Genesis 28:10-22

New International Version

Jacob’s Dream at Bethel

¹⁰Jacob left Beersheba^(A) and set out for Harran.^(B) ¹¹When he reached a certain place,^(C) he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head^(D) and lay down to sleep. ¹²He had a dream^(E) in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.^(F) ¹³There above it^[a] stood the Lord,^(G) and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac.^(H) I will give you and your descendants the land^(I) on which you are lying.^(J) ¹⁴Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you^(K) will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south.^(L) All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.^[b]^(M) ¹⁵I am with you^(N) and will watch over you^(O) wherever you go,^(P) and I will bring you back to this land.^(Q) I will not leave you^(R) until I have done what I have promised you.^(S)”^(T)

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

¹⁸Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head^(X) and set it up as a pillar^(Y) and poured oil on top of it.^(Z) ¹⁹He called that place Bethel,^[c]^(AA) though the city used to be called Luz.^(AB)

²⁰Then Jacob made a vow,^(AC) saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me^(AD) on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear^(AE) ²¹so that I return safely^(AF) to my father’s household,^(AG) then the Lord^[d] will be my God^(AH) ²²and^[e] this stone that I have set up as a pillar^(AI) will be God’s house,^(AJ) and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.^(AK)”

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Footnotes

Genesis 28:13 Or There beside him
Genesis 28:14 Or will use your name and the name of your offspring in blessings (see 48:20)
Genesis 28:19 Bethel means house of God.
Genesis 28:21 Or Since God … father’s household, the Lord
Genesis 28:22 Or household, and the Lord will be my God, ²²then

Psalm 68

New International Version

Psalm 68^[a]

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm. A song.

¹May God arise,^(A) may his enemies be scattered;^(B)
    may his foes flee^(C) before him.
²May you blow them away like smoke—^(D)
    as wax melts^(E) before the fire,
    may the wicked perish^(F) before God.
³But may the righteous be glad
    and rejoice^(G) before God;
    may they be happy and joyful.

⁴Sing to God, sing in praise of his name,^(H)
    extol him who rides on the clouds^[b]^(I);
    rejoice before him—his name is the Lord.^(J)
⁵A father to the fatherless,^(K) a defender of widows,^(L)
    is God in his holy dwelling.^(M)
⁶God sets the lonely^(N) in families,^[c]^(O)
    he leads out the prisoners^(P) with singing;
    but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.^(Q)

⁷When you, God, went out^(R) before your people,
    when you marched through the wilderness,^[d]^(S)
⁸the earth shook,^(T) the heavens poured down rain,^(U)
    before God, the One of Sinai,^(V)
    before God, the God of Israel.^(W)
⁹You gave abundant showers,^(X) O God;
    you refreshed your weary inheritance.
¹⁰Your people settled in it,
    and from your bounty,^(Y) God, you provided^(Z) for the poor.

¹¹The Lord announces the word,
    and the women who proclaim it are a mighty throng:^(AA)
¹²“Kings and armies flee^(AB) in haste;
    the women at home divide the plunder.^(AC)
¹³Even while you sleep among the sheep pens,^[e]^(AD)
    the wings of my dove are sheathed with silver,
    its feathers with shining gold.”
¹⁴When the Almighty^[f] scattered^(AE) the kings in the land,
    it was like snow fallen on Mount Zalmon.^(AF)

¹⁵Mount Bashan,^(AG) majestic mountain,^(AH)
    Mount Bashan, rugged mountain,
¹⁶why gaze in envy, you rugged mountain,
    at the mountain where God chooses^(AI) to reign,
    where the Lord himself will dwell forever?^(AJ)
¹⁷The chariots^(AK) of God are tens of thousands
    and thousands of thousands;^(AL)
    the Lord has come from Sinai into his sanctuary.^[g]
¹⁸When you ascended^(AM) on high,^(AN)
    you took many captives;^(AO)
    you received gifts from people,^(AP)
even from^[h] the rebellious^(AQ)—
    that you,^[i] Lord God, might dwell there.

