Genesis 24 Cross References - BSB

¹ By now Abraham was old and well along in years, and the LORD had blessed him in every way. ² So Abraham instructed the chief servant of his household, who managed all he owned, “Place your hand under my thigh, ³ and I will have you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I am dwelling, ⁴ but will go to my country and my kindred to take a wife for my son Isaac.” ⁵ The servant asked him, “What if the woman is unwilling to follow me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the land from which you came?” ⁶ Abraham replied, “Make sure that you do not take my son back there. ⁷ The LORD, the God of heaven, who brought me from my father’s house and my native land, who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give this land’—He will send His angel before you so that you can take a wife for my son from there. ⁸ And if the woman is unwilling to follow you, then you are released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there.” ⁹ So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter. ¹⁰ Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed with all manner of good things from his master in hand. And he set out for Nahor’s hometown in Aram-naharaim. ¹¹ As evening approached, he made the camels kneel down near the well outside the town at the time when the women went out to draw water. ¹² “O LORD, God of my master Abraham,” he prayed, “please grant me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. ¹³ Here I am, standing beside the spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. ¹⁴ Now may it happen that the girl to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who responds, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels as well’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. By this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.” ¹⁵ Before the servant had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. ¹⁶ Now the girl was very beautiful, a virgin who had not had relations with any man. She went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came up again. ¹⁷ So the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me have a little water from your jar.” ¹⁸ “Drink, my lord,” she replied, and she quickly lowered her jar to her hands and gave him a drink. ¹⁹ After she had given him a drink, she said, “I will also draw water for your camels, until they have had enough to drink.” ²⁰ And she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran back to the well to draw water, until she had drawn water for all his camels. ²¹ Meanwhile, the man watched her silently to see whether or not the LORD had made his journey a success. ²² And after the camels had finished drinking, he took out a gold ring weighing a beka, and two gold bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels. ²³ “Whose daughter are you?” he asked. “Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?” ²⁴ She replied, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milcah bore to Nahor.” ²⁵ Then she added, “We have plenty of straw and feed, as well as a place for you to spend the night.” ²⁶ Then the man bowed down and worshiped the LORD, ²⁷ saying, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not withheld His kindness and faithfulness from my master. As for me, the LORD has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.” ²⁸ The girl ran and told her mother’s household about these things. ²⁹ Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and he rushed out to the man at the spring. ³⁰ As soon as he saw the ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and heard Rebekah’s words, “The man said this to me,” he went and found the man standing by the camels near the spring. ³¹ “Come, you who are blessed by the LORD,” said Laban. “Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.” ³² So the man came to the house, and the camels were unloaded. Straw and feed were brought to the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of his companions. ³³ Then a meal was set before the man, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told you what I came to say.” So Laban said, “Please speak.” ³⁴ “I am Abraham’s servant,” he replied. ³⁵ “The LORD has greatly blessed my master, and he has become rich. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, menservants and maidservants, camels and donkeys. ³⁶ My master’s wife Sarah has borne him a son in her old age, and my master has given him everything he owns. ³⁷ My master made me swear an oath and said, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites in whose land I dwell, ³⁸ but you shall go to my father’s house and to my kindred to take a wife for my son.’ ³⁹ Then I asked my master, ‘What if the woman will not come back with me?’ ⁴⁰ And he told me, ‘The LORD, before whom I have walked, will send His angel with you and make your journey a success, so that you may take a wife for my son from my kindred and from my father’s house. ⁴¹ And when you go to my kindred, if they refuse to give her to you, then you will be released from my oath.’ ⁴² So when I came to the spring today, I prayed: O LORD, God of my master Abraham, if only You would make my journey a success! ⁴³ Here I am, standing beside this spring. Now if a maiden comes out to draw water and I say to her, ‘Please let me drink a little water from your jar,’ ⁴⁴ and she replies, ‘Drink, and I will draw water for your camels as well,’ may she be the woman the LORD has appointed for my master’s son. ⁴⁵ And before I had finished praying in my heart, there was Rebekah coming out with her jar on her shoulder, and she went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ ⁴⁶ She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels as well.’ So I drank, and she also watered the camels. ⁴⁷ Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She replied, ‘The daughter of Bethuel son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to him.’ So I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her wrists. ⁴⁸ Then I bowed down and worshiped the LORD; and I blessed the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who led me on the right road to take the granddaughter of my master’s brother for his son. ⁴⁹ Now if you will show kindness and faithfulness to my master, tell me; but if not, let me know, so that I may go elsewhere.” ⁵⁰ Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the LORD; we have no choice in the matter. ⁵¹ Rebekah is here before you. Take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master’s son, just as the LORD has decreed.” ⁵² When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground before the LORD. ⁵³ Then he brought out jewels of silver and gold, and articles of clothing, and he gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious gifts to her brother and her mother. ⁵⁴ Then he and the men with him ate and drank and spent the night there. When they got up the next morning, he said, “Send me on my way to my master.” ⁵⁵ But her brother and mother said, “Let the girl remain with us ten days or so. After that, she may go.” ⁵⁶ But he replied, “Do not delay me, since the LORD has made my journey a success. Send me on my way so that I may go to my master.” ⁵⁷ So they said, “We will call the girl and ask her opinion.” ⁵⁸ They called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?” “I will go,” she replied. ⁵⁹ So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham’s servant and his men. ⁶⁰ And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands upon thousands. May your offspring possess the gates of their enemies.” ⁶¹ Then Rebekah and her servant girls got ready, mounted the camels, and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left. ⁶² Now Isaac had just returned from Beer-lahai-roi, for he was living in the Negev. ⁶³ Early in the evening, Isaac went out to the field to meditate, and looking up, he saw the camels approaching. ⁶⁴ And when Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac, she got down from her camel ⁶⁵ and asked the servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?” “It is my master,” the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself. ⁶⁶ Then the servant told Isaac all that he had done. ⁶⁷ And Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah and took Rebekah as his wife. And Isaac loved her and was comforted after his mother’s death.

² I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

² And Abram had become extremely wealthy in livestock and silver and gold.

¹¹ And Abraham and Sarah were already old and well along in years; Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.

⁵ Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.

³⁵ “The LORD has greatly blessed my master, and he has become rich. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, menservants and maidservants, camels and donkeys.

²⁰ and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan-aram and the sister of Laban the Aramean.

²⁵ by the God of your father who helps you, and by the Almighty who blesses you, with blessings of the heavens above, with blessings of the depths below, with blessings of the breasts and womb.

¹ Now King David was old and well along in years, and though they covered him with blankets, he could not keep warm.

¹ Hallelujah! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in His commandments. ² His descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. ³ Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.

²² The blessing of the LORD enriches, and He adds no sorrow to it.

² Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who gave you birth. When I called him, he was but one; then I blessed him and multiplied him.

³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.

⁷ But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well along in years.

⁹ So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms.

⁸ For physical exercise is of limited value, but godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for the present life and for the one to come.

² But Abram replied, “O Lord GOD, what can You give me, since I remain childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”

⁹ So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter. ¹⁰ Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed with all manner of good things from his master in hand. And he set out for Nahor’s hometown in Aram-naharaim.

⁴ Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household and entrusted him with everything he owned. ⁵ From the time that he put Joseph in charge of his household and all he owned, the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s household on account of him. The LORD’s blessing was on everything he owned, both in his house and in his field. ⁶ So Potiphar left all that he owned in Joseph’s care; he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome,

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 entrusted everything he owns to my care. 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 such a great evil and sin against God?”

¹ Then Joseph instructed his steward: “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each one’s silver in the mouth of his sack.

²⁹ When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and promise to show me kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt,

²⁴ All the officials and mighty men, as well as all of King David’s sons, pledged their allegiance to King Solomon.

¹⁷ Elders who lead effectively are worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.

² the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they took as wives whomever they chose.

⁴ The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and afterward as well—when the sons of God had relations with the daughters of men. And they bore them children who became the mighty men of old, men of renown.

¹⁵ And Canaan was the father of Sidon his firstborn, and of the Hittites, ¹⁶ the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, ¹⁷ the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, ¹⁸ the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. Later the Canaanite clans were scattered, ¹⁹ and the borders of Canaan extended from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.

¹⁹ and he blessed Abram and said: “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth,

²² But Abram replied to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the LORD God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth,

²³ Now, therefore, swear to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or descendants. Show to me and to the country in which you reside the same kindness that I have shown to you.”

