Jacob Goes to Egypt

46 So Israel^(A) set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba,^(B) he offered sacrifices^(C) to the God of his father Isaac.^(D)

² And God spoke to Israel^(E) in a vision at night^(F) and said, “Jacob! Jacob!”

“Here I am,”^(G) he replied.

³ “I am God, the God of your father,”^(H) he said. “Do not be afraid^(I) to go down to Egypt,^(J) for I will make you into a great nation^(K) there.^{(L) 4} I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again.^(M) And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.^(N)”

⁵ Then Jacob left Beersheba,^(O) and Israel’s^(P) sons took their father Jacob and their children and their wives in the carts^(Q) that Pharaoh had sent to transport him. ⁶ So Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt,^(R) taking with them their livestock and the possessions^(S) they had acquired^(T) in Canaan. ⁷ Jacob brought with him to Egypt^(U) his sons and grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters—all his offspring.^(V)

⁸ These are the names of the sons of Israel^(W) (Jacob and his descendants) who went to Egypt:

Jonathan Attacks the Philistines

²³ Now a detachment of Philistines had gone out to the pass^(A) at Mikmash.^(B) 14 ¹ One day Jonathan son of Saul said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side.” But he did not tell his father.

² Saul was staying^(C) on the outskirts of Gibeah^(D) under a pomegranate tree^(E) in Migron.^(F) With him were about six hundred men, ³ among whom was Ahijah, who was wearing an ephod. He was a son of Ichabod’s^(G) brother Ahitub^(H) son of Phinehas, the son of Eli,^(I) the Lord’s priest in Shiloh.^(J) No one was aware that Jonathan had left.

⁴ On each side of the pass^(K) that Jonathan intended to cross to reach the Philistine outpost was a cliff; one was called Bozez and the other Seneh. ⁵ One cliff stood to the north toward Mikmash, the other to the south toward Geba.^(L)

⁶ Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised^(M) men. Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing^(N) can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many^(O) or by few.^(P)”

⁷ “Do all that you have in mind,” his armor-bearer said. “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.”

⁸ Jonathan said, “Come on, then; we will cross over toward them and let them see us. ⁹ If they say to us, ‘Wait there until we come to you,’ we will stay where we are and not go up to them. ¹⁰ But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ we will climb up, because that will be our sign^(Q) that the Lord has given them into our hands.^(R)”

¹¹ So both of them showed themselves to the Philistine outpost. “Look!” said the Philistines. “The Hebrews^(S) are crawling out of the holes they were hiding^(T) in.” ¹² The men of the outpost shouted to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, “Come up to us and we’ll teach you a lesson.^(U)”

So Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Climb up after me; the Lord has given them into the hand^(V) of Israel.”

¹³ Jonathan climbed up, using his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer right behind him. The Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer followed and killed behind him. ¹⁴ In that first attack Jonathan and his armor-bearer killed some twenty men in an area of about half an acre.

Israel Routs the Philistines

¹⁵ Then panic^(W) struck the whole army—those in the camp and field, and those in the outposts and raiding^(X) parties—and the ground shook. It was a panic sent by God.^[a]

¹⁶ Saul’s lookouts^(Y) at Gibeah in Benjamin saw the army melting away in all directions. ¹⁷ Then Saul said to the men who were with him, “Muster the forces and see who has left us.” When they did, it was Jonathan and his armor-bearer who were not there.

¹⁸ Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring^(Z) the ark^(AA) of God.” (At that time it was with the Israelites.)^{[b] 19} While Saul was talking to the priest, the tumult in the Philistine camp increased more and more. So Saul said to the priest,^(AB) “Withdraw your hand.”

²⁰ Then Saul and all his men assembled and went to the battle. They found the Philistines in total confusion, striking^(AC) each other with their swords. ²¹ Those Hebrews who had previously been with the Philistines and had gone up with them to their camp went^(AD) over to the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. ²² When all the Israelites who had hidden^(AE) in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were on the run, they joined the battle in hot pursuit. ²³ So on that day the Lord saved^(AF) Israel, and the battle moved on beyond Beth Aven.^(AG)

1 The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathoth^(A) in the territory of Benjamin. ² The word of the Lord came^(B) to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah^(C) son of Amon king of Judah, ³ and through the reign of Jehoiakim^(D) son of Josiah king of Judah, down to the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah^(E) son of Josiah king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.^(F)

The Call of Jeremiah

⁴ The word of the Lord came to me, saying,

⁶ “Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak;^(L) I am too young.”^(M)

⁷ But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. ⁸ Do not be afraid^(N) of them, for I am with you^(O) and will rescue^(P) you,” declares the Lord.^(Q)

⁹ Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched^(R) my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth.^{(S) 10} See, today I appoint you over nations^(T) and kingdoms to uproot^(U) and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”^(V)

¹¹ The word of the Lord came to me: “What do you see, Jeremiah?”^(W)

“I see the branch of an almond tree,” I replied.

¹² The Lord said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching^[b](X) to see that my word is fulfilled.”

¹³ The word of the Lord came to me again: “What do you see?”^(Y)

“I see a pot that is boiling,” I answered. “It is tilting toward us from the north.”

¹⁴ The Lord said to me, “From the north^(Z) disaster will be poured out on all who live in the land. ¹⁵ I am about to summon all the peoples of the northern kingdoms,” declares the Lord.

¹⁷ “Get yourself ready! Stand up and say^(AH) to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified^(AI) by them, or I will terrify you before them. ¹⁸ Today I have made you^(AJ) a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. ¹⁹ They will fight against you but will not overcome^(AK) you, for I am with you^(AL) and will rescue^(AM) you,” declares the Lord.

Psalm 9^[a][b]

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Death of the Son.” A psalm of David.

The Sheep and the Goats

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes^(A) in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.^{(B) 32} All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate^(C) the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.^{(D) 33} He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom^(E) prepared for you since the creation of the world.^{(F) 35} For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,^{(G) 36} I needed clothes and you clothed me,^(H) I was sick and you looked after me,^(I) I was in prison and you came to visit me.’^(J)

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?

Paul Ashore on Malta

28 Once safely on shore, we^(A) found out that the island^(B) was called Malta. ² The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. ³ Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. ⁴ When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand,^(C) they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.”^{(D) 5} But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects.^{(E) 6} The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.^(F)

⁷ There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and showed us generous hospitality for three days. ⁸ His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer,^(G) placed his hands on him^(H) and healed him.^{(I) 9} When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured. ¹⁰ They honored us^(J) in many ways; and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed.

Paul’s Arrival at Rome

¹¹ After three months we put out to sea in a ship that had wintered in the island—it was an Alexandrian ship^(K) with the figurehead of the twin gods Castor and Pollux. ¹² We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days. ¹³ From there we set sail and arrived at Rhegium. The next day the south wind came up, and on the following day we reached Puteoli. ¹⁴ There we found some brothers and sisters^(L) who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome. ¹⁵ The brothers and sisters^(M) there had heard that we were coming, and they traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. At the sight of these people Paul thanked God and was encouraged. ¹⁶ When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him.^(N)