¹⁹Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,^(AR)
    who daily bears our burdens.^(AS)
²⁰Our God is a God who saves;^(AT)
    from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death.^(AU)
²¹Surely God will crush the heads^(AV) of his enemies,
    the hairy crowns of those who go on in their sins.
²²The Lord says, “I will bring them from Bashan;
    I will bring them from the depths of the sea,^(AW)
²³that your feet may wade in the blood of your foes,^(AX)
    while the tongues of your dogs^(AY) have their share.”

²⁴Your procession, God, has come into view,
    the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary.^(AZ)
²⁵In front are the singers,^(BA) after them the musicians;^(BB)
    with them are the young women playing the timbrels.^(BC)
²⁶Praise God in the great congregation;^(BD)
    praise the Lord in the assembly of Israel.^(BE)
²⁷There is the little tribe^(BF) of Benjamin,^(BG) leading them,
    there the great throng of Judah’s princes,
    and there the princes of Zebulun and of Naphtali.^(BH)

²⁸Summon your power,^(BI) God^[j];
    show us your strength,^(BJ) our God, as you have done^(BK) before.
²⁹Because of your temple at Jerusalem
    kings will bring you gifts.^(BL)
³⁰Rebuke the beast^(BM) among the reeds,^(BN)
    the herd of bulls^(BO) among the calves of the nations.
Humbled, may the beast bring bars of silver.
    Scatter the nations^(BP) who delight in war.^(BQ)
³¹Envoys will come from Egypt;^(BR)
    Cush^[k]^(BS) will submit herself to God.

³²Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth,^(BT)
    sing praise^(BU) to the Lord,
³³to him who rides^(BV) across the highest heavens, the ancient heavens,
    who thunders^(BW) with mighty voice.^(BX)
³⁴Proclaim the power^(BY) of God,
    whose majesty^(BZ) is over Israel,
    whose power is in the heavens.
³⁵You, God, are awesome^(CA) in your sanctuary;^(CB)
    the God of Israel gives power and strength^(CC) to his people.^(CD)

Praise be to God!^(CE)

Footnotes

Psalm 68:1 In Hebrew texts 68:1-35 is numbered 68:2-36.
Psalm 68:4 Or name, / prepare the way for him who rides through the deserts
Psalm 68:6 Or the desolate in a homeland
Psalm 68:7 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 19 and 32.
Psalm 68:13 Or the campfires; or the saddlebags
Psalm 68:14 Hebrew Shaddai
Psalm 68:17 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text Lord is among them at Sinai in holiness
Psalm 68:18 Or gifts for people, / even
Psalm 68:18 Or they
Psalm 68:28 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts Your God has summoned power for you
Psalm 68:31 That is, the upper Nile region

Hebrews 11:13-22

New International Version

¹³All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised;^(A) they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance,^(B) admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.^(C) ¹⁴People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. ¹⁵If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return.^(D) ¹⁶Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one.^(E) Therefore God is not ashamed^(F) to be called their God,^(G) for he has prepared a city^(H) for them.

¹⁷By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice.^(I) He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, ¹⁸even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”^[a]^(J) ¹⁹Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead,^(K) and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.

²⁰By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.^(L)

²¹By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons,^(M) and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

²²By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.^(N)

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Footnotes

Hebrews 11:18 Gen. 21:12

John 10:7-17

New International Version

⁷Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am^(A) the gate^(B) for the sheep. ⁸All who have come before me^(C) are thieves and robbers,^(D) but the sheep have not listened to them. ⁹I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.^[a] They will come in and go out, and find pasture. ¹⁰The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life,^(E) and have it to the full.^(F)

¹¹“I am^(G) the good shepherd.^(H) The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.^(I) ¹²The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away.^(J) Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. ¹³The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

¹⁴“I am the good shepherd;^(K) I know my sheep^(L) and my sheep know me— ¹⁵just as the Father knows me and I know the Father^(M)—and I lay down my life for the sheep.^(N) ¹⁶I have other sheep^(O) that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock^(P) and one shepherd.^(Q) ¹⁷The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life^(R)—only to take it up again.