²⁸ “We can plainly see that the LORD has been with you,” they replied. “We recommend that there should now be an oath between us and you. Let us make a covenant with you ²⁹ that you will not harm us, just as we have not harmed you but have done only good to you, sending you on your way in peace. And now you are blessed by the LORD.” ³⁰ So Isaac prepared a feast for them, and they ate and drank. ³¹ And they got up early the next morning and swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they left him in peace.

³⁴ When Esau was forty years old, he took as his wives Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. ³⁵ And they brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.

⁴⁶ Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am weary of my life because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a Hittite wife from among them, what good is my life?”

⁸ And seeing that his father Isaac disapproved of the Canaanite women,

⁴⁴ Come now, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it serve as a witness between you and me.” ⁴⁵ So Jacob picked out a stone and set it up as a pillar, ⁴⁶ and he said to his relatives, “Gather some stones.” So they took stones and made a mound, and there by the mound they ate. ⁴⁷ Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, and Jacob called it Galeed. ⁴⁸ Then Laban declared, “This mound is a witness between you and me this day.” Therefore the place was called Galeed. ⁴⁹ It was also called Mizpah, because Laban said, “May the LORD keep watch between you and me when we are absent from each other. ⁵⁰ If you mistreat my daughters or take other wives, although no one is with us, remember that God is a witness between you and me.” ⁵¹ Laban also said to Jacob, “Here is the mound, and here is the pillar I have set up between you and me. ⁵² This mound is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not go past this mound to harm you, and you will not go past this mound and pillar to harm me. ⁵³ May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” So Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac.

²⁵ And Joseph made the sons of Israel take an oath and said, “God will surely attend to you, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.”

⁷ You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain.

¹¹ an oath before the LORD shall be made between the parties to determine whether or not the man has taken his neighbor’s property. The owner must accept the oath and require no restitution.

¹³ Pay close attention to everything I have said to you. You must not invoke the names of other gods; they must not be heard on your lips.

¹⁶ And when you take some of their daughters as brides for your sons, their daughters will prostitute themselves to their gods and cause your sons to do the same.

¹² You must not swear falsely by My name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.

²¹ and the priest shall have the woman swear under the oath of the curse—‘then may the LORD make you an attested curse among your people by making your thigh shrivel and your belly swell.

¹³ Fear the LORD your God, serve Him only, and take your oaths in His name.

³ Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, ⁴ because they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods. Then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and He will swiftly destroy you.

²⁰ You are to fear the LORD your God and serve Him. Hold fast to Him and take your oaths in His name.

¹² Now therefore, please swear to me by the LORD that you will indeed show kindness to my family, because I showed kindness to you. Give me a sure sign

¹⁷ And Jonathan had David reaffirm his vow out of love for him, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself.

¹⁵ And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD: “O LORD, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth.

¹² And Hiram added: “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who made the heavens and the earth! He has given King David a wise son with insight and understanding, who will build a temple for the LORD and a royal palace for himself.

⁶ You alone are the LORD. You created the heavens, the highest heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to all things, and the host of heaven worships You.

²⁵ I rebuked them and called down curses on them. I beat some of these men and pulled out their hair. Then I made them take an oath before God and said, “You must not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters as wives for your sons or for yourselves!

¹⁵ May you be blessed by the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

²³ By Myself I have sworn; truth has gone out from My mouth, a word that will not be revoked: Every knee will bow before Me, every tongue will swear allegiance.

¹ “Listen to this, O house of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel, who have descended from the line of Judah, who swear by the name of the LORD, who invoke the God of Israel—but not in truth or righteousness—

¹⁶ Whoever invokes a blessing in the land will do so by the God of truth, and whoever takes an oath in the land will swear by the God of truth. For the former troubles will be forgotten and hidden from My sight.

² and if you can swear, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness, then the nations will be blessed by Him, and in Him they will glory.”

¹¹ Thus you are to tell them: “These gods, who have made neither the heavens nor the earth, will perish from this earth and from under these heavens.”

¹⁶ And if they will diligently learn the ways of My people and swear by My name, saying, ‘As surely as the LORD lives’—just as they once taught My people to swear by Baal—then they will be established among My people.

⁵ those who bow on the rooftops to worship the host of heaven, those who bow down and swear by the LORD but also swear by Milcom,

³⁹ A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, as long as he belongs to the Lord.

¹⁴ Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership can righteousness have with wickedness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? ¹⁵ What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? ¹⁶ What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.” ¹⁷ “Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”

¹⁶ Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and their oath serves as a confirmation to end all argument.

²⁵ And after he had become the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.

⁷ Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your offspring.” So Abram built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

²⁰ Some time later, Abraham was told, “Milcah has also borne sons to your brother Nahor: ²¹ Uz the firstborn, his brother Buz, Kemuel (the father of Aram), ²² Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” ²³ And Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. Milcah bore these eight sons to Abraham’s brother Nahor.

² “Go at once to Paddan-aram, to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel, and take a wife from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother.

⁵⁸ They called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?” “I will go,” she replied.

² But if you continue to restrain them and refuse to let them go,

¹⁶ Every prudent man acts with knowledge, but a fool displays his folly.

¹ It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be encumbered once more by a yoke of slavery.

³⁹ But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

⁹ By faith he dwelt in the promised land as a stranger in a foreign country. He lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.

¹³ All these people died in faith, without having received the things they were promised. However, they saw them and welcomed them from afar. And they acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. ¹⁴ Now those who say such things show that they are seeking a country of their own. ¹⁵ If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶ Instead, they were longing for a better country, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

²⁰ If indeed they have escaped the corruption of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, only to be entangled and overcome by it again, their final condition is worse than it was at first. ²¹ It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than to have known it and then to turn away from the holy commandment passed on to them. ²² Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.”

¹ Then the LORD said to Abram, “Leave your country, your kindred, and your father’s household, and go to the land I will show you. ² I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.” ⁴ So Abram departed, as the LORD had directed him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. ⁵ And Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the possessions and people they had acquired in Haran, and set out for the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, ⁶ Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the Oak of Moreh at Shechem. And at that time the Canaanites were in the land. ⁷ Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your offspring.” So Abram built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

¹⁵ for all the land that you see, I will give to you and your offspring forever.

¹⁸ On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land—from the river of Egypt to the great River Euphrates—

⁸ And to you and your descendants I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession; and I will be their God.”

¹⁶ saying, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your only son, ¹⁷ I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the gates of their enemies. ¹⁸ And through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

³ Stay in this land as a foreigner, and I will be with you and bless you. For I will give all these lands to you and your offspring, and I will confirm the oath that I swore to your father Abraham. ⁴ I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed,

²⁴ and that night the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for the sake of My servant Abraham.”

⁵ And when the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites—the land He swore to your fathers that He would give you, a land flowing with milk and honey—you shall keep this service in this month.

²⁰ Behold, I am sending an angel before you to protect you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. ²¹ Pay attention to him and listen to his voice; do not defy him, for he will not forgive rebellion, since My Name is in him. ²² But if you will listen carefully to his voice and do everything I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes. ²³ For My angel will go before you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I will annihilate them.

¹³ Remember Your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, to whom You swore by Your very self when You declared, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give your descendants all this land that I have promised, and it shall be their inheritance forever.’”

² And I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

¹⁶ ‘Because the LORD was unable to bring this people into the land He swore to give them, He has slaughtered them in the wilderness.’

³⁰ Surely none of you will enter the land in which I swore to settle you, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

¹¹ ‘Because they did not follow Me wholeheartedly, not one of the men twenty years of age or older who came out of Egypt will see the land that I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—

⁸ See, I have placed the land before you. Enter and possess the land that the LORD swore He would give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to their descendants after them.”

⁴ And the LORD said to him, “This is the land that I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you will not cross into it.”

⁶ Be strong and courageous, for you shall give these people the inheritance of the land that I swore to their fathers I would give them.

¹ Now the angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land that I had promised to your fathers, and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you,

² “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, who has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, has appointed me to build a house for Him at Jerusalem in Judah.

⁸ I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will give you counsel and watch over you.

⁷ The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and he delivers them.

²⁴ You guide me with Your counsel, and later receive me in glory.

²⁰ Bless the LORD, all His angels mighty in strength who carry out His word, who hearken to the voice of His command.

⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

⁹ In all their distress, He too was afflicted, and the Angel of His Presence saved them. In His love and compassion He redeemed them; He lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

⁴⁴ In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will shatter all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, but will itself stand forever.

