The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Saturday January 13, 2018 (NIV)

Jacob’s Departure

28 So Isaac summoned Jacob, blessed him, and commanded him, “Do not marry a Canaanite girl. ² Go at once to Paddan-aram, to the house of Bethuel, your mother’s father. Marry one of the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother. ³ May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you^(A) so that you become an assembly of peoples.^{(B) 4} May God give you and your offspring the blessing of Abraham^(C) so that you may possess the land where you live as a foreigner, the land God gave to Abraham.”^{(D) 5} So Isaac sent Jacob to Paddan-aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.

⁶ Esau noticed that Isaac blessed Jacob and sent him to Paddan-aram to get a wife there. When he blessed him, Isaac commanded Jacob, “Do not marry a Canaanite girl.” ⁷ And Jacob listened to his father and mother and went to Paddan-aram. ⁸ Esau realized that his father Isaac disapproved of the Canaanite women,^{(E) 9} so Esau went to Ishmael and married, in addition to his other wives, Mahalath daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son. She was the sister of Nebaioth.

Jacob at Bethel

¹⁰ Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran. ¹¹ He reached a certain place and spent the night there because the sun had set. He took one of the stones from the place, put it there at his head, and lay down in that place. ¹² And he dreamed:^(F) A stairway was set on the ground with its top reaching the sky, and God’s angels were going up and down on it.^{(G) 13} The Lord was standing there beside him,^[a] saying, “I am the Lord,^(H) the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your offspring the land on which you are lying. ¹⁴ Your offspring will be like the dust of the earth,^(I) and you will spread out toward the west, the east, the north, and the south. All the peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.^{(J) 15} Look, I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go. I will bring you back to this land,^(K) for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

¹⁶ When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.”^{(L) 17} He was afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! This is none other than the house of God. This is the gate of heaven.”

¹⁸ Early in the morning Jacob took the stone that was near his head and set it up as a marker. He poured oil on top of it ¹⁹ and named the place Bethel,^[b] though previously the city was named Luz.^{(M) 20} Then Jacob made a vow:^(N) “If God will be with me and watch over me during this journey I’m making, if he provides me with food to eat and clothing to wear, ²¹ and if I return safely to my father’s family,^(O) then the Lord will be my God.^{(P) 22} This stone that I have set up as a marker will be God’s house, and I will give to you a tenth of all that you give me.”^(Q)

Jacob Meets Rachel

29 Jacob resumed his journey^[c] and went to the eastern country.^{[d](R) 2} He looked and saw a well in a field. Three flocks of sheep were lying there beside it because the sheep were watered from this well. But a large stone covered the opening of the well. ³ The shepherds would roll the stone from the opening of the well and water the sheep when all the flocks^[e] were gathered there. Then they would return the stone to its place over the well’s opening.

⁴ Jacob asked the men at the well, “My brothers! Where are you from?”

“We’re from Haran,” they answered.

⁵ “Do you know Laban grandson of Nahor?” Jacob asked them.

They answered, “We know him.”

⁶ “Is he well?” Jacob asked.

“Yes,” they said, “and here is his daughter Rachel, coming with his sheep.”

⁷ Then Jacob said, “Look, it is still broad daylight. It’s not time for the animals to be gathered. Water the flock, then go out and let them graze.”

⁸ But they replied, “We can’t until all the flocks have been gathered and the stone is rolled from the well’s opening. Then we will water the sheep.”

⁹ While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess. ¹⁰ As soon as Jacob saw his uncle Laban’s daughter Rachel with his sheep,^[f] he went up and rolled the stone from the opening and watered his uncle Laban’s sheep. ¹¹ Then Jacob kissed Rachel and wept loudly.^{[g] 12} He told Rachel that he was her father’s relative, Rebekah’s son. She ran and told her father.

Jacob Deceived

¹³ When Laban heard the news about his sister’s son Jacob, he ran to meet him, hugged him, and kissed him. Then he took him to his house, and Jacob told him all that had happened.

¹⁴ Laban said to him, “Yes, you are my own flesh and blood.”^[h](S)

After Jacob had stayed with him a month, ¹⁵ Laban said to him, “Just because you’re my relative, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be.”

¹⁶ Now Laban had two daughters: the older was named Leah, and the younger was named Rachel. ¹⁷ Leah had tender eyes, but Rachel was shapely and beautiful. ¹⁸ Jacob loved Rachel, so he answered Laban, “I’ll work for you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.”^(T)

¹⁹ Laban replied, “Better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay with me.” ²⁰ So Jacob worked seven years for Rachel, and they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.

²¹ Then Jacob said to Laban, “Since my time is complete, give me my wife, so I can sleep with^[i] her.” ²² So Laban invited all the men of the place and sponsored a feast. ²³ That evening, Laban took his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob, and he slept with her. ²⁴ And Laban gave his slave Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her slave.

²⁵ When morning came, there was Leah! So he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Wasn’t it for Rachel that I worked for you? Why have you deceived me?”

²⁶ Laban answered, “It is not the custom in this place to give the younger daughter in marriage before the firstborn. ²⁷ Complete this week of wedding celebration, and we will also give you this younger one in return for working yet another seven years for me.”

²⁸ And Jacob did just that. He finished the week of celebration, and Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife. ²⁹ And Laban gave his slave Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her slave. ³⁰ Jacob slept with Rachel also, and indeed, he loved Rachel more than Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years.^(U)

Jacob’s Sons

³¹ When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved,^(V) he opened her womb;^(W) but Rachel was unable to conceive.^{(X) 32} Leah conceived, gave birth to a son, and named him Reuben,^[j] for she said, “The Lord has seen my affliction;^(Y) surely my husband will love me now.”

³³ She conceived again, gave birth to a son, and said, “The Lord heard that I am unloved and has given me this son also.” So she named him Simeon.^[k]

³⁴ She conceived again, gave birth to a son, and said, “At last, my husband will become attached to me because I have borne three sons for him.” Therefore he was named Levi.^[l]

³⁵ And she conceived again, gave birth to a son, and said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she named him Judah.^[m](Z) Then Leah stopped having children.

A Girl Restored and a Woman Healed

¹⁸ As he was telling them these things,^(A) suddenly one of the leaders came and knelt down before him, saying, “My daughter just died,^[a] but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.”^{(B) 19} So Jesus and his disciples got up and followed^(C) him.

²⁰ Just then, a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years approached from behind and touched the end of his robe,^{(D) 21} for she said to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I’ll be made well.”^[b](E)

²² Jesus turned and saw her. “Have courage, daughter,” he said. “Your faith has saved you.”^[c](F) And the woman was made well from that moment.^[d]

²³ When Jesus came to the leader’s house, he saw the flute players and a crowd lamenting loudly.^{(G) 24} “Leave,” he said, “because the girl is not dead but asleep.”^(H) And they laughed at him. ²⁵ After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up.^{(I) 26} Then news of this spread throughout that whole area.^(J)

Healing the Blind

²⁷ As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”^(K)

²⁸ When he entered the house, the blind men approached him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe^(L) that I can do this?”

They said to him, “Yes, Lord.”

²⁹ Then he touched their eyes, saying, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.” ³⁰ And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus warned them sternly, “Be sure that no one finds out.”^{(M) 31} But they went out and spread the news about him throughout that whole area.

Driving Out a Demon

³² Just as they were going out, a demon-possessed man who was unable to speak was brought to him.^{(N) 33} When the demon had been driven out, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed, saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!”

³⁴ But the Pharisees said, “He drives out demons by the ruler of the demons.”^(O)

The Lord of the Harvest

³⁵ Jesus continued going around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom,^(P) and healing every^[e] disease and every sickness.^{[f][g] 36} When he saw the crowds, he felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dejected,^(Q) like sheep without a shepherd.^{(R) 37} Then he said to his disciples,^(S) “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. ³⁸ Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.”

Psalm 11

Refuge in the Lord

For the choir director. Of David.