Month: January 2024

¹⁸ On the third day Joseph said to them, “I am a God-fearing man. If you do as I say, you will live. ¹⁹ If you really are honest men, choose one of your brothers to remain in prison. The rest of you may go home with grain for your starving families. ²⁰ But you must bring your youngest brother back to me. This will prove that you are telling the truth, and you will not die.” To this they agreed.

²¹ Speaking among themselves, they said, “Clearly we are being punished because of what we did to Joseph long ago. We saw his anguish when he pleaded for his life, but we wouldn’t listen. That’s why we’re in this trouble.”

²² “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy?” Reuben asked. “But you wouldn’t listen. And now we have to answer for his blood!”

²³ Of course, they didn’t know that Joseph understood them, for he had been speaking to them through an interpreter. ²⁴ Now he turned away from them and began to weep. When he regained his composure, he spoke to them again. Then he chose Simeon from among them and had him tied up right before their eyes.

²⁵ Joseph then ordered his servants to fill the men’s sacks with grain, but he also gave secret instructions to return each brother’s payment at the top of his sack. He also gave them supplies for their journey home. ²⁶ So the brothers loaded their donkeys with the grain and headed for home.

²⁷ But when they stopped for the night and one of them opened his sack to get grain for his donkey, he found his money in the top of his sack. ²⁸ “Look!” he exclaimed to his brothers. “My money has been returned; it’s here in my sack!” Then their hearts sank. Trembling, they said to each other, “What has God done to us?”

²⁹ When the brothers came to their father, Jacob, in the land of Canaan, they told him everything that had happened to them. ³⁰ “The man who is governor of the land spoke very harshly to us,” they told him. “He accused us of being spies scouting the land. ³¹ But we said, ‘We are honest men, not spies. ³² We are twelve brothers, sons of one father. One brother is no longer with us, and the youngest is at home with our father in the land of Canaan.’

³³ “Then the man who is governor of the land told us, ‘This is how I will find out if you are honest men. Leave one of your brothers here with me, and take grain for your starving families and go on home. ³⁴ But you must bring your youngest brother back to me. Then I will know you are honest men and not spies. Then I will give you back your brother, and you may trade freely in the land.’”

³⁵ As they emptied out their sacks, there in each man’s sack was the bag of money he had paid for the grain! The brothers and their father were terrified when they saw the bags of money. ³⁶ Jacob exclaimed, “You are robbing me of my children! Joseph is gone! Simeon is gone! And now you want to take Benjamin, too. Everything is going against me!”

³⁷ Then Reuben said to his father, “You may kill my two sons if I don’t bring Benjamin back to you. I’ll be responsible for him, and I promise to bring him back.”

³⁸ But Jacob replied, “My son will not go down with you. His brother Joseph is dead, and he is all I have left. If anything should happen to him on your journey, you would send this grieving, white-haired man to his grave.^[a]”

The Brothers Return to Egypt

43 But the famine continued to ravage the land of Canaan. ² When the grain they had brought from Egypt was almost gone, Jacob said to his sons, “Go back and buy us a little more food.”

³ But Judah said, “The man was serious when he warned us, ‘You won’t see my face again unless your brother is with you.’ ⁴ If you send Benjamin with us, we will go down and buy more food. ⁵ But if you don’t let Benjamin go, we won’t go either. Remember, the man said, ‘You won’t see my face again unless your brother is with you.’”

⁶ “Why were you so cruel to me?” Jacob^[b] moaned. “Why did you tell him you had another brother?”

⁷ “The man kept asking us questions about our family,” they replied. “He asked, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ So we answered his questions. How could we know he would say, ‘Bring your brother down here’?”

⁸ Judah said to his father, “Send the boy with me, and we will be on our way. Otherwise we will all die of starvation—and not only we, but you and our little ones. ⁹ I personally guarantee his safety. You may hold me responsible if I don’t bring him back to you. Then let me bear the blame forever. ¹⁰ If we hadn’t wasted all this time, we could have gone and returned twice by now.”

¹¹ So their father, Jacob, finally said to them, “If it can’t be avoided, then at least do this. Pack your bags with the best products of this land. Take them down to the man as gifts—balm, honey, gum, aromatic resin, pistachio nuts, and almonds. ¹² Also take double the money that was put back in your sacks, as it was probably someone’s mistake. ¹³ Then take your brother, and go back to the man. ¹⁴ May God Almighty^[c] give you mercy as you go before the man, so that he will release Simeon and let Benjamin return. But if I must lose my children, so be it.”

¹⁵ So the men packed Jacob’s gifts and double the money and headed off with Benjamin. They finally arrived in Egypt and presented themselves to Joseph. ¹⁶ When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the manager of his household, “These men will eat with me this noon. Take them inside the palace. Then go slaughter an animal, and prepare a big feast.” ¹⁷ So the man did as Joseph told him and took them into Joseph’s palace.

¹⁸ The brothers were terrified when they saw that they were being taken into Joseph’s house. “It’s because of the money someone put in our sacks last time we were here,” they said. “He plans to pretend that we stole it. Then he will seize us, make us slaves, and take our donkeys.”

A Feast at Joseph’s Palace

¹⁹ The brothers approached the manager of Joseph’s household and spoke to him at the entrance to the palace. ²⁰ “Sir,” they said, “we came to Egypt once before to buy food. ²¹ But as we were returning home, we stopped for the night and opened our sacks. Then we discovered that each man’s money—the exact amount paid—was in the top of his sack! Here it is; we have brought it back with us. ²² We also have additional money to buy more food. We have no idea who put our money in our sacks.”

²³ “Relax. Don’t be afraid,” the household manager told them. “Your God, the God of your father, must have put this treasure into your sacks. I know I received your payment.” Then he released Simeon and brought him out to them.

²⁴ The manager then led the men into Joseph’s palace. He gave them water to wash their feet and provided food for their donkeys. ²⁵ They were told they would be eating there, so they prepared their gifts for Joseph’s arrival at noon.

²⁶ When Joseph came home, they gave him the gifts they had brought him, then bowed low to the ground before him. ²⁷ After greeting them, he asked, “How is your father, the old man you spoke about? Is he still alive?”

²⁸ “Yes,” they replied. “Our father, your servant, is alive and well.” And they bowed low again.

²⁹ Then Joseph looked at his brother Benjamin, the son of his own mother. “Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?” Joseph asked. “May God be gracious to you, my son.” ³⁰ Then Joseph hurried from the room because he was overcome with emotion for his brother. He went into his private room, where he broke down and wept. ³¹ After washing his face, he came back out, keeping himself under control. Then he ordered, “Bring out the food!”

³² The waiters served Joseph at his own table, and his brothers were served at a separate table. The Egyptians who ate with Joseph sat at their own table, because Egyptians despise Hebrews and refuse to eat with them. ³³ Joseph told each of his brothers where to sit, and to their amazement, he seated them according to age, from oldest to youngest. ³⁴ And Joseph filled their plates with food from his own table, giving Benjamin five times as much as he gave the others. So they feasted and drank freely with him.

Parable of the Fishing Net

⁴⁷ “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a fishing net that was thrown into the water and caught fish of every kind. ⁴⁸ When the net was full, they dragged it up onto the shore, sat down, and sorted the good fish into crates, but threw the bad ones away. ⁴⁹ That is the way it will be at the end of the world. The angels will come and separate the wicked people from the righteous, ⁵⁰ throwing the wicked into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁵¹ Do you understand all these things?”

“Yes,” they said, “we do.”

⁵² Then he added, “Every teacher of religious law who becomes a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a homeowner who brings from his storeroom new gems of truth as well as old.”

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

⁵³ When Jesus had finished telling these stories and illustrations, he left that part of the country. ⁵⁴ He returned to Nazareth, his hometown. When he taught there in the synagogue, everyone was amazed and said, “Where does he get this wisdom and the power to do miracles?” ⁵⁵ Then they scoffed, “He’s just the carpenter’s son, and we know Mary, his mother, and his brothers—James, Joseph,^[a] Simon, and Judas. ⁵⁶ All his sisters live right here among us. Where did he learn all these things?” ⁵⁷ And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in him.

Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family.” ⁵⁸ And so he did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief.

The Death of John the Baptist

14 When Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee,^[b] heard about Jesus, ² he said to his advisers, “This must be John the Baptist raised from the dead! That is why he can do such miracles.”

³ For Herod had arrested and imprisoned John as a favor to his wife Herodias (the former wife of Herod’s brother Philip). ⁴ John had been telling Herod, “It is against God’s law for you to marry her.” ⁵ Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of a riot, because all the people believed John was a prophet.

⁶ But at a birthday party for Herod, Herodias’s daughter performed a dance that greatly pleased him, ⁷ so he promised with a vow to give her anything she wanted. ⁸ At her mother’s urging, the girl said, “I want the head of John the Baptist on a tray!” ⁹ Then the king regretted what he had said; but because of the vow he had made in front of his guests, he issued the necessary orders. ¹⁰ So John was beheaded in the prison, ¹¹ and his head was brought on a tray and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. ¹² Later, John’s disciples came for his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus what had happened.

¹⁷ So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile, ¹⁸ when seven well-fed, healthy-looking cows came up from the Nile and grazed among the reeds. ¹⁹ After them, seven other cows—weak, very sickly, and thin—came up. I’ve never seen such sickly ones as these in all the land of Egypt. ²⁰ Then the thin, sickly cows ate the first seven well-fed cows. ²¹ When they had devoured them, you could not tell that they had devoured them; their appearance was as bad as it had been before. Then I woke up. ²² In my dream I also saw seven heads of grain, full and good, coming up on one stalk. ²³ After them, seven heads of grain—withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind—sprouted up. ²⁴ The thin heads of grain swallowed the seven good ones. I told this to the magicians, but no one can tell me what it means.”^(A)

²⁵ Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Pharaoh’s dreams mean the same thing. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.^{(B) 26} The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads are seven years. The dreams mean the same thing. ²⁷ The seven thin, sickly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind are seven years of famine.^(C)

²⁸ “It is just as I told Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. ²⁹ Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt. ³⁰ After them, seven years of famine will take place, and all the abundance in the land of Egypt will be forgotten. The famine will devastate the land.^{(D) 31} The abundance in the land will not be remembered because of the famine that follows it, for the famine will be very severe. ³² Since the dream was given twice to Pharaoh, it means that the matter has been determined by God, and he will carry it out soon.