⁹ “I am a Hebrew,” replied Jonah. “I worship the LORD, the God of the heavens, who made the sea and the dry land.”

⁵ He gave him no inheritance here, not even a foot of ground. But God promised to give possession of the land to Abraham and his descendants, even though he did not yet have a child.

¹⁴ Are not the angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

¹³ And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand were killed in the quake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

⁴ but will go to my country and my kindred to take a wife for my son Isaac.” ⁵ The servant asked him, “What if the woman is unwilling to follow me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the land from which you came?” ⁶ Abraham replied, “Make sure that you do not take my son back there.

⁵ But if her father prohibits her on the day he hears about it, then none of the vows or pledges by which she has bound herself shall stand. The LORD will absolve her because her father has prohibited her.

⁸ But if her husband prohibits her when he hears of it, he nullifies the vow that binds her or the rash promise she has made, and the LORD will absolve her.

¹⁷ The men said to her, “We will not be bound by this oath you made us swear ¹⁸ unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother and brothers and all your family into your house. ¹⁹ If anyone goes out the door of your house into the street, his blood will be on his own head, and we will be innocent. But if a hand is laid on anyone with you in the house, his blood will be on our heads. ²⁰ And if you report our mission, we will be released from the oath you made us swear.”

²⁰ This is how we will treat them: We will let them live, so that no wrath will fall on us because of the oath we swore to them.”

³² Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

² And Stephen declared: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,

² So Abraham instructed the chief servant of his household, who managed all he owned, “Place your hand under my thigh,

³¹ And Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai the wife of Abram, and they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans for the land of Canaan. But when they arrived in Haran, they settled there.

⁴³ So now, my son, obey my voice and flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran.

¹ Jacob resumed his journey and came to the land of the people of the east.

⁴ “My brothers,” Jacob asked the shepherds, “where are you from?” “We are from Haran,” they answered. ⁵ “Do you know Laban the grandson of Nahor?” Jacob asked. “We know him,” they replied.

²² And the warden put all the prisoners under Joseph’s care, so that he was responsible for all that was done in the prison. ²³ The warden did not concern himself with anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

⁴ For they did not meet you with food and water on your way out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram-naharaim to curse you.

⁸ Then the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram-naharaim, and the Israelites served him eight years. ⁹ But when the Israelites cried out to the LORD, He raised up Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz as a deliverer to save them. ¹⁰ The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he became Israel’s judge and went out to war. And the LORD delivered Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram into the hand of Othniel, who prevailed against him.

⁶ When the Ammonites realized that they had become a stench to David, Hanun and the Ammonites sent a thousand talents of silver to hire for themselves chariots and horsemen from Aram-naharaim, Aram-maacah, and Zobah.

⁹ Parthians, Medes, and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,

¹³ Here I am, standing beside the spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. ¹⁴ Now may it happen that the girl to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who responds, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels as well’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. By this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.” ¹⁵ Before the servant had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. ¹⁶ Now the girl was very beautiful, a virgin who had not had relations with any man. She went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came up again. ¹⁷ So the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me have a little water from your jar.” ¹⁸ “Drink, my lord,” she replied, and she quickly lowered her jar to her hands and gave him a drink. ¹⁹ After she had given him a drink, she said, “I will also draw water for your camels, until they have had enough to drink.” ²⁰ And she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran back to the well to draw water, until she had drawn water for all his camels.

¹³ But Jacob replied, “My lord knows that the children are frail, and I must care for sheep and cattle that are nursing their young. If they are driven hard for even a day, all the animals will die. ¹⁴ Please let my lord go ahead of his servant. I will continue on slowly, at a comfortable pace for the livestock and children, until I come to my lord at Seir.”

¹⁶ Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father’s flock.

¹¹ And as they were climbing the hill to the city, they met some young women coming out to draw water and asked, “Is the seer here?”

¹⁰ A righteous man regards the life of his animal, but the tender mercies of the wicked are only cruelty.

⁷ When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”

¹ After these events, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”

⁷ I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. ⁸ And to you and your descendants I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession; and I will be their God.”

²⁷ saying, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not withheld His kindness and faithfulness from my master. As for me, the LORD has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.”

⁴² So when I came to the spring today, I prayed: O LORD, God of my master Abraham, if only You would make my journey a success!

⁴⁸ Then I bowed down and worshiped the LORD; and I blessed the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who led me on the right road to take the granddaughter of my master’s brother for his son.

¹⁰ Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may bless you before he dies.”

²⁰ But Isaac asked his son, “How did you ever find it so quickly, my son?” “Because the LORD your God brought it to me,” he replied.

¹³ And there at the top the LORD was standing and saying, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you now lie.

⁴² If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, surely by now you would have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands, and last night He rendered judgment.”

⁹ Then Jacob declared, “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, the LORD who told me, ‘Go back to your country and to your kindred, and I will make you prosper,’

¹⁴ May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother along with Benjamin. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”

⁶ Then He said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

¹⁵ God also told Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered in every generation.

³⁶ At the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached the altar and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and have done all these things at Your command.

¹⁴ Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the waters. “Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” he asked. And when he had struck the waters, they parted to the right and to the left, and Elisha crossed over.

¹¹ O Lord, may Your ear be attentive to my prayer and to the prayers of Your servants who delight to revere Your name. Give Your servant success this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” (At that time I was the cupbearer to the king.)

⁴ “What is your request?” replied the king. So I prayed to the God of heaven

⁵ Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will do it.

¹⁶ May Your work be shown to Your servants, and Your splendor to their children. ¹⁷ May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish for us the work of our hands—yes, establish the work of our hands!

²⁵ O LORD, save us, we pray. We beseech You, O LORD, cause us to prosper!

⁶ Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you prosper.

¹ A song of ascents. Of Solomon. Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain; unless the LORD protects the city, its watchmen stand guard in vain.

⁶ in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

³² ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”

⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

¹⁰ Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking from your faith. ¹¹ Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you.

¹¹ As evening approached, he made the camels kneel down near the well outside the town at the time when the women went out to draw water.

⁴³ Here I am, standing beside this spring. Now if a maiden comes out to draw water and I say to her, ‘Please let me drink a little water from your jar,’

⁹ While he was still speaking with them, Rachel arrived with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess. ¹⁰ As soon as Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his mother’s brother Laban, with Laban’s sheep, he went up and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle’s sheep.

¹¹ the voices of the singers at the watering places. There they shall recount the righteous acts of the LORD, the righteous deeds of His villagers in Israel. Then the people of the LORD went down to the gates:

⁸ But Abram replied, “Lord GOD, how can I know that I will possess it?”

⁴⁴ and she replies, ‘Drink, and I will draw water for your camels as well,’ may she be the woman the LORD has appointed for my master’s son.

¹ Then Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to my voice? For they may say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’” ² And the LORD asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied. ³ “Throw it on the ground,” said the LORD. So Moses threw it on the ground, and it became a snake, and he ran from it. ⁴ “Stretch out your hand and grab it by the tail,” the LORD said to Moses, who reached out his hand and caught the snake, and it turned back into a staff in his hand. ⁵ “This is so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.” ⁶ Furthermore, the LORD said to Moses, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” So he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, his hand was leprous, white as snow. ⁷ “Put your hand back inside your cloak,” said the LORD. So Moses put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his skin. ⁸ And the LORD said, “If they refuse to believe you or heed the witness of the first sign, they may believe that of the second. ⁹ But if they do not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. Then the water you take from the Nile will become blood on the ground.”

¹⁷ Gideon answered, “If I have found favor in Your sight, give me a sign that it is You speaking with me.

³⁷ then behold, I will place a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that You are going to save Israel by my hand, as You have said.”

¹³ And as Gideon arrived, a man was telling his friend about a dream. “Behold, I had a dream,” he said, “and I saw a loaf of barley bread come tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent so hard that the tent overturned and collapsed.” ¹⁴ His friend replied: “This is nothing less than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has delivered Midian and the whole camp into his hand.” ¹⁵ When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship. He returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Get up, for the LORD has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand.”

⁵ Then they said to him, “Please inquire of God to determine whether we will have a successful journey.”

