine in Canaan.

⁶ It was Joseph, as the man in authority over the country, who allocated the rations to the entire population. So Joseph's brothers went and bowed down before him, their faces touching the ground.

⁷ As soon as Joseph saw his brothers he recognised them. But he did not make himself known to them, and he spoke harshly to them. 'Where have you come from?' he asked. 'From Canaan to get food,' they replied.

¹⁷ Whereupon, he put them all into custody for three days.

¹⁸ On the third day Joseph said to them, 'Do this and you will live, for I am a man who fears God.

¹⁹ If you are honest men, let one of your brothers be detained where you are imprisoned; the rest of you, go and take supplies home for your starving families.

²⁰ But you must bring your youngest brother back to me; in this way, what you have said will be verified, and you will not have to die!' And this is what they did.

²¹ And they said to one another, 'Clearly, we are being punished for what we did to our brother. We saw his deep misery when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen, and now this misery has come home to us.'

²² Reuben retorted to them, 'Did I not tell you not to wrong the boy? But you would not listen. Now comes the accounting.'

²³ They did not know that Joseph understood, because there was an interpreter between them.

²⁴ He turned away from them and wept. When he was able to speak to them again, he chose Simeon out of their number and had him bound while they looked on.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 33:2-3, 10-11, 18-19

² Give thanks to Yahweh on the lyre, play for him on the ten-stringed lyre.

³ Sing to him a new song, make sweet music for your cry of victory.

¹⁰ Yahweh thwarts the plans of nations, frustrates the counsels of peoples;

¹¹ but Yahweh's own plan stands firm for ever, his heart's counsel from age to age.

¹⁸ But see how Yahweh watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his faithful love,

¹⁹ to rescue them from death and keep them alive in famine.

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