Jacob Meets Esau

33 Jacob looked up and there was Esau, coming with his four hundred men;^(A) so he divided the children among Leah, Rachel and the two female servants.^{(B) 2} He put the female servants and their children^(C) in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph^(D) in the rear. ³ He himself went on ahead and bowed down to the ground^(E) seven times^(F) as he approached his brother.

⁴ But Esau^(G) ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him.^(H) And they wept.^{(I) 5} Then Esau looked up and saw the women and children. “Who are these with you?” he asked.

Jacob answered, “They are the children God has graciously given your servant.^(J)”

⁶ Then the female servants and their children^(K) approached and bowed down.^{(L) 7} Next, Leah and her children^(M) came and bowed down.^(N) Last of all came Joseph and Rachel,^(O) and they too bowed down.

⁸ Esau asked, “What’s the meaning of all these flocks and herds I met?”^(P)

“To find favor in your eyes, my lord,”^(Q) he said.

⁹ But Esau said, “I already have plenty,^(R) my brother. Keep what you have for yourself.”

¹⁰ “No, please!” said Jacob. “If I have found favor in your eyes,^(S) accept this gift^(T) from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of God,^(U) now that you have received me favorably.^{(V) 11} Please accept the present^(W) that was brought to you, for God has been gracious to me^(X) and I have all I need.”^(Y) And because Jacob insisted,^(Z) Esau accepted it.

¹² Then Esau said, “Let us be on our way; I’ll accompany you.”

¹³ But Jacob said to him, “My lord^(AA) knows that the children are tender and that I must care for the ewes and cows that are nursing their young.^(AB) If they are driven hard just one day, all the animals will die. ¹⁴ So let my lord go on ahead of his servant, while I move along slowly at the pace of the flocks and herds^(AC) before me and the pace of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir.^(AD)”

¹⁵ Esau said, “Then let me leave some of my men with you.”

“But why do that?” Jacob asked. “Just let me find favor in the eyes of my lord.”^(AE)

¹⁶ So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir.^{(AF) 17} Jacob, however, went to Sukkoth,^(AG) where he built a place for himself and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place is called Sukkoth.^[a]

¹⁸ After Jacob came from Paddan Aram,^[b](AH) he arrived safely at the city of Shechem^(AI) in Canaan and camped within sight of the city. ¹⁹ For a hundred pieces of silver,^[c] he bought from the sons of Hamor,^(AJ) the father of Shechem,^(AK) the plot of ground^(AL) where he pitched his tent.^{(AM) 20} There he set up an altar^(AN) and called it El Elohe Israel.^[d]

Dinah and the Shechemites

34 Now Dinah,^(AO) the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land. ² When Shechem^(AP) son of Hamor^(AQ) the Hivite,^(AR) the ruler of that area, saw her, he took her and raped her.^{(AS) 3} His heart was drawn to Dinah^(AT) daughter of Jacob;^(AU) he loved^(AV) the young woman and spoke tenderly^(AW) to her. ⁴ And Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Get me this girl as my wife.”^(AX)

⁵ When Jacob heard that his daughter Dinah had been defiled,^(AY) his sons were in the fields with his livestock; so he did nothing about it until they came home.

⁶ Then Shechem’s father Hamor went out to talk with Jacob.^{(AZ) 7} Meanwhile, Jacob’s sons had come in from the fields as soon as they heard what had happened. They were shocked^(BA) and furious,^(BB) because Shechem had done an outrageous thing in^[e] Israel^(BC) by sleeping with Jacob’s daughter—a thing that should not be done.^(BD)

⁸ But Hamor said to them, “My son Shechem has his heart set on your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife.^{(BE) 9} Intermarry with us; give us your daughters and take our daughters for yourselves.^{(BF) 10} You can settle among us;^(BG) the land is open to you.^(BH) Live in it, trade^[f] in it,^(BI) and acquire property in it.^(BJ)”

¹¹ Then Shechem said to Dinah’s father and brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes,^(BK) and I will give you whatever you ask. ¹² Make the price for the bride^(BL) and the gift I am to bring as great as you like, and I’ll pay whatever you ask me. Only give me the young woman as my wife.”

¹³ Because their sister Dinah had been defiled,^(BM) Jacob’s sons replied deceitfully^(BN) as they spoke to Shechem and his father Hamor. ¹⁴ They said to them, “We can’t do such a thing; we can’t give our sister to a man who is not circumcised.^(BO) That would be a disgrace to us. ¹⁵ We will enter into an agreement with you on one condition^(BP) only: that you become like us by circumcising all your males.^{(BQ) 16} Then we will give you our daughters and take your daughters for ourselves.^(BR) We’ll settle among you and become one people with you.^{(BS) 17} But if you will not agree to be circumcised, we’ll take our sister and go.”