⁷ Now, therefore, prepare one new cart with two milk cows that have never been yoked. Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up. ⁸ Take the ark of the LORD, set it on the cart, and in a chest beside it put the gold objects you are sending Him as a guilt offering. Then send the ark on its way, ⁹ but keep watching it. If it goes up the road to its homeland, toward Beth-shemesh, it is the LORD who has brought on us this great disaster. But if it does not, then we will know that it was not His hand that punished us and that it happened by chance.”

² When you leave me today, you will find two men at Rachel’s tomb in Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you seek have been found, and now your father has stopped worrying about the donkeys and started worrying about you, asking, “What should I do about my son?”’ ³ Then you will go on from there until you come to the Oak of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine. ⁴ They will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from their hands. ⁵ After that you will come to Gibeah of God, where the Philistines have an outpost. As you approach the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place, preceded by harps, tambourines, flutes, and lyres, and they will be prophesying. ⁶ Then the Spirit of the LORD will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be transformed into a different person. ⁷ When these signs have come, do as the occasion demands, for God is with you. ⁸ And you shall go before me to Gilgal, and surely I will come to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. Wait seven days until I come to you and show you what you are to do.” ⁹ As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all the signs came to pass that day. ¹⁰ When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a group of prophets met him. Then the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied along with them.

⁸ “Very well,” said Jonathan, “we will cross over toward these men and show ourselves to them. ⁹ If they say, ‘Wait until we come to you,’ then we will stay where we are and will not go up to them. ¹⁰ But if they say, ‘Come on up,’ then we will go up, because this will be our sign that the LORD has delivered them into our hands.”

⁷ If he says, ‘Good,’ then your servant is safe, but if he is enraged, you will know he has evil intentions.

²⁴ As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move quickly, because this will mean that the LORD has marched out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.”

⁹ “Are you well, my brother?” Joab asked Amasa. And with his right hand Joab grabbed Amasa by the beard to kiss him.

⁸ Now Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, “What will be the sign that the LORD will heal me and that I will go up to the house of the LORD on the third day?” ⁹ And Isaiah had replied, “This will be a sign to you from the LORD that He will do what He has promised: Would you like the shadow to go forward ten steps, or back ten steps?” ¹⁰ “It is easy for the shadow to lengthen ten steps,” answered Hezekiah, “but not for it to go back ten steps.” ¹¹ So Isaiah the prophet called out to the LORD, and He brought the shadow back the ten steps it had descended on the stairway of Ahaz.

¹⁴ Houses and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the LORD.

¹¹ “Ask for a sign from the LORD your God, whether from the depths of Sheol or the heights of heaven.”

¹⁰ in my prayers at all times, asking that now at last by God’s will I may succeed in coming to you.

²⁷ This is the account of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot.

²⁹ And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. Abram’s wife was named Sarai, and Nahor’s wife was named Milcah; she was the daughter of Haran, who was the father of both Milcah and Iscah.

¹⁴ Early in the morning, Abraham got up, took bread and a skin of water, put them on Hagar’s shoulders, and sent her away with the boy. She left and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba.

²⁴ She replied, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milcah bore to Nahor.”

⁴⁵ And before I had finished praying in my heart, there was Rebekah coming out with her jar on her shoulder, and she went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’

⁹ While he was still speaking with them, Rachel arrived with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess.

³⁶ Then Gideon said to God, “If You are going to save Israel by my hand, as You have said, ³⁷ then behold, I will place a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that You are going to save Israel by my hand, as You have said.” ³⁸ And that is what happened. When Gideon arose the next morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water. ³⁹ Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me; let me speak one more time. Please allow me one more test with the fleece. This time let it be dry, and the ground covered with dew.” ⁴⁰ And that night God did so. Only the fleece was dry, and dew covered the ground.

² And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go into the fields and glean heads of grain after someone in whose sight I may find favor.” “Go ahead, my daughter,” Naomi replied.

¹⁷ So Ruth gathered grain in the field until evening. And when she beat out what she had gleaned, it was about an ephah of barley.

¹⁵ The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are inclined to their cry.

² O You who listen to prayer, all people will come to You.

¹⁸ The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call out to Him in truth. ¹⁹ He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them.

²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.

⁹ Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry out, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you remove the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger and malicious talk,

²⁴ Even before they call, I will answer, and while they are still speaking, I will hear.

²⁰ While I was speaking, praying, confessing my sin and that of my people Israel, and presenting my petition before the LORD my God concerning His holy mountain— ²¹ while I was still praying, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. ²² He instructed me and spoke with me, saying: “O Daniel, I have come now to give you insight and understanding. ²³ At the beginning of your petitions, an answer went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are highly precious. So consider the message and understand the vision:

¹ And Adam had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. “With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man,” she said.

⁷ But when the men of that place asked about his wife, he said, “She is my sister.” For he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” since he thought to himself, “The men of this place will kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is so beautiful.”

⁶ So Potiphar left all that he owned in Joseph’s care; he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome,

¹⁷ So now, kill all the boys, as well as every woman who has had relations with a man, ¹⁸ but spare for yourselves every girl who has never had relations with a man.

² I sleep, but my heart is awake. A sound! My beloved is knocking: “Open to me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my flawless one. My head is drenched with dew, my hair with the dampness of the night.”

¹ Now there was another famine in the land, subsequent to the one that had occurred in Abraham’s time. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines at Gerar. ² The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt. Settle in the land where I tell you. ³ Stay in this land as a foreigner, and I will be with you and bless you. For I will give all these lands to you and your offspring, and I will confirm the oath that I swore to your father Abraham. ⁴ I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, ⁵ because Abraham listened to My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.” ⁶ So Isaac settled in Gerar. ⁷ But when the men of that place asked about his wife, he said, “She is my sister.” For he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” since he thought to himself, “The men of this place will kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is so beautiful.” ⁸ When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked down from the window and was surprised to see Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. ⁹ Abimelech sent for Isaac and said, “So she is really your wife! How could you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac replied, “Because I thought I might die on account of her.” ¹⁰ “What is this you have done to us?” asked Abimelech. “One of the people could easily have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.” ¹¹ So Abimelech warned all the people, saying, “Whoever harms this man or his wife will surely be put to death.” ¹² Now Isaac sowed seed in the land, and that very year he reaped a hundredfold. And the LORD blessed him, ¹³ and he became richer and richer, until he was exceedingly wealthy. ¹⁴ He owned so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him. ¹⁵ So the Philistines took dirt and stopped up all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the days of his father Abraham. ¹⁶ Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Depart from us, for you are much too powerful for us.” ¹⁷ So Isaac left that place and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there. ¹⁸ Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the days of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died. And he gave these wells the same names his father had given them. ¹⁹ Then Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found a well of fresh water there. ²⁰ But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen and said, “The water is ours!” So he named the well Esek, because they contended with him. ²¹ Then they dug another well and quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah. ²² He moved on from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. He named it Rehoboth and said, “At last the LORD has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land.” ²³ From there Isaac went up to Beersheba, ²⁴ and that night the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for the sake of My servant Abraham.” ²⁵ So Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD, and he pitched his tent there. His servants also dug a well there. ²⁶ Later, Abimelech came to Isaac from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army. ²⁷ “Why have you come to me?” Isaac asked them. “You hated me and sent me away.” ²⁸ “We can plainly see that the LORD has been with you,” they replied. “We recommend that there should now be an oath between us and you. Let us make a covenant with you ²⁹ that you will not harm us, just as we have not harmed you but have done only good to you, sending you on your way in peace. And now you are blessed by the LORD.” ³⁰ So Isaac prepared a feast for them, and they ate and drank. ³¹ And they got up early the next morning and swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they left him in peace. ³² On that same day, Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. “We have found water!” they told him. ³³ So he called it Shibah, and to this day the name of the city is Beersheba.

¹⁰ So Elijah got up and went to Zarephath. When he arrived at the city gate, there was a widow gathering sticks. Elijah called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup, so that I may drink.”

¹⁴ Bring water for the thirsty, O dwellers of Tema; meet the refugees with food.

²⁵ And from every high mountain and every raised hill, streams of water will flow in the day of great slaughter, when the towers fall.

⁶ Then the lame will leap like a deer and the mute tongue will shout for joy. For waters will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. ⁷ The parched ground will become a pool, the thirsty land springs of water. In the haunt where jackals once lay, there will be grass and reeds and papyrus.

¹⁷ The poor and needy seek water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. I, the LORD, will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. ¹⁸ I will open rivers on the barren heights, and fountains in the middle of the valleys. I will turn the desert into a pool of water, and the dry land into flowing springs.

