Genesis 43, Mark 13, Job 9, Romans 13

Genesis 43,

Now the famine was still severe in the land.
So when they had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, "Go back and buy us a little more food."
But Judah said to him, "The man warned us solemnly, 'You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.'
If you will send our brother along with us, we will go down and buy food for you.
But if you will not send him, we will not go down, because the man said to us, 'You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.' "
  
  Israel asked, "Why did you bring this trouble on me by telling the man you had another brother?"
They replied, "The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family. 'Is your father still living?' he asked us. 'Do you have another brother?' We simply answered his questions. How were we to know he would say, 'Bring your brother down here'?"
Then Judah said to Israel his father, "Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die.
I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life.
As it is, if we had not delayed, we could have gone and returned twice."
  
  Then their father Israel said to them, "If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift--a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds.
Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake.
Take your brother also and go back to the man at once.
And may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved."
So the men took the gifts and double the amount of silver, and Benjamin also. They hurried down to Egypt and presented themselves to Joseph.
  
  When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, "Take these men to my house, slaughter an animal and prepare dinner; they are to eat with me at noon."
The man did as Joseph told him and took the men to Joseph's house.
Now the men were frightened when they were taken to his house. They thought, "We were brought here because of the silver that was put back into our sacks the first time. He wants to attack us and overpower us and seize us as slaves and take our donkeys."
So they went up to Joseph's steward and spoke to him at the entrance to the house.
"Please, sir," they said, "we came down here the first time to buy food.
  
  But at the place where we stopped for the night we opened our sacks and each of us found his silver--the exact weight--in the mouth of his sack. So we have brought it back with us.
We have also brought additional silver with us to buy food. We don't know who put our silver in our sacks."
"It's all right," he said. "Don't be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks; I received your silver." Then he brought Simeon out to them.
The steward took the men into Joseph's house, gave them water to wash their feet and provided fodder for their donkeys.
They prepared their gifts for Joseph's arrival at noon, because they had heard that they were to eat there.
  
  When Joseph came home, they presented to him the gifts they had brought into the house, and they bowed down before him to the ground.
He asked them how they were, and then he said, "How is your aged father you told me about? Is he still living?"
They replied, "Your servant our father is still alive and well." And they bowed low to pay him honor.
As he looked about and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother's son, he asked, "Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?" And he said, "God be gracious to you, my son."
Deeply moved at the sight of his brother, Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep. He went into his private room and wept there.
  
  After he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself, said, "Serve the food."
They served him by himself, the brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews, for that is detestable to Egyptians.
The men had been seated before him in the order of their ages, from the firstborn to the youngest; and they looked at each other in astonishment.
When portions were served to them from Joseph's table, Benjamin's portion was five times as much as anyone else's. So they feasted and drank freely with him. 

Mark 13,

As he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!"
"Do you see all these great buildings?" replied Jesus. "Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately,
"Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?"
Jesus said to them: "Watch out that no one deceives you.
  
  Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will deceive many.
When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.
Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.
"You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them.
And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.
  
  Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
"Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.
All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
"When you see 'the abomination that causes desolation'standing where it does not belong--let the reader understand--then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
Let no one on the roof of his house go down or enter the house to take anything out.
  
  Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak.
How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!
Pray that this will not take place in winter,
because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now--and never to be equaled again.
If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them.
  
  At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'Look, there he is!' do not believe it.
For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect--if that were possible.
So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.
"But in those days, following that distress, " 'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.'
  
  "At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.
And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.
"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near.
Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door.
I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
  
  Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.
It's like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
"Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back--whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn.
  
  If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping.
What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!' " 

Job 9,

Then Job replied:
"Indeed, I know that this is true. But how can a mortal be righteous before God?
Though one wished to dispute with him, he could not answer him one time out of a thousand.
His wisdom is profound, his power is vast. Who has resisted him and come out unscathed?
He moves mountains without their knowing it and overturns them in his anger.
  
  He shakes the earth from its place and makes its pillars tremble.
He speaks to the sun and it does not shine; he seals off the light of the stars.
He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea.
He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.
He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.
  
  When he passes me, I cannot see him; when he goes by, I cannot perceive him.
If he snatches away, who can stop him? Who can say to him, 'What are you doing?'
God does not restrain his anger; even the cohorts of Rahab cowered at his feet.
"How then can I dispute with him? How can I find words to argue with him?
Though I were innocent, I could not answer him; I could only plead with my Judge for mercy.
  
  Even if I summoned him and he responded, I do not believe he would give me a hearing.
He would crush me with a storm and multiply my wounds for no reason.
He would not let me regain my breath but would overwhelm me with misery.
If it is a matter of strength, he is mighty! And if it is a matter of justice, who will summon him ?
Even if I were innocent, my mouth would condemn me; if I were blameless, it would pronounce me guilty.
  
  "Although I am blameless, I have no concern for myself; I despise my own life.
It is all the same; that is why I say, 'He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.'
When a scourge brings sudden death, he mocks the despair of the innocent.
When a land falls into the hands of the wicked, he blindfolds its judges. If it is not he, then who is it?
"My days are swifter than a runner; they fly away without a glimpse of joy.
  
  They skim past like boats of papyrus, like eagles swooping down on their prey.
If I say, 'I will forget my complaint, I will change my expression, and smile,'
I still dread all my sufferings, for I know you will not hold me innocent.
Since I am already found guilty, why should I struggle in vain?
Even if I washed myself with soap and my hands with washing soda,
  
  you would plunge me into a slime pit so that even my clothes would detest me.
"He is not a man like me that I might answer him, that we might confront each other in court.
If only there were someone to arbitrate between us, to lay his hand upon us both,
someone to remove God's rod from me, so that his terror would frighten me no more.
Then I would speak up without fear of him, but as it now stands with me, I cannot. 

Romans 13

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.
For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you.
For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.
Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.
  
  This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing.
Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.
The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
  
  And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.
Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.