¹⁸ Their proposal seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem. ¹⁹ The young man, who was the most honored^(BT) of all his father’s family, lost no time in doing what they said, because he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter.^{(BU) 20} So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city^(BV) to speak to the men of their city. ²¹ “These men are friendly toward us,” they said. “Let them live in our land and trade in it;^(BW) the land has plenty of room for them. We can marry their daughters and they can marry ours.^{(BX) 22} But the men will agree to live with us as one people only on the condition that our males be circumcised,^(BY) as they themselves are. ²³ Won’t their livestock, their property and all their other animals become ours?^(BZ) So let us agree to their terms, and they will settle among us.^(CA)”

²⁴ All the men who went out of the city gate^(CB) agreed with Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male in the city was circumcised.

²⁵ Three days later, while all of them were still in pain,^(CC) two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon^(CD) and Levi,^(CE) Dinah’s brothers, took their swords^(CF) and attacked the unsuspecting city,^(CG) killing every male.^{(CH) 26} They put Hamor and his son Shechem to the sword^(CI) and took Dinah^(CJ) from Shechem’s house and left. ²⁷ The sons of Jacob came upon the dead bodies and looted the city^(CK) where^[g] their sister had been defiled.^{(CL) 28} They seized their flocks and herds and donkeys^(CM) and everything else of theirs in the city and out in the fields.^{(CN) 29} They carried off all their wealth and all their women and children,^(CO) taking as plunder^(CP) everything in the houses.^(CQ)

³⁰ Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble^(CR) on me by making me obnoxious^(CS) to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land.^(CT) We are few in number,^(CU) and if they join forces against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.”

³¹ But they replied, “Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?^(CV)”

Psalm 13^[a]

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

The Parable of the Sower^(A)(B)(C)

13 That same day Jesus went out of the house^(D) and sat by the lake. ² Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat^(E) and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. ³ Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴ As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred,^(F) sixty or thirty times what was sown. ⁹ Whoever has ears, let them hear.”^(G)

¹⁰ The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

¹¹ He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven^(H) has been given to you,^(I) but not to them. ¹² Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.^{(J) 13} This is why I speak to them in parables:

¹⁴ In them is fulfilled^(L) the prophecy of Isaiah:

¹⁶ But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.^{(N) 17} For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see^(O) but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

¹⁸ “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: ¹⁹ When anyone hears the message about the kingdom^(P) and does not understand it, the evil one^(Q) comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. ²⁰ The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. ²¹ But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.^{(R) 22} The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth^(S) choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²³ But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”^(T)

The Parable of the Weeds

²⁴ Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like^(U) a man who sowed good seed in his field. ²⁵ But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. ²⁶ When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

²⁷ “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

²⁸ “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

²⁹ “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”^(V)

The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast^(W)(X)

³¹ He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like^(Y) a mustard seed,^(Z) which a man took and planted in his field. ³² Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”^(AA)

³³ He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like^(AB) yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds^[b] of flour^(AC) until it worked all through the dough.”^(AD)

³⁴ Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable.^{(AE) 35} So was fulfilled^(AF) what was spoken through the prophet:

The Parable of the Weeds Explained

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

³⁷ He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man.^{(AI) 38} The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one,^{(AJ) 39} and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest^(AK) is the end of the age,^(AL) and the harvesters are angels.^(AM)

⁴⁰ “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. ⁴¹ The Son of Man^(AN) will send out his angels,^(AO) and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. ⁴² They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.^{(AP) 43} Then the righteous will shine like the sun^(AQ) in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.^(AR)

The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl

⁴⁴ “The kingdom of heaven is like^(AS) treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.^(AT)

⁴⁵ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like^(AU) a merchant looking for fine pearls. ⁴⁶ When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

The Parable of the Net

⁴⁷ “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like^(AV) a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds^(AW) of fish. ⁴⁸ When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. ⁴⁹ This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous^{(AX) 50} and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.^(AY)

⁵¹ “Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked.

“Yes,” they replied.

⁵² He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”

A Prophet Without Honor^(AZ)

⁵³ When Jesus had finished these parables,^(BA) he moved on from there. ⁵⁴ Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue,^(BB) and they were amazed.^(BC) “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked. ⁵⁵ “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?^(BD) Isn’t his mother’s^(BE) name Mary, and aren’t his brothers^(BF) James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? ⁵⁶ Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” ⁵⁷ And they took offense^(BG) at him.

But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home.”^(BH)

⁵⁸ And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.