¹⁰ They will not hunger or thirst, nor will scorching heat or sun beat down on them. For He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water.

⁹ “You are a Jew,” said the woman. “How can You ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

¹⁴ Now may it happen that the girl to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who responds, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels as well’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. By this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.”

²⁶ She opens her mouth with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

⁸ Finally, all of you, be like-minded and sympathetic, love as brothers, be tenderhearted and humble.

⁸ Above all, love one another deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. ⁹ Show hospitality to one another without complaining.

⁴⁵ And before I had finished praying in my heart, there was Rebekah coming out with her jar on her shoulder, and she went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ ⁴⁶ She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels as well.’ So I drank, and she also watered the camels.

⁹ Show hospitality to one another without complaining.

¹² “O LORD, God of my master Abraham,” he prayed, “please grant me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.

⁵⁶ But he replied, “Do not delay me, since the LORD has made my journey a success. Send me on my way so that I may go to my master.”

¹⁸ Then King David went in, sat before the LORD, and said, “Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far? ¹⁹ And as if this was a small thing in Your eyes, O Lord GOD, You have also spoken about the future of the house of Your servant. Is this Your custom with man, O Lord GOD? ²⁰ What more can David say to You? For You know Your servant, O Lord GOD.

¹ Of David, when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, so that the king drove him away. I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise will always be on my lips. ² My soul boasts in the LORD; let the oppressed hear and rejoice. ³ Magnify the LORD with me; let us exalt His name together. ⁴ I sought the LORD, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears. ⁵ Those who look to Him are radiant with joy; their faces shall never be ashamed. ⁶ This poor man called out, and the LORD heard him; He saved him from all his troubles.

¹ Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.

⁸ Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving devotion and His wonders to the sons of men.

¹⁵ Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving devotion and His wonders to the sons of men.

⁴³ Let him who is wise pay heed to these things and consider the loving devotion of the LORD.

¹ I love the LORD, for He has heard my voice—my appeal for mercy. ² Because He has inclined His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live. ³ The ropes of death entangled me; the anguish of Sheol overcame me; I was confronted by trouble and sorrow. ⁴ Then I called on the name of the LORD: “O LORD, deliver my soul!” ⁵ The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. ⁶ The LORD preserves the simplehearted; I was helpless, and He saved me. ⁷ Return to your rest, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you.

¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

⁵¹ Then He went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But His mother treasured up all these things in her heart.

¹⁵ “Listen to me, my lord. The land is worth four hundred shekels of silver, but what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.” ¹⁶ Abraham agreed to Ephron’s terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the standard of the merchants.

³⁰ As soon as he saw the ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and heard Rebekah’s words, “The man said this to me,” he went and found the man standing by the camels near the spring.

⁴⁷ Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She replied, ‘The daughter of Bethuel son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to him.’ So I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her wrists.

² So Aaron told them, “Take off the gold earrings that are on your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.” ³ Then all the people took off their gold earrings and brought them to Aaron.

¹ On the third day, Esther put on her royal attire and stood in the inner court of the palace across from the king’s quarters. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the royal courtroom, facing the entrance.

¹⁹ their pendants, bracelets, and veils; ²⁰ their headdresses, ankle chains, and sashes; their perfume bottles and charms; ²¹ their signet rings and nose rings; ²² their festive robes, capes, cloaks, and purses; ²³ and their mirrors, linen garments, tiaras, and shawls.

³² Does a maiden forget her jewelry or a bride her wedding sash? Yet My people have forgotten Me for days without number.

¹¹ I adorned you with jewelry, and I put bracelets on your wrists and a chain around your neck. ¹² I put a ring in your nose, earrings on your ears, and a beautiful crown upon your head.

⁹ Likewise, I want the women to adorn themselves with respectable apparel, with modesty, and with self-control, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, ¹⁰ but with good deeds, as is proper for women who profess to worship God.

³ Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair or gold jewelry or fine clothes,

²⁰ Some time later, Abraham was told, “Milcah has also borne sons to your brother Nahor:

²³ And Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. Milcah bore these eight sons to Abraham’s brother Nahor.

¹⁵ Before the servant had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor.

⁴ Let a little water be brought, that you may wash your feet and rest yourselves under the tree. ⁵ And I will bring a bit of bread so that you may refresh yourselves. This is why you have passed your servant’s way. After that, you may continue on your way.” “Yes,” they replied, “you may do as you have said.” ⁶ So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Prepare three seahs of fine flour, knead it, and bake some bread.” ⁷ Meanwhile, Abraham ran to the herd, selected a tender and choice calf, and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. ⁸ Then Abraham brought curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and he set them before the men and stood by them under the tree as they ate.

¹⁹ even though there is both straw and feed for our donkeys, and bread and wine for me and the maidservant and young man with me. There is nothing that we, your servants, lack.” ²⁰ “Peace to you,” said the old man. “Let me supply everything you need. Only do not spend the night in the square.” ²¹ So he brought him to his house and fed his donkeys. And they washed their feet and ate and drank.

⁸ But a noble man makes honorable plans; he stands up for worthy causes.

⁵ “Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told his servants. “The boy and I will go over there to worship, and then we will return to you.”

⁵² When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground before the LORD.

³¹ and they believed. And when they heard that the LORD had attended to the Israelites and had seen their affliction, they bowed down and worshiped.

²⁷ you are to reply, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when He struck down the Egyptians and spared our homes.’” Then the people bowed down and worshiped.

⁸ Moses immediately bowed down to the ground and worshiped.

²⁰ Then David said to the whole assembly, “Blessed be the LORD your God.” So the whole assembly blessed the LORD, the God of their fathers. They bowed down and paid homage to the LORD and to the king.

¹⁸ Then Jehoshaphat bowed facedown, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down before the LORD to worship Him.

³⁰ Then King Hezekiah and his officials ordered the Levites to sing praises to the LORD in the words of David and of Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with gladness and bowed their heads and worshiped.

⁶ Then Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and with their hands uplifted, all the people said, “Amen, Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

²⁹ All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before Him—even those unable to preserve their lives.

⁴ All the earth bows down to You; they sing praise to You; they sing praise to Your name.” Selah

⁹ May the nomads bow before him, and his enemies lick the dust.

⁶ O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.

⁶ With what shall I come before the LORD when I bow before the God on high? Should I come to Him with burnt offerings, with year-old calves?

¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

²⁶ He also declared: “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the servant of Shem.

⁸ So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no contention between you and me, or between your herdsmen and my herdsmen. After all, we are brothers.

²⁰ and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything.

⁴ but will go to my country and my kindred to take a wife for my son Isaac.”

²¹ Meanwhile, the man watched her silently to see whether or not the LORD had made his journey a success.

¹⁰ I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness You have shown Your servant. Indeed, with only my staff I came across the Jordan, but now I have become two camps.

¹¹ One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to his own people and observed their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people.

¹³ The next day Moses went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you attacking your companion?”

¹⁰ Jethro declared, “Blessed be the LORD, who has delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who has delivered the people from the hand of the Egyptians.

¹⁴ Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a kinsman-redeemer. May his name become famous in Israel.

³² Then David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who sent you to meet me this day!

³⁹ On hearing that Nabal was dead, David said, “Blessed be the LORD, who has upheld my cause against the reproach of Nabal and has restrained His servant from evil. For the LORD has brought the wickedness of Nabal down upon his own head.” Then David sent word to Abigail, asking for her in marriage.

²⁸ Then Ahimaaz called out to the king, “All is well!” And he bowed facedown before the king. He continued, “Blessed be the LORD your God! He has delivered up the men who raised their hands against my lord the king.”

¹⁰ Then David blessed the LORD in the sight of all the assembly and said: “May You be blessed, O LORD, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. ¹¹ Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in heaven and on earth belongs to You. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom, and You are exalted as head over all. ¹² Both riches and honor come from You, and You are the ruler over all. In Your hands are power and might to exalt and give strength to all. ¹³ Now therefore, our God, we give You thanks, and we praise Your glorious name.

¹⁹ Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, the God of our salvation. Selah

¹⁸ Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds. ¹⁹ And blessed be His glorious name forever; may all the earth be filled with His glory. Amen and amen.

³ He has remembered His love and faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

⁵ For the LORD is good, and His loving devotion endures forever; His faithfulness continues to all generations.