³³ “So now, let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and set him over the land of Egypt. ³⁴ Let Pharaoh do this: Let him appoint overseers over the land and take a fifth of the harvest of the land of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. ³⁵ Let them gather all the excess food during these good years that are coming. Under Pharaoh’s authority, store the grain in the cities, so they may preserve it as food. ³⁶ The food will be a reserve for the land during the seven years of famine that will take place in the land of Egypt. Then the country will not be wiped out by the famine.”

Joseph Exalted

³⁷ The proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants, ³⁸ and he said to them, “Can we find anyone like this, a man who has God’s spirit^[a] in him?” ^{(E) 39} So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one as discerning and wise as you are. ⁴⁰ You will be over my house, and all my people will obey your commands.^[b](F) Only I, as king,^[c] will be greater than you.” ⁴¹ Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “See, I am placing you over all the land of Egypt.” ⁴² Pharaoh removed his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, clothed him with fine linen garments, and placed a gold chain around his neck.^{(G) 43} He had Joseph ride in his second chariot, and servants called out before him, “Make way!” ^[d] So he placed him over all the land of Egypt. ⁴⁴ Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh and no one will be able to raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt without your permission.” ⁴⁵ Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-paneah and gave him a wife, Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest at On.^[e] And Joseph went throughout^[f] the land of Egypt.

Joseph’s Administration

⁴⁶ Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph left Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout the land of Egypt.

⁴⁷ During the seven years of abundance the land produced outstanding harvests. ⁴⁸ Joseph gathered all the excess food in the land of Egypt during the seven years and put it in the cities. He put the food in every city from the fields around it. ⁴⁹ So Joseph stored up grain in such abundance—like the sand of the sea—that he stopped measuring it because it was beyond measure.

⁵⁰ Two sons were born to Joseph before the years of famine arrived.^(H) Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest at On, bore them to him. ⁵¹ Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh^[g] and said, “God has made me forget all my hardship and my whole family.” ⁵² And the second son he named Ephraim^[h] and said, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”

⁵³ Then the seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt came to an end, ⁵⁴ and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in every land, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food. ⁵⁵ When the whole land of Egypt was stricken with famine, the people cried out to Pharaoh for food. Pharaoh told all Egypt, “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.” ⁵⁶ Now the famine had spread across the whole region, so Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. ⁵⁷ Every land came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, for the famine was severe in every land.^(I)

Joseph’s Brothers in Egypt

42 When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt,^(J) he said to his sons, “Why do you keep looking at each other? ² Listen,” he went on, “I have heard there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us so that we will live and not die.”^{(K) 3} So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. ⁴ But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he thought, “Something might happen to him.”

⁵ The sons of Israel were among those who came to buy grain, for the famine was in the land of Canaan. ⁶ Joseph was in charge of the country; he sold grain to all its people. His brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the ground.^{(L) 7} When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke harshly to them.

“Where do you come from?” he asked.

“From the land of Canaan to buy food,” they replied.

⁸ Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. ⁹ Joseph remembered his dreams about them^(M) and said to them, “You are spies. You have come to see the weakness^[i] of the land.”

¹⁰ “No, my lord. Your servants have come to buy food,” they said. ¹¹ “We are all sons of one man. We are honest; your servants are not spies.”

¹² “No,” he said to them. “You have come to see the weakness of the land.”

¹³ But they replied, “We, your servants, were twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now^[j] with our father, and one is no longer living.”

¹⁴ Then Joseph said to them, “I have spoken:^[k] ‘You are spies!’ ¹⁵ This is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. ¹⁶ Send one from among you to get your brother. The rest of you will be imprisoned so that your words can be tested to see if they are true. If they are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!” ¹⁷ So Joseph imprisoned them together for three days.

The Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds

²⁴ He presented another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.^{(A) 25} But while people were sleeping, his enemy came, sowed weeds among the wheat, and left. ²⁶ When the plants sprouted and produced grain, then the weeds also appeared. ²⁷ The landowner’s servants^(B) came to him and said, ‘Master, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from?’

²⁸ “‘An enemy did this,’ he told them.

“‘So, do you want us to go and pull them up?’ the servants asked him.

²⁹ “‘No,’ he said. ‘When you pull up the weeds, you might also uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time I’ll tell the reapers: Gather the weeds first and tie them in bundles to burn them, but collect the wheat in my barn.’”

The Parables of the Mustard Seed and of the Leaven

³¹ He^(C) presented another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven^(D) is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. ³² It’s the smallest of all the seeds, but when grown, it’s taller than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches.”^(E)

³³ He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven^[a] that a woman took and mixed into fifty pounds^[b] of flour until all of it was leavened.”^(F)

Using Parables Fulfills Prophecy

³⁴ Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables, and he did not tell them anything without a parable,^{(G) 35} so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled:

Jesus Interprets the Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds

³⁶ Then he left the crowds and went into the house. His disciples approached him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”^(I)

³⁷ He replied, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; ³⁸ the field is the world; and the good seed—these are the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one,^{(J) 39} and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.^{(K) 40} Therefore, just as the weeds are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age.^{(L) 41} The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom all who cause sin^[e] and those guilty of lawlessness.^{[f](M) 42} They will throw them into the blazing furnace^(N) where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.^{(O) 43} Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. Let anyone who has ears^[g] listen.^(P)

The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and of the Priceless Pearl

⁴⁴ “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.^(Q)

⁴⁵ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. ⁴⁶ When he found one priceless^[h] pearl, he went and sold everything he had and bought it.^(R)

Psalm 18

Praise for Deliverance

For the choir director. Of the servant of the Lord, David, who spoke the words of this song to the Lord on the day the Lord rescued him from the grasp of all his enemies and from the power of Saul.^(A) He said:

A Father’s Example

Joseph in Potiphar’s House

39 Now Joseph had been taken to Egypt. An Egyptian named Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and the captain of the guards, bought him from the Ishmaelites^(A) who had brought him there. ² The Lord was with Joseph,^(B) and he became a successful man, serving^[a] in the household of his Egyptian master. ³ When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made everything he did successful,^{(C) 4} Joseph found favor^(D) with his master and became his personal attendant. Potiphar also put him in charge of his household and placed all that he owned under his authority.^{[b] 5} From the time that he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house because of Joseph.^(E) The Lord’s blessing was on all that he owned, in his house and in his fields. ⁶ He left all that he owned under Joseph’s authority;^[c] he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome.^{(F) 7} After some time his master’s wife looked longingly at Joseph and said, “Sleep with me.”

⁸ But he refused. “Look,” he said to his master’s wife, “with me here my master does not concern himself with anything in his house, and he has put all that he owns under my authority.^{[d] 9} No one in this house is greater than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. So how could I do this immense evil, and how could I sin against God?” ^(G)

¹⁰ Although she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her.^{[e] 11} Now one day he went into the house to do his work, and none of the household servants were there.^{[f] 12} She grabbed him by his garment and said, “Sleep with me!” But leaving his garment in her hand, he escaped and ran outside. ¹³ When she saw that he had left his garment with her and had run outside, ¹⁴ she called her household servants. “Look,” she said to them, “my husband brought a Hebrew man to make fools of us. He came to me so he could sleep with me, and I screamed as loud as I could. ¹⁵ When he heard me screaming for help,^[g] he left his garment beside me and ran outside.”

¹⁶ She put Joseph’s garment beside her until his master came home. ¹⁷ Then she told him the same story: “The Hebrew slave you brought to us came to make a fool of me, ¹⁸ but when I screamed for help,^[h] he left his garment beside me and ran outside.”

¹⁹ When his master heard the story his wife told him—“These are the things your slave did to me”—he was furious ²⁰ and had him thrown into prison,^(H) where the king’s prisoners were confined. So Joseph was there in prison.

Joseph in Prison

²¹ But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him.^(I) He granted him favor with the prison warden.^{(J) 22} The warden put all the prisoners who were in the prison under Joseph’s authority,^[i] and he was responsible for everything that was done there. ²³ The warden did not bother with anything under Joseph’s authority,^[j] because the Lord was with him, and the Lord made everything that he did successful.^(K)

Joseph Interprets Two Prisoners’ Dreams

40 After this, the king of Egypt’s cupbearer^(L) and baker offended their master, the king of Egypt. ² Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, ³ and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guards^(M) in the prison where Joseph was confined. ⁴ The captain of the guards assigned Joseph to them as their personal attendant, and they were in custody for some time.^[k]

⁵ The king of Egypt’s cupbearer and baker, who were confined in the prison, each had a dream. Both had a dream on the same night, and each dream had its own meaning. ⁶ When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they looked distraught. ⁷ So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why do you look so sad today?” ^(N)

⁸ “We had dreams,” they said to him, “but there is no one to interpret them.”

Then Joseph said to them, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”^(O)

⁹ So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph: “In my dream there was a vine in front of me. ¹⁰ On the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms came out and its clusters ripened into grapes. ¹¹ Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.”

¹² “This is its interpretation,”^(P) Joseph said to him. “The three branches are three days. ¹³ In just three days Pharaoh will lift up your head^(Q) and restore you to your position. You will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand the way you used to when you were his cupbearer. ¹⁴ But when all goes well for you, remember that I was with you. Please show kindness to me by mentioning me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this prison. ¹⁵ For I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews,^(R) and even here I have done nothing that they should put me in the dungeon.”^[l](S)

¹⁶ When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was positive, he said to Joseph, “I also had a dream. Three baskets of white bread were on my head. ¹⁷ In the top basket were all sorts of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.”