¹¹ I will guide you in the way of wisdom; I will lead you on straight paths. ¹² When you walk, your steps will not be impeded; when you run, you will not stumble. ¹³ Hold on to instruction; do not let go. Guard it, for it is your life.

²⁰ I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice,

²⁰ You will show faithfulness to Jacob and loving devotion to Abraham, as You swore to our fathers from the days of old.

⁶⁸ “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has visited and redeemed His people.

¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

¹⁷ Now to the King eternal, immortal, and invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

⁵⁵ But her brother and mother said, “Let the girl remain with us ten days or so. After that, she may go.”

⁶⁷ And Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah and took Rebekah as his wife. And Isaac loved her and was comforted after his mother’s death.

³³ So Laban went into Jacob’s tent, then Leah’s tent, and then the tents of the two maidservants, but he found nothing. Then he left Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s tent.

⁶⁰ And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands upon thousands. May your offspring possess the gates of their enemies.”

⁵ “Do you know Laban the grandson of Nahor?” Jacob asked. “We know him,” they replied.

¹³ When Laban heard the news about his sister’s son Jacob, he ran out to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his home, where Jacob told him all that had happened.

²⁹ that you will not harm us, just as we have not harmed you but have done only good to you, sending you on your way in peace. And now you are blessed by the LORD.”

² said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse—I have the silver here with me; I took it.” Then his mother said, “Blessed be my son by the LORD!”

¹⁰ Then Boaz said, “May the LORD bless you, my daughter. You have shown more kindness now than before, because you have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor.

⁸ A bribe is a charm to its giver; wherever he turns, he succeeds.

¹⁶ A man’s gift opens doors for him, and brings him before great men.

⁴ Let a little water be brought, that you may wash your feet and rest yourselves under the tree.

² and said, “My lords, please turn aside into the house of your servant; wash your feet and spend the night. Then you can rise early and go on your way.” “No,” they answered, “we will spend the night in the square.”

²⁴ And the steward took the men into Joseph’s house, gave them water to wash their feet, and provided food for their donkeys.

²¹ So he brought him to his house and fed his donkeys. And they washed their feet and ate and drank.

⁴¹ She arose, then bowed facedown and said, “Here is your maidservant, ready to serve and to wash the feet of my lord’s servants.”

⁴⁴ And turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give Me water for My feet, but she wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.

⁴ So He got up from the supper, laid aside His outer garments, and wrapped a towel around His waist. ⁵ After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and dry them with the towel that was around Him. ⁶ He came to Simon Peter, who asked Him, “Lord, are You going to wash my feet?” ⁷ Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” ⁸ “Never shall You wash my feet!” Peter told Him. Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me.” ⁹ “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not only my feet, but my hands and my head as well!” ¹⁰ Jesus told him, “Whoever has already bathed needs only to wash his feet, and he will be completely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.” ¹¹ For He knew who would betray Him. That is why He said, “Not all of you are clean.” ¹² When Jesus had washed their feet and put on His outer garments, He reclined with them again and asked, “Do you know what I have done for you? ¹³ You call Me Teacher and Lord, and rightly so, because I am. ¹⁴ So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.

¹⁰ and well known for good deeds such as bringing up children, entertaining strangers, washing the feet of the saints, imparting relief to the afflicted, and devoting herself to every good work.

¹² I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread.

³ “I will not enter my house or get into my bed, ⁴ I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, ⁵ until I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

²⁹ Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will be stationed in the presence of kings; he will not stand before obscure men.

¹⁰ Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, for in Sheol, where you are going, there is no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.

¹⁴ But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life.”

³¹ Meanwhile the disciples urged Him, “Rabbi, eat something.” ³² But He told them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” ³³ So the disciples asked one another, “Could someone have brought Him food?” ³⁴ Jesus explained, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work.

⁵ Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear and sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. ⁶ And do this not only to please them while they are watching, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. ⁷ Serve with good will, as to the Lord and not to men, ⁸ because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.

² Those who have believing masters should not show disrespect because they are brothers, but should serve them all the more, since those receiving their good service are beloved believers. Teach and encourage these principles.

¹⁶ He treated Abram well on her account, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels.

¹ By now Abraham was old and well along in years, and the LORD had blessed him in every way.

¹¹ After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who lived near Beer-lahai-roi.

¹² Now Isaac sowed seed in the land, and that very year he reaped a hundredfold. And the LORD blessed him, ¹³ and he became richer and richer, until he was exceedingly wealthy. ¹⁴ He owned so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him.

³ and he owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and a very large number of servants. Job was the greatest man of all the people of the East.

¹⁰ After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his prosperity and doubled his former possessions. ¹¹ All his brothers and sisters and prior acquaintances came and dined with him in his house. They consoled him and comforted him over all the adversity that the LORD had brought upon him. And each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring. ¹² So the LORD blessed Job’s latter days more than his first. He owned 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys.

³⁵ You have given me Your shield of salvation; Your right hand upholds me, and Your gentleness exalts me.

³⁸ He blesses them, and they multiply greatly; He does not let their herds diminish.

³ Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.

⁴ The rewards of humility and the fear of the LORD are wealth and honor and life.

²⁹ And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. Abram’s wife was named Sarai, and Nahor’s wife was named Milcah; she was the daughter of Haran, who was the father of both Milcah and Iscah. ³⁰ But Sarai was barren; she had no children.

¹⁵ Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, do not call her Sarai, for her name is to be Sarah. ¹⁶ And I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will descend from her.” ¹⁷ Abraham fell facedown. Then he laughed and said to himself, “Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah give birth at the age of ninety?” ¹⁸ And Abraham said to God, “O that Ishmael might live under Your blessing!” ¹⁹ But God replied, “Your wife Sarah will indeed bear you a son, and you are to name him Isaac. I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.

¹⁰ Then the LORD said, “I will surely return to you at this time next year, and your wife Sarah will have a son!” Now Sarah was behind him, listening at the entrance to the tent. ¹¹ And Abraham and Sarah were already old and well along in years; Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. ¹² So she laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?” ¹³ And the LORD asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Can I really bear a child when I am old?’ ¹⁴ Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you—in about a year—and Sarah will have a son.”

¹ Now the LORD attended to Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what He had promised. ² So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised. ³ And Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore to him. ⁴ When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God had commanded him. ⁵ Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. ⁶ Then Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and everyone who hears of this will laugh with me.” ⁷ She added, “Who would have told Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

¹⁰ and she said to Abraham, “Expel the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac!”

⁵ Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac.

¹⁹ Without weakening in his faith, he acknowledged the decrepitness of his body (since he was about a hundred years old) and the lifelessness of Sarah’s womb.

² So Abraham instructed the chief servant of his household, who managed all he owned, “Place your hand under my thigh, ³ and I will have you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I am dwelling, ⁴ but will go to my country and my kindred to take a wife for my son Isaac.” ⁵ The servant asked him, “What if the woman is unwilling to follow me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the land from which you came?” ⁶ Abraham replied, “Make sure that you do not take my son back there. ⁷ The LORD, the God of heaven, who brought me from my father’s house and my native land, who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give this land’—He will send His angel before you so that you can take a wife for my son from there. ⁸ And if the woman is unwilling to follow you, then you are released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there.” ⁹ So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter.

⁴⁶ Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am weary of my life because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a Hittite wife from among them, what good is my life?”

¹ After these things had been accomplished, the leaders approached me and said, “The people of Israel, including the priests and Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the surrounding peoples whose abominations are like those of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites. ² Indeed, the Israelites have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, so that the holy seed has been mixed with the people of the land. And the leaders and officials have taken the lead in this unfaithfulness!” ³ When I heard this report, I tore my tunic and cloak, pulled out some hair from my head and beard, and sat down in horror.

¹ Then the LORD said to Abram, “Leave your country, your kindred, and your father’s household, and go to the land I will show you.

¹⁹ Now while Laban was out shearing his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household idols.

⁵ The servant asked him, “What if the woman is unwilling to follow me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the land from which you came?”

²² And after he had become the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters.

²⁴ Enoch walked with God, and then he was no more, because God had taken him away.

⁹ This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God.

¹ When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty. Walk before Me and be blameless.

⁷ The LORD, the God of heaven, who brought me from my father’s house and my native land, who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give this land’—He will send His angel before you so that you can take a wife for my son from there.

¹⁵ Then he blessed Joseph and said: “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,

²⁰ Behold, I am sending an angel before you to protect you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.

³ And keep the charge of the LORD your God to walk in His ways and to keep His statutes, commandments, ordinances, and decrees, as is written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you turn,

²³ and said: “O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth below, keeping Your covenant of loving devotion with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts.

³ “Please, O LORD, remember how I have walked before You faithfully and with wholehearted devotion; I have done what was good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

³ He is like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in season, whose leaf does not wither, and who prospers in all he does.

⁸ I have set the LORD always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

¹¹ For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

²⁸ Nebuchadnezzar declared, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him. They violated the king’s command and risked their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.

⁸ And I am John, who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had shown me these things.

¹⁶ “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the bright Morning Star.”

⁸ And if the woman is unwilling to follow you, then you are released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there.”

¹² so that you may enter into the covenant of the LORD your God, which He is making with you today, and into His oath,

¹² “O LORD, God of my master Abraham,” he prayed, “please grant me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. ¹³ Here I am, standing beside the spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. ¹⁴ Now may it happen that the girl to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who responds, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels as well’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. By this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.”

³¹ “Come, you who are blessed by the LORD,” said Laban. “Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.”

³ When his master saw that the LORD was with him and made him prosper in all he did,

²¹ And there by the Ahava Canal I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask Him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions.

¹⁷ May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish for us the work of our hands—yes, establish the work of our hands!

⁷ When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among his attendants. ⁸ He explained what had happened and sent them to Joppa.

²² “Cornelius the centurion has sent us,” they said. “He is a righteous and God-fearing man with a good reputation among the whole Jewish nation. A holy angel instructed him to request your presence in his home so he could hear a message from you.”

²² And from the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man, He made a woman and brought her to him.

³³ The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.

²² He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD.

¹⁰ but with good deeds, as is proper for women who profess to worship God.

² Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.

¹³ Hannah was praying in her heart, and though her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard. So Eli thought she was drunk ¹⁴ and said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Put away your wine!” ¹⁵ “No, my lord,” Hannah replied. “I am a woman oppressed in spirit. I have not had any wine or strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the LORD.

²⁷ For You, O LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, have revealed this to Your servant when You said, ‘I will build a house for you.’ Therefore Your servant has found the courage to offer this prayer to You.

¹⁹ O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For Your sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people bear Your name.”

²³ At the beginning of your petitions, an answer went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are highly precious. So consider the message and understand the vision:

⁷ Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.

²⁴ When the believers heard this, they lifted up their voices to God with one accord. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “You made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them. ²⁵ You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of Your servant, our father David: ‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? ²⁶ The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against His Anointed One.’ ²⁷ In fact, this is the very city where Herod and Pontius Pilate conspired with the Gentiles and the people of Israel against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed. ²⁸ They carried out what Your hand and will had decided beforehand would happen. ²⁹ And now, Lord, consider their threats, and enable Your servants to speak Your word with complete boldness, ³⁰ as You stretch out Your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.” ³¹ After they had prayed, their meeting place was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. ³² The multitude of believers was one in heart and soul. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they owned. ³³ With great power the apostles continued to give their testimony about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And abundant grace was upon them all.

³⁰ Cornelius answered: “Four days ago I was in my house praying at this, the ninth hour. Suddenly a man in radiant clothing stood before me

¹² And when he had realized this, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered together and were praying. ¹³ He knocked at the outer gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer it. ¹⁴ When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that she forgot to open the gate, but ran inside and announced, “Peter is standing at the gate!” ¹⁵ “You are out of your mind,” they told her. But when she kept insisting it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.” ¹⁶ But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astounded. ¹⁷ Peter motioned with his hand for silence, and he described how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. “Send word to James and to the brothers,” he said, and he left for another place.

²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know how we ought to pray, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words.

¹⁸ “Drink, my lord,” she replied, and she quickly lowered her jar to her hands and gave him a drink. ¹⁹ After she had given him a drink, she said, “I will also draw water for your camels, until they have had enough to drink.”

²² And after the camels had finished drinking, he took out a gold ring weighing a beka, and two gold bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels. ²³ “Whose daughter are you?” he asked. “Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?” ²⁴ She replied, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milcah bore to Nahor.”

⁵³ Then he brought out jewels of silver and gold, and articles of clothing, and he gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious gifts to her brother and her mother.

⁹ The daughters of kings are among your honored women; the queen stands at your right hand, adorned with the gold of Ophir.

¹³ All glorious is the princess in her chamber; her gown is embroidered with gold. ¹⁴ In colorful garments she is led to the king; her virgin companions are brought before you.

³ You will be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, a royal diadem in the palm of your God. ⁴ No longer will you be called Forsaken, nor your land named Desolate; but you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be His bride. ⁵ For as a young man marries a young woman, so your sons will marry you; and as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so your God will rejoice over you.

¹⁰ I clothed you in embroidered cloth and gave you sandals of fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk. ¹¹ I adorned you with jewelry, and I put bracelets on your wrists and a chain around your neck. ¹² I put a ring in your nose, earrings on your ears, and a beautiful crown upon your head. ¹³ So you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was made of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour, honey, and oil. You became very beautiful and rose to be queen.

²⁶ to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, ²⁷ and to present her to Himself as a glorious church, without stain or wrinkle or any such blemish, but holy and blameless.

²⁶ Then the man bowed down and worshiped the LORD, ²⁷ saying, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not withheld His kindness and faithfulness from my master. As for me, the LORD has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.”

²⁰ Teach them the statutes and laws, and show them the way to live and the work they must do.

¹⁴ For this God is our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even till death.

⁷ He led them on a straight path to reach a city where they could live.

¹¹ I will guide you in the way of wisdom; I will lead you on straight paths.

¹⁷ Thus says the LORD your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you for your benefit, who directs you in the way you should go.

¹⁷ Please let us pass through your land. We will not cut through any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will stay on the King’s Highway; we will not turn to the right or to the left until we have passed through your territory.”

²⁷ “Let us pass through your land; we will stay on the main road. We will not turn to the right or to the left.

¹⁴ “Our lives for your lives!” the men agreed. “If you do not report our mission, we will show you kindness and faithfulness when the LORD gives us the land.”

³ Never let loving devotion or faithfulness leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.

²⁸ The girl ran and told her mother’s household about these things.

²⁴ But that night God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream and warned him, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.”

²⁹ I have power to do you great harm, but last night the God of your father said to me, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’

²² And Absalom never said a word to Amnon, either good or bad, because he hated Amnon for disgracing his sister Tamar.

²³ This is from the LORD, and it is marvelous in our eyes.

⁴² Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

¹¹ This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

¹⁷ So if God gave them the same gift He gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to hinder the work of God?”

¹⁵ And Abimelech said, “Look, my land is before you. Settle wherever you please.”

¹⁰ But the king replied, “What have I to do with you, O sons of Zeruiah? If he curses me because the LORD told him, ‘Curse David,’ who can ask, ‘Why did you do this?’”

²⁶ Then the man bowed down and worshiped the LORD,

¹ Of David, when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, so that the king drove him away. I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise will always be on my lips. ² My soul boasts in the LORD; let the oppressed hear and rejoice.

²¹ Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving devotion and His wonders to the sons of men. ²² Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and declare His works with rejoicing.

¹ I love the LORD, for He has heard my voice—my appeal for mercy. ² Because He has inclined His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live.

¹¹ On coming to the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.

²⁵ As Peter was about to enter, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet to worship him. ²⁶ But Peter helped him up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.”

¹⁰ Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed with all manner of good things from his master in hand. And he set out for Nahor’s hometown in Aram-naharaim.

²² And after the camels had finished drinking, he took out a gold ring weighing a beka, and two gold bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels.

²² Every woman shall ask her neighbor and any woman staying in her house for silver and gold jewelry and clothing, and you will put them on your sons and daughters. So you will plunder the Egyptians.”

² Now announce to the people that men and women alike should ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold.”

³⁵ Furthermore, the Israelites acted on Moses’ word and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold, and for clothing.

¹³ Concerning Joseph he said: “May his land be blessed by the LORD with the precious dew from heaven above and the deep waters that lie beneath, ¹⁴ with the bountiful harvest from the sun and the abundant yield of the seasons, ¹⁵ with the best of the ancient mountains and the bounty of the everlasting hills, ¹⁶ with the choice gifts of the land and everything in it, and with the favor of Him who dwelt in the burning bush. May these rest on the head of Joseph and crown the brow of the prince of his brothers.