¹⁸ “This is its interpretation,” Joseph replied. “The three baskets are three days. ¹⁹ In just three days Pharaoh will lift up your head—from off you—and hang you on a tree.^[m] Then the birds will eat the flesh from your body.”^[n]

²⁰ On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he gave a feast for all his servants. He elevated^[o] the chief cupbearer and the chief baker among his servants.^{(T) 21} Pharaoh restored the chief cupbearer to his position as cupbearer, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand. ²² But Pharaoh hanged^[p] the chief baker, just as Joseph had explained to them. ²³ Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.^(U)

Joseph Interprets Pharaoh’s Dreams

41 At the end of two years Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing beside the Nile,^{(V) 2} when seven healthy-looking, well-fed cows came up from the Nile and began to graze among the reeds. ³ After them, seven other cows, sickly and thin, came up from the Nile and stood beside those cows along the bank of the Nile. ⁴ The sickly, thin cows ate the healthy, well-fed cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. ⁵ He fell asleep and dreamed a second time: Seven heads of grain, plump and good, came up on one stalk. ⁶ After them, seven heads of grain, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up. ⁷ The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven plump, full ones. Then Pharaoh woke up, and it was only a dream.

⁸ When morning came, he was troubled,^(W) so he summoned all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men.^(X) Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.

⁹ Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I remember my faults. ¹⁰ Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and he put me and the chief baker in the custody of the captain of the guards. ¹¹ He and I had dreams on the same night; each dream had its own meaning. ¹² Now a young Hebrew, a slave of the captain of the guards, was with us there. We told him our dreams, he interpreted our dreams for us, and each had its own interpretation. ¹³ It turned out just the way he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was hanged.”^(Y)

¹⁴ Then Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and they quickly brought him from the dungeon.^[q](Z) He shaved, changed his clothes, and went to Pharaoh.^(AA)

¹⁵ Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said about you that you can hear a dream and interpret it.”^(AB)

¹⁶ “I am not able to,”^(AC) Joseph answered Pharaoh. “It is God who will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”^[r](AD)

True Relationships

⁴⁶ While he^(A) was still speaking with the crowds, his mother and brothers were standing outside wanting to speak to him.^{(B) 47} Someone told him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”^[a]

⁴⁸ He replied to the one who was speaking to him, “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?” ⁴⁹ Stretching out his hand toward his disciples,^(C) he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! ⁵⁰ For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”^(D)

The Parable of the Sower

13 On that day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea.^{(E) 2} Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, while the whole crowd stood on the shore.^(F)

³ Then he told them many things in parables,^(G) saying, “Consider the sower who went out to sow. ⁴ As he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. ⁵ Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it grew up quickly since the soil wasn’t deep. ⁶ But when the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good ground and produced fruit: some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times what was sown.^{(H) 9} Let anyone who has ears^[b] listen.”^(I)

Why Jesus Used Parables

¹⁰ Then the disciples^(J) came up and asked him, “Why are you speaking to them in parables?” ^(K)

¹¹ He answered, “Because the secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given for you to know,^(L) but it has not been given to them. ¹² For whoever has, more will be given to him, and he will have more than enough; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.^{(M) 13} That is why I speak to them in parables, because looking they do not see,^(N) and hearing they do not listen or understand.^{(O) 14} Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:

¹⁶ “Blessed are your eyes^(R) because they do see, and your ears because they do hear.^{(S) 17} For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see the things you see but didn’t see them, to hear the things you hear but didn’t hear them.^(T)

The Parable of the Sower Explained

¹⁸ “So listen to the parable of the sower: ^{(U) 19} When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the one sown along the path.^{(V) 20} And the one sown on rocky ground—this is one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy.^{(W) 21} But he has no root and is short-lived. When distress or persecution^(X) comes because of the word, immediately he falls away. ²² Now the one sown among the thorns—this is one who hears the word, but the worries of this age^(Y) and the deceitfulness^[d] of wealth^(Z) choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. ²³ But the one sown on the good ground—this is one who hears and understands the word, who does produce fruit and yields: some a hundred, some sixty, some thirty times what was sown.”

Psalm 17

A Prayer for Protection

A prayer of David.

Joseph’s Dreams

37 Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.^{(A) 2} These are the family records of Jacob.

At seventeen years of age, Joseph tended sheep with his brothers. The young man was working with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives,^(B) and he brought a bad report about them to their father.^(C)

³ Now Israel loved Joseph more than his other sons because Joseph was a son born to him in his old age,^(D) and he made a long-sleeved robe^[a] for him. ⁴ When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not bring themselves to speak peaceably to him.

⁵ Then Joseph had a dream. When he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. ⁶ He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: ⁷ There we were, binding sheaves of grain in the field. Suddenly my sheaf stood up, and your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.”^(E)

⁸ “Are you really going to reign over us?” his brothers asked him. “Are you really going to rule us?” So they hated him even more because of his dream and what he had said.

⁹ Then he had another dream and told it to his brothers. “Look,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun, moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”

¹⁰ He told his father and brothers, and his father rebuked him. “What kind of dream is this that you have had?” he said. “Am I and your mother and your brothers really going to come and bow down to the ground before you?” ¹¹ His brothers were jealous of him,^(F) but his father kept the matter in mind.^(G)

Joseph Sold into Slavery

¹² His brothers had gone to pasture their father’s flocks at Shechem. ¹³ Israel said to Joseph, “Your brothers, you know, are pasturing the flocks at Shechem. Get ready. I’m sending you to them.”

“I’m ready,” Joseph replied.

¹⁴ Then Israel said to him, “Go and see how your brothers and the flocks are doing, and bring word back to me.” So he sent him from the Hebron^(H) Valley, and he went to Shechem.

¹⁵ A man found him there, wandering in the field, and asked him, “What are you looking for?”

¹⁶ “I’m looking for my brothers,” Joseph said. “Can you tell me where they are pasturing their flocks?”

¹⁷ “They’ve moved on from here,” the man said. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’”^(I) So Joseph set out after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

¹⁸ They saw him in the distance, and before he had reached them, they plotted to kill him.^{(J) 19} They said to one another, “Oh, look, here comes that dream expert!^{[b] 20} So now, come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of the pits.^[c] We can say that a vicious animal ate him. Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!”

²¹ When Reuben heard this, he tried to save him from them.^[d] He said, “Let’s not take his life.”^{(K) 22} Reuben also said to them, “Don’t shed blood. Throw him into this pit in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him”—intending to rescue him from them and return him to his father.

²³ When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped off Joseph’s robe, the long-sleeved robe that he had on. ²⁴ Then they took him and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty, without water.^(L)

²⁵ They sat down to eat a meal,^(M) and when they looked up, there was a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead.^(N) Their camels were carrying aromatic gum, balsam, and resin, going down to Egypt.^(O)

²⁶ Judah said to his brothers, “What do we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? ²⁷ Come on, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay a hand on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh,” and his brothers agreed. ²⁸ When Midianite^(P) traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took Joseph to Egypt.^(Q)

²⁹ When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes.^{(R) 30} He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone! What am I going to do?” ^{[e] 31} So they took Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a male goat, and dipped the robe in its blood. ³² They sent the long-sleeved robe to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it. Is it your son’s robe or not?”

³³ His father recognized it. “It is my son’s robe,” he said. “A vicious animal has devoured him. Joseph has been torn to pieces!” ^{(S) 34} Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days. ³⁵ All his sons and daughters tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said. “I will go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” And his father wept for him.

³⁶ Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and the captain of the guards.

Judah and Tamar

38 At that time Judah left his brothers and settled near an Adullamite^(T) named Hirah. ² There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite named Shua; he took her as a wife and slept with her. ³ She conceived and gave birth to a son, and he named him Er.^{(U) 4} She conceived again, gave birth to a son, and named him Onan. ⁵ She gave birth to another son and named him Shelah. It was at Chezib that^[f][g] she gave birth to him.

⁶ Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. ⁷ Now Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the Lord’s sight, and the Lord put him to death.^{(V) 8} Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife. Perform your duty as her brother-in-law^(W) and produce offspring for your brother.”^{(X) 9} But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his, so whenever he slept with his brother’s wife, he released his semen on the ground so that he would not produce offspring for his brother. ¹⁰ What he did was evil in the Lord’s sight, so he put him to death also.

¹¹ Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Remain a widow in your father’s house until my son Shelah grows up.”^(Y) For he thought, “He might die too, like his brothers.” So Tamar went to live in her father’s house.

¹² After a long time^[h] Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had finished mourning, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went up to Timnah^(Z) to his sheepshearers. ¹³ Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.” ¹⁴ So she took off her widow’s clothes, veiled her face,^(AA) covered herself, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah. For she saw that, though Shelah had grown up, she had not been given to him as a wife. ¹⁵ When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face.

¹⁶ He went over to her and said, “Come, let me sleep with you,” for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law.^(AB)

She said, “What will you give me for sleeping with me?”

¹⁷ “I will send you a young goat from my flock,” he replied.

But she said, “Only if you leave something with me until you send it.”

¹⁸ “What should I give you?” he asked.

She answered, “Your signet ring, your cord, and the staff in your hand.” So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him. ¹⁹ She got up and left, then removed her veil and put her widow’s clothes back on.

²⁰ When Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite in order to get back the items he had left with the woman, he could not find her. ²¹ He asked the men of the place, “Where is the cult prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?”

“There has been no cult prostitute here,” they answered.

²² So the Adullamite returned to Judah, saying, “I couldn’t find her, and besides, the men of the place said, ‘There has been no cult prostitute here.’”

²³ Judah replied, “Let her keep the items for herself; otherwise we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did send this young goat, but you couldn’t find her.”

²⁴ About three months later Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law, Tamar, has been acting like a prostitute, and now she is pregnant.”

“Bring her out,” Judah said, “and let her be burned to death!” ^(AC)

²⁵ As she was being brought out, she sent her father-in-law this message: “I am pregnant by the man to whom these items belong.” And she added, “Examine them. Whose signet ring, cord, and staff are these?”

²⁶ Judah recognized them and said, “She is more in the right^[i] than I,^(AD) since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not know her intimately again.

²⁷ When the time came for her to give birth, there were twins in her womb. ²⁸ As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand, and the midwife took it and tied a scarlet thread around it, announcing, “This one came out first.” ²⁹ But then he pulled his hand back, out came his brother, and she said, “What a breakout you have made for yourself!” So he was named Perez.^{[j](AE) 30} Then his brother, who had the scarlet thread tied to his hand, came out, and was named Zerah.^[k]

A House Divided

²² Then a demon-possessed man^(A) who was blind and unable to speak was brought to him. He healed him, so that the man^[a] could both speak and see.^{(B) 23} All the crowds were astounded and said, “Could this be the Son of David?” ^(C)

²⁴ When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man drives out demons only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.”^(D)

²⁵ Knowing their thoughts,^(E) he told them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is headed for destruction, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. ²⁶ If Satan^(F) drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? ²⁷ And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? For this reason they will be your judges.^{(G) 28} If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.^{(H) 29} How can someone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions unless he first ties up^(I) the strong man? Then he can plunder his house. ³⁰ Anyone who is not with me is against me,^(J) and anyone who does not gather with me scatters. ³¹ Therefore,^(K) I tell you, people will be forgiven every sin and blasphemy,^(L) but the blasphemy against^[b] the Spirit will not be forgiven.^{[c] 32} Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man,^(M) it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the one to come.^(N)

A Tree and Its Fruit

³³ “Either make the tree good and its fruit will be good, or make the tree bad^[d] and its fruit will be bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.^{(O) 34} Brood of vipers! How can you speak good things when you are evil? For the mouth speaks from the overflow^(P) of the heart. ³⁵ A good person produces good things from his storeroom of good, and an evil person produces evil things from his storeroom of evil.^{(Q) 36} I tell you that on the day of judgment^(R) people will have to account^(S) for every careless^[e] word they speak.^{[f] 37} For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

The Sign of Jonah

³⁸ Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”^(T)

³⁹ He answered them,^(U) “An evil and adulterous generation demands a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.^{(V) 40} For as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish^[g](W) three days and three nights,^(X) so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. ⁴¹ The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it,^(Y) because they repented at Jonah’s preaching; and look—something greater than Jonah is here.^{(Z) 42} The queen of the south^(AA) will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and look—something greater than Solomon is here.

An Unclean Spirit’s Return

⁴³ “When an unclean spirit comes out of a person, it roams through waterless places looking for rest but doesn’t find any.^{(AB) 44} Then it says, ‘I’ll go back to my house that I came from.’ Returning, it finds the house vacant, swept, and put in order. ⁴⁵ Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and settle down there. As a result, that person’s last condition is worse than the first.^(AC) That’s how it will also be with this evil generation.”

Psalm 16

Confidence in the Lord

A Miktam of David.^(A)

Treat Others Fairly

Jacob’s Return to Bethel

35 Then God said to Jacob, “Get ready and move to Bethel and settle there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother, Esau.”

² So Jacob told everyone in his household, “Get rid of all your pagan idols, purify yourselves, and put on clean clothing. ³ We are now going to Bethel, where I will build an altar to the God who answered my prayers when I was in distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.”

⁴ So they gave Jacob all their pagan idols and earrings, and he buried them under the great tree near Shechem. ⁵ As they set out, a terror from God spread over the people in all the towns of that area, so no one attacked Jacob’s family.

⁶ Eventually, Jacob and his household arrived at Luz (also called Bethel) in Canaan. ⁷ Jacob built an altar there and named the place El-bethel (which means “God of Bethel”), because God had appeared to him there when he was fleeing from his brother, Esau.

⁸ Soon after this, Rebekah’s old nurse, Deborah, died. She was buried beneath the oak tree in the valley below Bethel. Ever since, the tree has been called Allon-bacuth (which means “oak of weeping”).

⁹ Now that Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, God appeared to him again at Bethel. God blessed him, ¹⁰ saying, “Your name is Jacob, but you will not be called Jacob any longer. From now on your name will be Israel.”^[a] So God renamed him Israel.

¹¹ Then God said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Be fruitful and multiply. You will become a great nation, even many nations. Kings will be among your descendants! ¹² And I will give you the land I once gave to Abraham and Isaac. Yes, I will give it to you and your descendants after you.” ¹³ Then God went up from the place where he had spoken to Jacob.

¹⁴ Jacob set up a stone pillar to mark the place where God had spoken to him. Then he poured wine over it as an offering to God and anointed the pillar with olive oil. ¹⁵ And Jacob named the place Bethel (which means “house of God”), because God had spoken to him there.

The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac

¹⁶ Leaving Bethel, Jacob and his clan moved on toward Ephrath. But Rachel went into labor while they were still some distance away. Her labor pains were intense. ¹⁷ After a very hard delivery, the midwife finally exclaimed, “Don’t be afraid—you have another son!” ¹⁸ Rachel was about to die, but with her last breath she named the baby Ben-oni (which means “son of my sorrow”). The baby’s father, however, called him Benjamin (which means “son of my right hand”). ¹⁹ So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). ²⁰ Jacob set up a stone monument over Rachel’s grave, and it can be seen there to this day.

²¹ Then Jacob^[b] traveled on and camped beyond Migdal-eder. ²² While he was living there, Reuben had intercourse with Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Jacob soon heard about it.

These are the names of the twelve sons of Jacob:

²³ The sons of Leah were Reuben (Jacob’s oldest son), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.

²⁴ The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.

²⁵ The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, were Dan and Naphtali.

²⁶ The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant, were Gad and Asher.

These are the names of the sons who were born to Jacob at Paddan-aram.

²⁷ So Jacob returned to his father, Isaac, in Mamre, which is near Kiriath-arba (now called Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had both lived as foreigners. ²⁸ Isaac lived for 180 years. ²⁹ Then he breathed his last and died at a ripe old age, joining his ancestors in death. And his sons, Esau and Jacob, buried him.

Descendants of Esau

36 This is the account of the descendants of Esau (also known as Edom). ² Esau married two young women from Canaan: Adah, the daughter of Elon the Hittite; and Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite. ³ He also married his cousin Basemath, who was the daughter of Ishmael and the sister of Nebaioth. ⁴ Adah gave birth to a son named Eliphaz for Esau. Basemath gave birth to a son named Reuel. ⁵ Oholibamah gave birth to sons named Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. All these sons were born to Esau in the land of Canaan.

⁶ Esau took his wives, his children, and his entire household, along with his livestock and cattle—all the wealth he had acquired in the land of Canaan—and moved away from his brother, Jacob. ⁷ There was not enough land to support them both because of all the livestock and possessions they had acquired. ⁸ So Esau (also known as Edom) settled in the hill country of Seir.

⁹ This is the account of Esau’s descendants, the Edomites, who lived in the hill country of Seir.

¹⁰ These are the names of Esau’s sons: Eliphaz, the son of Esau’s wife Adah; and Reuel, the son of Esau’s wife Basemath.

¹¹ The descendants of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz. ¹² Timna, the concubine of Esau’s son Eliphaz, gave birth to a son named Amalek. These are the descendants of Esau’s wife Adah.

¹³ The descendants of Reuel were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These are the descendants of Esau’s wife Basemath.

¹⁴ Esau also had sons through Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon. Their names were Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.

¹⁵ These are the descendants of Esau who became the leaders of various clans:

The descendants of Esau’s oldest son, Eliphaz, became the leaders of the clans of Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, ¹⁶ Korah, Gatam, and Amalek. These are the clan leaders in the land of Edom who descended from Eliphaz. All these were descendants of Esau’s wife Adah.

¹⁷ The descendants of Esau’s son Reuel became the leaders of the clans of Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These are the clan leaders in the land of Edom who descended from Reuel. All these were descendants of Esau’s wife Basemath.

¹⁸ The descendants of Esau and his wife Oholibamah became the leaders of the clans of Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the clan leaders who descended from Esau’s wife Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah.

¹⁹ These are the clans descended from Esau (also known as Edom), identified by their clan leaders.

Original Peoples of Edom

²⁰ These are the names of the tribes that descended from Seir the Horite. They lived in the land of Edom: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, ²¹ Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These were the Horite clan leaders, the descendants of Seir, who lived in the land of Edom.

²² The descendants of Lotan were Hori and Hemam. Lotan’s sister was named Timna.

²³ The descendants of Shobal were Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.

²⁴ The descendants of Zibeon were Aiah and Anah. (This is the Anah who discovered the hot springs in the wilderness while he was grazing his father’s donkeys.)

²⁵ The descendants of Anah were his son, Dishon, and his daughter, Oholibamah.

²⁶ The descendants of Dishon^[c] were Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Keran.

²⁷ The descendants of Ezer were Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.

²⁸ The descendants of Dishan were Uz and Aran.

²⁹ So these were the leaders of the Horite clans: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, ³⁰ Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. The Horite clans are named after their clan leaders, who lived in the land of Seir.

Rulers of Edom

³¹ These are the kings who ruled in the land of Edom before any king ruled over the Israelites^[d]:

³² Bela son of Beor, who ruled in Edom from his city of Dinhabah.

³³ When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah became king in his place.

³⁴ When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites became king in his place.

³⁵ When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad became king in his place and ruled from the city of Avith. He was the one who defeated the Midianites in the land of Moab.

³⁶ When Hadad died, Samlah from the city of Masrekah became king in his place.

³⁷ When Samlah died, Shaul from the city of Rehoboth-on-the-River became king in his place.

³⁸ When Shaul died, Baal-hanan son of Acbor became king in his place.

³⁹ When Baal-hanan son of Acbor died, Hadad^[e] became king in his place and ruled from the city of Pau. His wife was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred and granddaughter of Me-zahab.

⁴⁰ These are the names of the leaders of the clans descended from Esau, who lived in the places named for them: Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, ⁴¹ Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, ⁴² Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, ⁴³ Magdiel, and Iram. These are the leaders of the clans of Edom, listed according to their settlements in the land they occupied. They all descended from Esau, the ancestor of the Edomites.

A Discussion about the Sabbath

12 At about that time Jesus was walking through some grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, so they began breaking off some heads of grain and eating them. ² But some Pharisees saw them do it and protested, “Look, your disciples are breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath.”

³ Jesus said to them, “Haven’t you read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry? ⁴ He went into the house of God, and he and his companions broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests are allowed to eat. ⁵ And haven’t you read in the law of Moses that the priests on duty in the Temple may work on the Sabbath? ⁶ I tell you, there is one here who is even greater than the Temple! ⁷ But you would not have condemned my innocent disciples if you knew the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’^{[a] 8} For the Son of Man^[b] is Lord, even over the Sabbath!”

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

⁹ Then Jesus went over to their synagogue, ¹⁰ where he noticed a man with a deformed hand. The Pharisees asked Jesus, “Does the law permit a person to work by healing on the Sabbath?” (They were hoping he would say yes, so they could bring charges against him.)

¹¹ And he answered, “If you had a sheep that fell into a well on the Sabbath, wouldn’t you work to pull it out? Of course you would. ¹² And how much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Yes, the law permits a person to do good on the Sabbath.”

¹³ Then he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored, just like the other one! ¹⁴ Then the Pharisees called a meeting to plot how to kill Jesus.

Jesus, God’s Chosen Servant

¹⁵ But Jesus knew what they were planning. So he left that area, and many people followed him. He healed all the sick among them, ¹⁶ but he warned them not to reveal who he was. ¹⁷ This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah concerning him:

Psalm 15

A psalm of David.

¹³ He spent the night there and took part of what he had brought with him as a gift for his brother Esau:^{(A) 14} two hundred female goats, twenty male goats, two hundred ewes, twenty rams, ¹⁵ thirty milk camels with their young, forty cows, ten bulls, twenty female donkeys, and ten male donkeys. ¹⁶ He entrusted them to his slaves as separate herds and said to them, “Go on ahead of me, and leave some distance between the herds.”

¹⁷ And he told the first one, “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘Who do you belong to? Where are you going? And whose animals are these ahead of you?’ ¹⁸ then tell him, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift sent to my lord Esau. And look, he is behind us.’”

¹⁹ He also told the second one, the third, and everyone who was walking behind the animals, “Say the same thing to Esau when you find him. ²⁰ You are also to say, ‘Look, your servant Jacob is right behind us.’” For he thought, “I want to appease Esau with the gift that is going ahead of me. After that, I can face him, and perhaps he will forgive me.”

²¹ So the gift was sent on ahead of him while he remained in the camp that night. ²² During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two slave women, and his eleven sons, and crossed the ford of Jabbok.^{(B) 23} He took them and sent them across the stream, along with all his possessions.

Jacob Wrestles with God

²⁴ Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.^{(C) 25} When the man saw that he could not defeat him, he struck Jacob’s hip socket as they wrestled and dislocated his hip. ²⁶ Then he said to Jacob, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”

But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

²⁷ “What is your name?” the man asked.

“Jacob,” he replied.

²⁸ “Your name will no longer be Jacob,”^(D) he said. “It will be Israel^[a] because you have struggled with God^(E) and with men and have prevailed.”

²⁹ Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.”

But he answered, “Why do you ask my name?” ^(F) And he blessed him there.

³⁰ Jacob then named the place Peniel,^[b] “For I have seen God face to face,” he said, “yet my life has been spared.”^{(G) 31} The sun shone on him as he passed by Penuel^[c](H)—limping because of his hip. ³² That is why, still today, the Israelites don’t eat the thigh muscle that is at the hip socket: because he struck Jacob’s hip socket at the thigh muscle.^[d]

Jacob Meets Esau

33 Now Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming toward him with four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two slave women. ² He put the slaves and their children first, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last. ³ He himself went on ahead and bowed to the ground^(I) seven times until he approached his brother.

⁴ But Esau ran to meet him, hugged him, threw his arms around him, and kissed him. Then they wept.^{(J) 5} When Esau looked up and saw the women and children, he asked, “Who are these with you?”

He answered, “The children God has graciously given your servant.”^{(K) 6} Then the slaves and their children approached him and bowed down. ⁷ Leah and her children also approached and bowed down, and then Joseph and Rachel approached and bowed down.

⁸ So Esau said, “What do you mean by this whole procession^[e] I met?” ^(L)

“To find favor with you, my lord,”^(M) he answered.

⁹ “I have enough, my brother,” Esau replied. “Keep what you have.”

¹⁰ But Jacob said, “No, please! If I have found favor with you, take this gift from me. For indeed, I have seen your face, and it is like seeing God’s face, since you have accepted me. ¹¹ Please take my present that was brought to you, because God has been gracious to me and I have everything I need.” So Jacob urged him until he accepted.

¹² Then Esau said, “Let’s move on, and I’ll go ahead of you.”

¹³ Jacob replied, “My lord knows that the children are weak, and I have nursing flocks and herds. If they are driven hard for one day, the whole herd will die. ¹⁴ Let my lord go ahead of his servant. I will continue on slowly, at a pace suited to the livestock and the children, until I come to my lord at Seir.”

¹⁵ Esau said, “Let me leave some of my people with you.”

But he replied, “Why do that? Please indulge me,^[f] my lord.”^(N)

¹⁶ That day Esau started on his way back to Seir, ¹⁷ but Jacob went to Succoth. He built a house for himself and shelters for his livestock; that is why the place was called Succoth.^[g](O)

¹⁸ After Jacob came from Paddan-aram, he arrived safely^(P) at Shechem^(Q) in the land of Canaan and camped in front of the city. ¹⁹ He purchased a section of the field where he had pitched his tent from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of silver.^{[h](R) 20} And he set up an altar there and called it God, the God of Israel.^[i]

Dinah Defiled

34 Leah’s daughter^(S) Dinah, whom Leah bore to Jacob, went out to see some of the young women of the area. ² When Shechem—son of Hamor the Hivite, who was the region’s chieftain—saw her, he took her and raped her. ³ He became infatuated with Jacob’s daughter Dinah. He loved the young girl and spoke tenderly to her.^{[j] 4} “Get me this girl as a wife,”^(T) he told his father.

⁵ Jacob heard that Shechem had defiled his daughter Dinah, but since his sons were with his livestock in the field, he remained silent until they returned. ⁶ Meanwhile, Shechem’s father Hamor came to speak with Jacob. ⁷ Jacob’s sons returned from the field when they heard about the incident. They were deeply grieved and very angry, for Shechem had committed an outrage against Israel by raping Jacob’s daughter,^(U) and such a thing should not be done.

⁸ Hamor said to Jacob’s sons, “My son Shechem has his heart set on your^[k] daughter. Please give her to him as a wife. ⁹ Intermarry with us; give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves. ¹⁰ Live with us. The land is before you. Settle here, move about, and acquire property in it.”

¹¹ Then Shechem said to Dinah’s father and brothers, “Grant me this favor,^[l] and I’ll give you whatever you say. ¹² Demand of me a high compensation^[m] and gift; I’ll give you whatever you ask me. Just give the girl to be my wife!”

¹³ But Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully because he had defiled their sister Dinah. ¹⁴ “We cannot do this thing,” they said to them. “Giving our sister to an uncircumcised man is a disgrace to us. ¹⁵ We will agree with you only on this condition: if all your males are circumcised as we are.^{(V) 16} Then we will give you our daughters, take your daughters for ourselves, live with you, and become one people. ¹⁷ But if you will not listen to us and be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and go.”

¹⁸ Their words seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem. ¹⁹ The young man did not delay doing this, because he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter. Now he was the most important in all his father’s family. ²⁰ So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city^(W) and spoke to the men of their city.

²¹ “These men are peaceful toward us,” they said. “Let them live in our land and move about in it, for indeed, the region is large enough for them. Let’s take their daughters as our wives and give our daughters to them. ²² But the men will agree to live with us and be one people only on this condition: if all our men are circumcised as they are. ²³ Won’t their livestock, their possessions, and all their animals become ours? Only let’s agree with them, and they will live with us.”

²⁴ All the men^(X) who had come to the city gates listened to Hamor and his son Shechem, and all those men were circumcised. ²⁵ On the third day, when they were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi,^(Y) Dinah’s brothers, took their swords, went into the unsuspecting city, and killed every male. ²⁶ They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with their swords, took Dinah from Shechem’s house, and went away. ²⁷ Jacob’s sons came to the slaughter and plundered the city because their sister had been defiled. ²⁸ They took their flocks, herds, donkeys, and whatever was in the city and in the field. ²⁹ They captured all their possessions, dependents, and wives and plundered everything in the houses.

³⁰ Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me,^(Z) making me odious to the inhabitants of the land,^(AA) the Canaanites and the Perizzites.^(AB) We are few in number; if they unite against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.”^(AC)

³¹ But they answered, “Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?”

⁷ As these men were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the wind?^{(A) 8} What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothes? See, those who wear soft clothes are in royal palaces. ⁹ What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.^{(B) 10} This is the one about whom it is written:

¹¹ “Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one greater than John the Baptist has appeared,^[b] but the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. ¹² From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been suffering violence,^[c] and the violent have been seizing it by force. ¹³ For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. ¹⁴ And if you’re willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who is to come.^{(D) 15} Let anyone who has ears^[d] listen.^(E)

An Unresponsive Generation

¹⁶ “To what should I compare this generation? It’s like children sitting in the marketplaces who call out to other children:

¹⁸ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’^{(F) 19} The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard,^(G) a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’^(H) Yet wisdom is vindicated^[f] by her deeds.”^[g]

²⁰ Then he proceeded to denounce the towns where most of his miracles were done, because they did not repent: ²¹ “Woe to you, Chorazin!^(I) Woe to you, Bethsaida!^(J) For if the miracles that were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon,^(K) they would have repented in sackcloth and ashes long ago. ²² But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment^(L) than for you. ²³ And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will go down to Hades.^(M) For if the miracles that were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until today. ²⁴ But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

The Son Gives Knowledge and Rest

²⁵ At that time Jesus said,^(N) “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and revealed them to infants.^{(O) 26} Yes, Father, because this was your good pleasure.^{[h] 27} All things have been entrusted to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son desires^[i] to reveal him.^(P)

²⁸ “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.^{(Q) 29} Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,^(R) because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.^{(S) 30} For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Psalm 14

A Portrait of Sinners

For the choir director. Of David.

¹⁷ So Jacob got up and put his children and wives on the camels. ¹⁸ He took all the livestock and possessions he had acquired in Paddan-aram, and he drove his herds to go to the land of Canaan, to his father Isaac. ¹⁹ When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household idols.^{(A) 20} And Jacob deceived^[a] Laban the Aramean, not telling him that he was fleeing. ²¹ He fled with all his possessions, crossed the Euphrates, and headed for^[b] the hill country of Gilead.

Laban Overtakes Jacob

²² On the third day Laban was told that Jacob had fled. ²³ So he took his relatives with him, pursued Jacob for seven days, and overtook him in the hill country of Gilead. ²⁴ But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night. “Watch yourself!” God warned him. “Don’t say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.”^(B)

²⁵ When Laban overtook Jacob, Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban and his relatives also pitched their tents in the hill country of Gilead. ²⁶ Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done? You have deceived me and taken my daughters away like prisoners of war! ²⁷ Why did you secretly flee from me, deceive me, and not tell me? I would have sent you away with joy and singing, with tambourines and lyres, ²⁸ but you didn’t even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters. You have acted foolishly. ²⁹ I could do you great harm, but last night the God of your father said to me, ‘Watch yourself! Don’t say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’ ³⁰ Now you have gone off because you long for your father’s family—but why have you stolen my gods?” ^(C)

³¹ Jacob answered, “I was afraid, for I thought you would take your daughters from me by force. ³² If you find your gods with anyone here, he will not live!^(D) Before our relatives, point out anything that is yours and take it.” Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the idols.

³³ So Laban went into Jacob’s tent, Leah’s tent, and the tents of the two concubines,^[c] but he found nothing. When he left Leah’s tent, he went into Rachel’s tent. ³⁴ Now Rachel had taken Laban’s household idols, put them in the saddlebag of the camel, and sat on them. Laban searched the whole tent but found nothing.

³⁵ She said to her father, “Don’t be angry, my lord, that I cannot stand up in your presence;^(E) I am having my period.” So Laban searched, but could not find the household idols.

Jacob’s Covenant with Laban

³⁶ Then Jacob became incensed and brought charges against Laban. “What is my crime?” he said to Laban. “What is my sin, that you have pursued me? ³⁷ You’ve searched all my possessions! Have you found anything of yours?^[d] Put it here before my relatives and yours, and let them decide between the two of us. ³⁸ I’ve been with you these twenty years. Your ewes and female goats have not miscarried, and I have not eaten the rams from your flock. ³⁹ I did not bring you any of the flock torn by wild beasts; I myself bore the loss. You demanded payment from me for what was stolen by day or by night. ⁴⁰ There I was—the heat consumed me by day and the frost by night, and sleep fled from my eyes. ⁴¹ For twenty years in your household I served you—fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks^(F)—and you have changed my wages ten times! ⁴² If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, certainly now you would have sent me off empty-handed. But God has seen my affliction and my hard work,^[e] and he issued his verdict last night.”

⁴³ Then Laban answered Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters; the children, my children; and the flocks, my flocks! Everything you see is mine! But what can I do today for these daughters of mine or for the children they have borne? ⁴⁴ Come now, let’s make a covenant, you and I.^(G) Let it be a witness between the two of us.”

⁴⁵ So Jacob picked out a stone and set it up as a marker.^{(H) 46} Then Jacob said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” And they took stones and made a mound, then ate there by the mound. ⁴⁷ Laban named the mound Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob named it Galeed.^[f]

⁴⁸ Then Laban said, “This mound is a witness between you and me today.” Therefore the place was called Galeed ⁴⁹ and also Mizpah,^[g](I) for he said, “May the Lord watch between you and me when we are out of each other’s sight. ⁵⁰ If you mistreat my daughters or take other wives, though no one is with us, understand that God will be a witness between you and me.”^{(J) 51} Laban also said to Jacob, “Look at this mound and the marker I have set up between you and me. ⁵² This mound is a witness and the marker is a witness that I will not pass beyond this mound to you, and you will not pass beyond this mound and this marker to do me harm. ⁵³ The God of Abraham, and the gods^(K) of Nahor—the gods of their father^[h]—will judge between us.” And Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac. ⁵⁴ Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and invited his relatives to eat a meal. So they ate a meal and spent the night on the mountain. ⁵⁵ Laban got up early in the morning, kissed his grandchildren and daughters, and blessed them. Then Laban left to return home.

Preparing to Meet Esau

32 Jacob went on his way, and God’s angels met him.^{(L) 2} When he saw them, Jacob said, “This is God’s camp.” So he called that place Mahanaim.^[i](M)

³ Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the territory of Edom. ⁴ He commanded them, “You are to say to my lord Esau, ‘This is what your servant Jacob says. I have been staying with Laban and have been delayed until now. ⁵ I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, and male and female slaves. I have sent this message to inform my lord, in order to seek your favor.’”^(N)

⁶ When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, “We went to your brother Esau; he is coming to meet you—and he has four hundred men with him.”^{(O) 7} Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; he divided the people with him into two camps, along with the flocks, herds, and camels. ⁸ He thought, “If Esau comes to one camp and attacks it, the remaining one can escape.”^(P)

⁹ Then Jacob said, “God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac,^(Q) the Lord who said to me, ‘Go back to your land and to your family, and I will cause you to prosper,’^{(R) 10} I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. Indeed, I crossed over the Jordan with my staff, and now I have become two camps. ¹¹ Please rescue me from my brother Esau, for I am afraid of him; otherwise, he may come and attack me, the mothers, and their children. ¹² You have said, ‘I will cause you to prosper, and I will make your offspring like the sand of the sea, too numerous to be counted.’”^(S)

²⁴ A disciple^[a] is not above his teacher, or a slave above his master.^{(A) 25} It is enough for a disciple to become like his teacher and a slave like his master. If they called the head of the house ‘Beelzebul,’ how much more the members of his household!^(B)

Fear God

²⁶ “Therefore,^(C) don’t be afraid of them, since there is nothing covered that won’t be uncovered and nothing hidden that won’t be made known.^{(D) 27} What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light. What you hear in a whisper,^[b] proclaim on the housetops.^{(E) 28} Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; ^(F) rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.^{(G) 29} Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny?^[c] Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s^(H) consent.^{[d] 30} But even the hairs of your head have all been counted.^{(I) 31} So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.^(J)

Acknowledging Christ

³² “Therefore, everyone who will acknowledge me before others, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.^{(K) 33} But whoever denies me before others,^(L) I will also deny him before my Father in heaven. ³⁴ Don’t assume that I came to bring peace on the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.^{(M) 35} For I came to turn

³⁷ The one who loves a father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; ^(O) the one who loves a son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ³⁸ And whoever doesn’t take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹ Anyone who finds his life will lose it,^(P) and anyone who loses his life because of me will find it.^(Q)

A Cup of Cold Water

⁴⁰ “The one who welcomes you welcomes me,^(R) and the one who welcomes me welcomes him who sent me.^{(S) 41} Anyone who welcomes a prophet^(T) because he is a prophet^[f] will receive a prophet’s reward. And anyone who welcomes a righteous person because he’s righteous^[g] will receive a righteous person’s reward. ⁴² And whoever gives^(U) even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple,^[h](V) truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward.”

John the Baptist Doubts

11 When Jesus had finished giving instructions to his twelve disciples, he moved on from there to teach and preach in their towns.^{(W) 2} Now when John heard in prison what the Christ was doing, he sent a message through his disciples^{(X) 3} and asked him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” ^(Y)

⁴ Jesus replied to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: ⁵ The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with leprosy^[i] are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news,^{(Z) 6} and blessed is the one who isn’t offended by me.”^(AA)

Psalm 13

A Plea for Deliverance

For the choir director. A psalm of David.

30 When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she envied her sister. “Give me sons, or I will die!” ^(A) she said to Jacob.

² Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, “Am I in the place of God? He has withheld offspring^[a] from you!”

³ Then she said, “Here is my maid Bilhah. Go sleep with her, and she’ll bear children for me^[b](B) so that through her I too can build a family.” ⁴ So Rachel gave her slave Bilhah to Jacob as a wife, and he slept with her. ⁵ Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. ⁶ Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; yes, he has heard me and given me a son,” so she named him Dan.^[c]

⁷ Rachel’s slave Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. ⁸ Rachel said, “In my wrestlings with God,^[d] I have wrestled with my sister and won,” and she named him Naphtali.^[e]

⁹ When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her slave Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. ¹⁰ Leah’s slave Zilpah bore Jacob a son. ¹¹ Then Leah said, “What good fortune!” ^[f] and she named him Gad.^[g]

¹² When Leah’s slave Zilpah bore Jacob a second son, ¹³ Leah said, “I am happy that the women call me happy,”^(C) so she named him Asher.^[h]

¹⁴ Reuben went out during the wheat harvest and found some mandrakes in the field.^(D) When he brought them to his mother Leah, Rachel asked, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

¹⁵ But Leah replied to her, “Isn’t it enough that you have taken my husband? Now you also want to take my son’s mandrakes?”

“Well then,” Rachel said, “he can sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.”

¹⁶ When Jacob came in from the field that evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come with me, for I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So Jacob slept with her that night.

¹⁷ God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. ¹⁸ Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my slave to my husband,” and she named him Issachar.^[i]

¹⁹ Then Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. ²⁰ “God has given me a good gift,” Leah said. “This time my husband will honor me because I have borne six sons for him,” and she named him Zebulun.^{[j] 21} Later, Leah bore a daughter and named her Dinah.

²² Then God remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened her womb.^{(E) 23} She conceived and bore a son, and she said, “God has taken away my disgrace.”^{(F) 24} She named him Joseph^[k] and said, “May the Lord add another son to me.”^(G)

Jacob’s Flocks Multiply

²⁵ After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me on my way so that I can return to my homeland. ²⁶ Give me my wives and my children that I have worked for, and let me go.^(H) You know how hard I have worked for you.”

²⁷ But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor with you, stay. I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you.” ²⁸ Then Laban said, “Name your wages, and I will pay them.”^(I)

²⁹ So Jacob said to him, “You know how I have served you and how your herds have fared with me.^{(J) 30} For you had very little before I came, but now your wealth has increased. The Lord has blessed you because of me. And now, when will I also do something for my own family?”

³¹ Laban asked, “What should I give you?”

And Jacob said, “You don’t need to give me anything. If you do this one thing for me, I will continue to shepherd and keep your flock. ³² Let me go through all your sheep today and remove every sheep that is speckled or spotted, every dark-colored sheep among the lambs, and the spotted and speckled among the female goats. Such will be my wages. ³³ In the future when you come to check on my wages, my honesty will testify for me. If I have any female goats that are not speckled or spotted, or any lambs that are not black, they will be considered stolen.”

³⁴ “Good,” said Laban. “Let it be as you have said.”

³⁵ That day Laban removed the streaked and spotted male goats and all the speckled and spotted female goats—every one that had any white on it—and every dark-colored one among the lambs, and he placed his sons in charge of them. ³⁶ He put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob. Jacob, meanwhile, was shepherding the rest of Laban’s flock.

³⁷ Jacob then took branches of fresh poplar, almond, and plane wood, and peeled the bark, exposing white stripes on the branches. ³⁸ He set the peeled branches in the troughs in front of the sheep—in the water channels where the sheep came to drink. And the sheep bred when they came to drink. ³⁹ The flocks bred in front of the branches and bore streaked, speckled, and spotted young.^{(K) 40} Jacob separated the lambs and made the flocks face the streaked sheep and the completely dark sheep in Laban’s flocks. Then he set his own stock apart and didn’t put them with Laban’s sheep.

⁴¹ Whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding, Jacob placed the branches in the troughs, in full view of the flocks, and they would breed in front of the branches. ⁴² As for the weaklings of the flocks, he did not put out the branches. So it turned out that the weak sheep belonged to Laban and the stronger ones to Jacob. ⁴³ And the man became very rich.^[l] He had many flocks, female and male slaves, and camels and donkeys.^(L)

Jacob Separates from Laban

31 Now Jacob heard what Laban’s sons were saying: “Jacob has taken all that was our father’s and has built this wealth from what belonged to our father.” ² And Jacob saw from Laban’s face that his attitude toward him was not the same as before.

³ The Lord said to him, “Go back to the land of your ancestors and to your family, and I will be with you.”^(M)

⁴ Jacob had Rachel and Leah called to the field where his flocks were. ⁵ He said to them, “I can see from your father’s face that his attitude toward me is not the same as before, but the God of my father has been with me. ⁶ You know that with all my strength I have served your father^{(N) 7} and that he has cheated me and changed my wages ten times. But God has not let him harm me. ⁸ If he said, ‘The spotted sheep will be your wages,’ then all the sheep were born spotted. If he said, ‘The streaked sheep will be your wages,’ then all the sheep were born streaked.^{(O) 9} God has taken away your father’s herds and given them to me.

¹⁰ “When the flocks were breeding, I saw in a dream that the streaked, spotted, and speckled males were mating with the females. ¹¹ In that dream the angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’ and I said, ‘Here I am.’ ¹² And he said, ‘Look up and see: all the males that are mating with the flocks are streaked, spotted, and speckled, for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you.^{(P) 13} I am the God of Bethel, where you poured oil on the stone marker and made a solemn vow to me.^(Q) Get up, leave this land, and return to your native land.’”

¹⁴ Then Rachel and Leah answered him, “Do we have any portion or inheritance in our father’s family? ¹⁵ Are we not regarded by him as outsiders? For he has sold us^(R) and has certainly spent our purchase price. ¹⁶ In fact, all the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children. So do whatever God has said to you.”

Commissioning the Twelve

10 Summoning his twelve disciples,^(A) he gave them authority over unclean spirits, to drive them out and to heal every^[a] disease and sickness.^{[b](B) 2} These are the names of the twelve apostles:^(C) First, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; ³ Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;^{[c] 4} Simon the Zealot,^[d] and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.^(D)

⁵ Jesus sent out these twelve after giving them instructions: “Don’t take the road that leads to the Gentiles, and don’t enter any Samaritan^(E) town. ⁶ Instead, go to the lost sheep^(F) of the house of Israel.^{(G) 7} As you go, proclaim, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’^{(H) 8} Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy,^[e] drive out demons.^(I) Freely you received, freely give. ⁹ Don’t acquire gold, silver, or copper for your money-belts.^{(J) 10} Don’t take a traveling bag for the road, or an extra shirt, sandals, or a staff, for the worker^(K) is worthy of his food. ¹¹ When you enter any town or village, find out who is worthy, and stay there until you leave. ¹² Greet a household when you enter it,^{(L) 13} and if the household is worthy, let your peace be on it; but if it is unworthy, let your peace return to you.^{(M) 14} If anyone does not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet^(N) when you leave that house or town. ¹⁵ Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment^(O) for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.^(P)

Persecutions Predicted

¹⁶ “Look, I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves.^{(Q) 17} Beware of them, because they will hand you over to local courts^[f] and flog you in their synagogues.^{(R) 18} You will even be brought before governors and kings because of me, to bear witness to them and to the Gentiles.^{(S) 19} But when they hand you over, don’t worry about how or what you are to speak.^(T) For you will be given what to say at that hour, ²⁰ because it isn’t you speaking, but the Spirit^(U) of your Father is speaking through you.^(V)

²¹ “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.^{(W) 22} You will be hated by everyone because of my name.^(X) But the one who endures to the end will be saved.^{(Y) 23} When they persecute you in one town, flee to another.^(Z) For truly I tell you, you will not have gone through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

Psalm 12

Oppression by the Wicked

For the choir director: according to Sheminith.^(A) A psalm of David.

Wisdom Brings Happiness

28 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed^(A) him. Then he commanded him: “Do not marry a Canaanite woman.^{(B) 2} Go at once to Paddan Aram,^[a](C) to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel.^(D) Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother.^{(E) 3} May God Almighty^[b](F) bless^(G) you and make you fruitful^(H) and increase your numbers^(I) until you become a community of peoples. ⁴ May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham,^(J) so that you may take possession of the land^(K) where you now reside as a foreigner,^(L) the land God gave to Abraham.” ⁵ Then Isaac sent Jacob on his way,^(M) and he went to Paddan Aram,^(N) to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean,^(O) the brother of Rebekah,^(P) who was the mother of Jacob and Esau.

⁶ Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, “Do not marry a Canaanite woman,”^{(Q) 7} and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddan Aram. ⁸ Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women^(R) were to his father Isaac;^{(S) 9} so he went to Ishmael^(T) and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth^(U) and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.^(V)

Jacob’s Dream at Bethel

¹⁰ Jacob left Beersheba^(W) and set out for Harran.^{(X) 11} When he reached a certain place,^(Y) he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head^(Z) and lay down to sleep. ¹² He had a dream^(AA) in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.^{(AB) 13} There above it^[c] stood the Lord,^(AC) and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac.^(AD) I will give you and your descendants the land^(AE) on which you are lying.^{(AF) 14} Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you^(AG) will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south.^(AH) All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.^{[d](AI) 15} I am with you^(AJ) and will watch over you^(AK) wherever you go,^(AL) and I will bring you back to this land.^(AM) I will not leave you^(AN) until I have done what I have promised you.^(AO)”^(AP)

¹⁶ When Jacob awoke from his sleep,^(AQ) he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” ¹⁷ He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place!^(AR) This is none other than the house of God;^(AS) this is the gate of heaven.”

¹⁸ Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head^(AT) and set it up as a pillar^(AU) and poured oil on top of it.^{(AV) 19} He called that place Bethel,^[e](AW) though the city used to be called Luz.^(AX)

²⁰ Then Jacob made a vow,^(AY) saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me^(AZ) on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear^{(BA) 21} so that I return safely^(BB) to my father’s household,^(BC) then the Lord^[f] will be my God^{(BD) 22} and^[g] this stone that I have set up as a pillar^(BE) will be God’s house,^(BF) and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.^(BG)”

Jacob Arrives in Paddan Aram

29 Then Jacob continued on his journey and came to the land of the eastern peoples.^{(BH) 2} There he saw a well in the open country, with three flocks of sheep lying near it because the flocks were watered from that well.^(BI) The stone^(BJ) over the mouth of the well was large. ³ When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone^(BK) away from the well’s mouth and water the sheep.^(BL) Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well.

⁴ Jacob asked the shepherds, “My brothers, where are you from?”^(BM)

“We’re from Harran,^(BN)” they replied.

⁵ He said to them, “Do you know Laban, Nahor’s grandson?”^(BO)

“Yes, we know him,” they answered.

⁶ Then Jacob asked them, “Is he well?”

“Yes, he is,” they said, “and here comes his daughter Rachel^(BP) with the sheep.^(BQ)”

⁷ “Look,” he said, “the sun is still high; it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. Water the sheep and take them back to pasture.”

⁸ “We can’t,” they replied, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone^(BR) has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water^(BS) the sheep.”

⁹ While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep,^(BT) for she was a shepherd. ¹⁰ When Jacob saw Rachel^(BU) daughter of his uncle Laban, and Laban’s sheep, he went over and rolled the stone^(BV) away from the mouth of the well and watered^(BW) his uncle’s sheep.^{(BX) 11} Then Jacob kissed^(BY) Rachel and began to weep aloud.^{(BZ) 12} He had told Rachel that he was a relative^(CA) of her father and a son of Rebekah.^(CB) So she ran and told her father.^(CC)

¹³ As soon as Laban^(CD) heard the news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he hurried to meet him. He embraced him^(CE) and kissed him and brought him to his home, and there Jacob told him all these things. ¹⁴ Then Laban said to him, “You are my own flesh and blood.”^(CF)

Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel

After Jacob had stayed with him for a whole month, ¹⁵ Laban said to him, “Just because you are a relative^(CG) of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages^(CH) should be.”

¹⁶ Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah,^(CI) and the name of the younger was Rachel.^{(CJ) 17} Leah had weak^[h] eyes, but Rachel^(CK) had a lovely figure and was beautiful.^{(CL) 18} Jacob was in love with Rachel^(CM) and said, “I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.”^(CN)

¹⁹ Laban said, “It’s better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me.” ²⁰ So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel,^(CO) but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.^(CP)

²¹ Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to make love to her.^(CQ)”

²² So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast.^{(CR) 23} But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah^(CS) and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob made love to her. ²⁴ And Laban gave his servant Zilpah^(CT) to his daughter as her attendant.^(CU)

²⁵ When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me?^(CV) I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?^(CW)”

²⁶ Laban replied, “It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one.^{(CX) 27} Finish this daughter’s bridal week;^(CY) then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work.^(CZ)”

²⁸ And Jacob did so. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife.^{(DA) 29} Laban gave his servant Bilhah^(DB) to his daughter Rachel as her attendant.^{(DC) 30} Jacob made love to Rachel also, and his love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah.^(DD) And he worked for Laban another seven years.^(DE)

Jacob’s Children

³¹ When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved,^(DF) he enabled her to conceive,^(DG) but Rachel remained childless. ³² Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son.^(DH) She named him Reuben,^[i](DI) for she said, “It is because the Lord has seen my misery.^(DJ) Surely my husband will love me now.”

³³ She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Because the Lord heard that I am not loved,^(DK) he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon.^[j](DL)

³⁴ Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me,^(DM) because I have borne him three sons.” So he was named Levi.^[k](DN)

³⁵ She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah.^[l](DO) Then she stopped having children.^(DP)

Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman^(A)

¹⁸ While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him^(B) and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her,^(C) and she will live.” ¹⁹ Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.

²⁰ Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak.^{(D) 21} She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”

²² Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart,^(E) daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.”^(F) And the woman was healed at that moment.^(G)

²³ When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes,^{(H) 24} he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead^(I) but asleep.”^(J) But they laughed at him. ²⁵ After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up.^{(K) 26} News of this spread through all that region.^(L)

Jesus Heals the Blind and the Mute

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

²⁸ When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”

“Yes, Lord,” they replied.^(N)

²⁹ Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”;^{(O) 30} and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.”^{(P) 31} But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.^(Q)

³² While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed^(R) and could not talk^(S) was brought to Jesus. ³³ And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”^(T)

³⁴ But the Pharisees said, “It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.”^(U)

The Workers Are Few

³⁵ Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.^{(V) 36} When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them,^(W) because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.^{(X) 37} Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest^(Y) is plentiful but the workers are few.^{(Z) 38} Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Psalm 11

For the director of music. Of David.

¹⁷ So Isaac moved away from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar,^(A) where he settled. ¹⁸ Isaac reopened the wells^(B) that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them.

¹⁹ Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there. ²⁰ But the herders of Gerar quarreled^(C) with those of Isaac and said, “The water is ours!”^(D) So he named the well Esek,^[a] because they disputed with him. ²¹ Then they dug another well, but they quarreled^(E) over that one also; so he named it Sitnah.^{[b] 22} He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth,^[c](F) saying, “Now the Lord has given us room^(G) and we will flourish^(H) in the land.”

²³ From there he went up to Beersheba.^{(I) 24} That night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham.^(J) Do not be afraid,^(K) for I am with you;^(L) I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants^(M) for the sake of my servant Abraham.”^(N)

²⁵ Isaac built an altar^(O) there and called on the name of the Lord.^(P) There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well.^(Q)

²⁶ Meanwhile, Abimelek had come to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces.^{(R) 27} Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?^(S)”

²⁸ They answered, “We saw clearly that the Lord was with you;^(T) so we said, ‘There ought to be a sworn agreement between us’—between us and you. Let us make a treaty^(U) with you ²⁹ that you will do us no harm,^(V) just as we did not harm you but always treated you well and sent you away peacefully. And now you are blessed by the Lord.”^(W)

³⁰ Isaac then made a feast^(X) for them, and they ate and drank. ³¹ Early the next morning the men swore an oath^(Y) to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they went away peacefully.

³² That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well^(Z) they had dug. They said, “We’ve found water!” ³³ He called it Shibah,^[d] and to this day the name of the town has been Beersheba.^[e](AA)

Jacob Takes Esau’s Blessing

³⁴ When Esau was forty years old,^(AB) he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.^{(AC) 35} They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.^(AD)

27 When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see,^(AE) he called for Esau his older son^(AF) and said to him, “My son.”

“Here I am,” he answered.

² Isaac said, “I am now an old man and don’t know the day of my death.^{(AG) 3} Now then, get your equipment—your quiver and bow—and go out to the open country^(AH) to hunt some wild game for me. ⁴ Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like^(AI) and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing^(AJ) before I die.”^(AK)

⁵ Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for the open country^(AL) to hunt game and bring it back, ⁶ Rebekah said to her son Jacob,^(AM) “Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, ⁷ ‘Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the Lord before I die.’^{(AN) 8} Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you:^{(AO) 9} Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats,^(AP) so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it.^{(AQ) 10} Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing^(AR) before he dies.”

¹¹ Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “But my brother Esau is a hairy man^(AS) while I have smooth skin. ¹² What if my father touches me?^(AT) I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse^(AU) on myself rather than a blessing.”

¹³ His mother said to him, “My son, let the curse fall on me.^(AV) Just do what I say;^(AW) go and get them for me.”

¹⁴ So he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and she prepared some tasty food, just the way his father liked it.^{(AX) 15} Then Rebekah took the best clothes^(AY) of Esau her older son,^(AZ) which she had in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. ¹⁶ She also covered his hands and the smooth part of his neck with the goatskins.^{(BA) 17} Then she handed to her son Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made.

¹⁸ He went to his father and said, “My father.”

“Yes, my son,” he answered. “Who is it?”^(BB)

¹⁹ Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn.^(BC) I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game,^(BD) so that you may give me your blessing.”^(BE)

²⁰ Isaac asked his son, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?”

“The Lord your God gave me success,^(BF)” he replied.

²¹ Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near so I can touch you,^(BG) my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not.”

²² Jacob went close to his father Isaac,^(BH) who touched^(BI) him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” ²³ He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau;^(BJ) so he proceeded to bless him. ²⁴ “Are you really my son Esau?” he asked.

“I am,” he replied.

²⁵ Then he said, “My son, bring me some of your game to eat, so that I may give you my blessing.”^(BK)

Jacob brought it to him and he ate; and he brought some wine and he drank. ²⁶ Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come here, my son, and kiss me.”

²⁷ So he went to him and kissed^(BL) him^(BM). When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes,^(BN) he blessed him and said,

³⁰ After Isaac finished blessing him, and Jacob had scarcely left his father’s presence, his brother Esau came in from hunting. ³¹ He too prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Then he said to him, “My father, please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.”^(BW)

³² His father Isaac asked him, “Who are you?”^(BX)

“I am your son,” he answered, “your firstborn, Esau.^(BY)”

³³ Isaac trembled violently and said, “Who was it, then, that hunted game and brought it to me?^(BZ) I ate it just before you came and I blessed him—and indeed he will be blessed!^(CA)”

³⁴ When Esau heard his father’s words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry^(CB) and said to his father, “Bless^(CC) me—me too, my father!”

³⁵ But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully^(CD) and took your blessing.”^(CE)

³⁶ Esau said, “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob^[f]?^(CF) This is the second time he has taken advantage of^(CG) me: He took my birthright,^(CH) and now he’s taken my blessing!”^(CI) Then he asked, “Haven’t you reserved any blessing for me?”

³⁷ Isaac answered Esau, “I have made him lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine.^(CJ) So what can I possibly do for you, my son?”

³⁸ Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!” Then Esau wept aloud.^(CK)

³⁹ His father Isaac answered him,^(CL)

⁴¹ Esau held a grudge^(CR) against Jacob^(CS) because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, “The days of mourning^(CT) for my father are near; then I will kill^(CU) my brother Jacob.”^(CV)

⁴² When Rebekah was told what her older son Esau^(CW) had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, “Your brother Esau is planning to avenge himself by killing you.^{(CX) 43} Now then, my son, do what I say:^(CY) Flee at once to my brother Laban^(CZ) in Harran.^{(DA) 44} Stay with him for a while^(DB) until your brother’s fury subsides. ⁴⁵ When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him,^(DC) I’ll send word for you to come back from there.^(DD) Why should I lose both of you in one day?”

⁴⁶ Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I’m disgusted with living because of these Hittite^(DE) women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land,^(DF) from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living.”^(DG)