³ Their father had given them many gifts of silver and gold and precious things, as well as the fortified cities in Judah; but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn.

⁶ And all their neighbors supported them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuables, in addition to all their freewill offerings.

¹³ Your branches are an orchard of pomegranates with the choicest of fruits, with henna and nard,

² And Hezekiah welcomed the envoys gladly and showed them what was in his treasure house—the silver, the gold, the spices, and the precious oil, as well as his entire armory—all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his palace or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.

⁵⁹ So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham’s servant and his men.

⁵ So Isaac sent Jacob to Paddan-aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, who was the mother of Jacob and Esau. ⁶ Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him to Paddan-aram to take a wife there, commanding him, “Do not marry a Canaanite woman,”

²⁴ Then Joseph sent his brothers on their way, and as they were leaving, he said to them, “Do not quarrel on the way!”

¹⁹ Then Ahimaaz son of Zadok said, “Please let me run and tell the king the good news that the LORD has avenged him of his enemies.”

²⁷ The watchman said, “The first man appears to me to be running like Ahimaaz son of Zadok.” “This is a good man,” said the king. “He comes with good news.” ²⁸ Then Ahimaaz called out to the king, “All is well!” And he bowed facedown before the king. He continued, “Blessed be the LORD your God! He has delivered up the men who raised their hands against my lord the king.”

¹⁰ Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is unwise of you to ask about this.

³⁸ The man whom the demons had left begged to go with Jesus. But He sent him away, saying, ³⁹ “Return home and describe how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and proclaimed all over the town how much Jesus had done for him.

³ So in the course of time, Cain brought some of the fruit of the soil as an offering to the LORD,

²⁹ If a man sells a house in a walled city, he retains his right of redemption until a full year after its sale; during that year it may be redeemed.

⁸ When Samson returned later to take her, he left the road to see the lion’s carcass, and in it was a swarm of bees, along with their honey.

⁹ Now return quickly to my father and tell him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me without delay. ¹⁰ You shall settle in the land of Goshen and be near me—you and your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and everything you own. ¹¹ And there I will provide for you, because there will be five more years of famine. Otherwise, you and your household and everything you own will come to destitution.’ ¹² Behold! You and my brother Benjamin can see that I, Joseph, am the one speaking with you. ¹³ Tell my father about all my splendor in Egypt and everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.”

⁸ This Book of the Law must not depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in all you do.

²⁵ Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land.

¹⁵ I, even I, have spoken; yes, I have called him. I have brought him, and he will succeed in his mission.

¹⁰ Listen, O daughter! Consider and incline your ear: Forget your people and your father’s house, ¹¹ and the king will desire your beauty; bow to him, for he is your lord.

³⁸ “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it happen to me according to your word.” Then the angel left her.

⁵⁰ Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the LORD; we have no choice in the matter.

⁸ Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel. So Jacob named it Allon-bachuth.

¹² Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth, so that You should tell me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries an infant,’ to the land that You swore to give their fathers?

⁵ As you know, we never used words of flattery or any pretext for greed. God is our witness!

²⁸ God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.”

¹ And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.

¹⁶ And I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will descend from her.”

¹⁷ I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the gates of their enemies.

³ May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, so that you may become a company of peoples.

¹⁵ Then he blessed Joseph and said: “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, ¹⁶ the angel who has redeemed me from all harm—may He bless these boys. And may they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they grow into a multitude upon the earth.”

²⁰ So that day Jacob blessed them and said: “By you shall Israel pronounce this blessing: ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’” So he put Ephraim before Manasseh.

⁴⁶ You may leave them to your sons after you to inherit as property; you can make them slaves for life. But as for your brothers, the Israelites, no man may rule harshly over his brother.

¹⁹ his father and mother are to lay hold of him and bring him to the elders of his city, to the gate of his hometown,

¹¹ “We are witnesses,” said the elders and all the people at the gate. “May the LORD make the woman entering your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you be prosperous in Ephrathah and famous in Bethlehem. ¹² And may your house become like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring the LORD will give you by this young woman.”

¹⁰ A river of fire was flowing, coming out from His presence. Thousands upon thousands attended Him, and myriads upon myriads stood before Him. The court was convened, and the books were opened.

²⁴ For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

³⁴ Now Rachel had taken Laban’s household idols, put them in the saddlebag of her camel, and was sitting on them. And Laban searched everything in the tent but found nothing.

¹⁷ And David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man escaped, except four hundred young men who fled, riding off on camels.

¹⁰ Mordecai wrote in the name of King Xerxes and sealed it with the royal signet ring. He sent the documents by mounted couriers riding on swift horses bred from the royal mares.

¹⁴ The couriers rode out in haste on their royal horses, pressed on by the command of the king. And the edict was also issued in the citadel of Susa.

¹⁰ Listen, O daughter! Consider and incline your ear: Forget your people and your father’s house,

⁹ And Abram journeyed on toward the Negev.

¹⁴ Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi. It is located between Kadesh and Bered.

¹ Now Abraham journeyed from there to the region of the Negev and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he was staying in Gerar,

² But his delight is in the Law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night.

¹¹ I will remember the works of the LORD; yes, I will remember Your wonders of old. ¹² I will reflect on all You have done and ponder Your mighty deeds.

³⁴ May my meditation be pleasing to Him, for I rejoice in the LORD.

¹⁵ I will meditate on Your precepts and regard Your ways.

²⁷ Make clear to me the way of Your precepts; then I will meditate on Your wonders.

⁴⁸ I lift up my hands to Your commandments, which I love, and I meditate on Your statutes.

¹⁷ How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God, how vast is their sum! ¹⁸ If I were to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand; and when I awake, I am still with You.

⁵ I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your works; I consider the work of Your hands. ⁶ I stretch out my hands to You; my soul thirsts for You like a parched land. Selah

⁵ the glorious splendor of Your majesty. And I will meditate on Your wondrous works.

¹⁸ One day Acsah came to Othniel and urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you desire?”

¹⁴ One day Acsah came to Othniel and urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you desire?”

¹⁶ And he said to Sarah, “See, I am giving your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is your vindication before all who are with you; you are completely cleared.”

⁵ And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for it is just as if her head were shaved. ⁶ If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off. And if it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head.

¹⁰ For this reason a woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head, because of the angels.

⁹ Likewise, I want the women to adorn themselves with respectable apparel, with modesty, and with self-control, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes,

³⁰ Meanwhile, the apostles gathered around Jesus and brought Him news of all they had done and taught.

²² And from the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man, He made a woman and brought her to him. ²³ And the man said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for out of man she was taken.” ²⁴ For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

⁶ So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Prepare three seahs of fine flour, knead it, and bake some bread.”

⁹ “Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked. “There, in the tent,” he replied. ¹⁰ Then the LORD said, “I will surely return to you at this time next year, and your wife Sarah will have a son!” Now Sarah was behind him, listening at the entrance to the tent.

¹ Now Sarah lived to be 127 years old. ² She died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went out to mourn and to weep for her.

¹⁸ Since Jacob loved Rachel, he answered, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.”

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 mourning for my son.” So his father wept for him.

¹² After a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had finished mourning, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah.

² I would lead you and bring you to the house of my mother who taught me. I would give you spiced wine to drink, the nectar of my pomegranates.

¹ “Shout for joy, O barren woman, who bears no children; break forth in song and cry aloud, you who have never travailed; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband,” says the LORD. ² “Enlarge the site of your tent, stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, do not hold back. Lengthen your ropes and drive your stakes in deep. ³ For you will spread out to the right and left; your descendants will dispossess the nations and inhabit the desolate cities. ⁴ Do not be afraid, for you will not be put to shame; do not be intimidated, for you will not be humiliated. For you will forget the shame of your youth and will remember no more the reproach of your widowhood. ⁵ For your husband is your Maker—the LORD of Hosts is His name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth.

¹ I hope you will bear with a little of my foolishness, but you are already doing that. ² I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. For I promised you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.

²² Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior. ²⁴ Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. ²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her ²⁶ to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, ²⁷ and to present her to Himself as a glorious church, without stain or wrinkle or any such blemish, but holy and blameless. ²⁸ In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ Indeed, no one ever hated his own body, but he nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church. ³⁰ For we are members of His body. ³¹ “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” ³² This mystery is profound, but I am speaking about Christ and the church. ³³ Nevertheless, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

¹³ Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope.

¹⁵ By the word of the Lord, we declare to you that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep.