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28 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. Then he commanded him, “You must not marry a Canaanite woman![a] 2 Leave immediately[b] for Paddan Aram! Go to the house of Bethuel, your mother’s father, and find yourself a wife there, among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother. 3 May the Sovereign God[c] bless you! May he make you fruitful and give you a multitude of descendants![d] Then you will become[e] a large nation.[f] 4 May he give you and your descendants the blessing he gave to Abraham[g] so that you may possess the land[h] God gave to Abraham, the land where you have been living as a temporary resident.”[i] 5 So Isaac sent Jacob on his way, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean and brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.
6 Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him off to Paddan Aram to find a wife there.[j] As he blessed him,[k] Isaac commanded him, “You must not marry a Canaanite woman.”[l] 7 Jacob obeyed his father and mother and left for Paddan Aram. 8 Then Esau realized[m] that the Canaanite women[n] were displeasing to[o] his father Isaac. 9 So Esau went to Ishmael and married[p] Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Abraham’s son Ishmael, along with the wives he already had.
Jacob’s Dream at Bethel
10 Meanwhile Jacob left Beer Sheba and set out for Haran. 11 He reached a certain place[q] where he decided to camp because the sun had gone down.[r] He took one of the stones[s] and placed it near his head.[t] Then he fell asleep[u] in that place 12 and had a dream.[v] He saw[w] a stairway[x] erected on the earth with its top reaching to the heavens. The angels of God were going up and coming down it 13 and the Lord stood at its top. He said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of your father Isaac.[y] I will give you and your descendants the ground[z] you are lying on. 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth,[aa] and you will spread out[ab] to the west, east, north, and south. And so all the families of the earth may receive blessings[ac] through you and through your descendants. 15 I am with you![ad] I will protect you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you!”
16 Then Jacob woke up[ae] and thought,[af] “Surely the Lord is in this place, but I did not realize it!” 17 He was afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! This is nothing else than the house of God! This is the gate of heaven!”
18 Early[ag] in the morning Jacob[ah] took the stone he had placed near his head[ai] and set it up as a sacred stone.[aj] Then he poured oil on top of it. 19 He called that place Bethel,[ak] although the former name of the town was Luz. 20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God is with me and protects me on this journey I am taking and gives me food[al] to eat and clothing to wear, 21 and I return safely to my father’s home,[am] then the Lord will become my God. 22 Then this stone[an] that I have set up as a sacred stone will be the house of God, and I will surely[ao] give you back a tenth of everything you give me.”[ap]
The Marriages of Jacob
29 So Jacob moved on[aq] and came to the land of the eastern people.[ar] 2 He saw[as] in the field a well with[at] three flocks of sheep lying beside it, because the flocks were watered from that well. Now[au] a large stone covered the mouth of the well. 3 When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds[av] would roll the stone off the mouth of the well and water the sheep. Then they would put the stone back in its place over the well’s mouth.
4 Jacob asked them, “My brothers, where are you from?” They replied, “We’re from Haran.” 5 So he said to them, “Do you know Laban, the grandson[aw] of Nahor?” “We know him,”[ax] they said. 6 “Is he well?”[ay] Jacob asked. They replied, “He is well.[az] Now look, here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.” 7 Then Jacob[ba] said, “Since it is still the middle of the day,[bb] it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. You should water the sheep and then go and let them graze some more.”[bc] 8 “We can’t,” they said, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone is rolled off the mouth of the well. Then we water[bd] the sheep.”
9 While he was still speaking with them, Rachel arrived with her father’s sheep, for she was tending them.[be] 10 When Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his uncle Laban,[bf] and the sheep of his uncle Laban, he[bg] went over[bh] and rolled the stone off the mouth of the well and watered the sheep of his uncle Laban.[bi] 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep loudly.[bj] 12 When Jacob explained[bk] to Rachel that he was a relative of her father[bl] and the son of Rebekah, she ran and told her father. 13 When Laban heard this news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he rushed out to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house. Jacob[bm] told Laban how he was related to him.[bn] 14 Then Laban said to him, “You are indeed my own flesh and blood.”[bo] So Jacob[bp] stayed with him for a month.[bq]
15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Should you work[br] for me for nothing because you are my relative?[bs] Tell me what your wages should be.” 16 (Now Laban had two daughters;[bt] the older one was named Leah, and the younger one Rachel. 17 Leah’s eyes were tender,[bu] but Rachel had a lovely figure and beautiful appearance.)[bv] 18 Since Jacob had fallen in love with[bw] Rachel, he said, “I’ll serve you seven years in exchange for your younger daughter Rachel.” 19 Laban replied, “I’d rather give her to you than to another man.[bx] Stay with me.” 20 So Jacob worked for seven years to acquire Rachel.[by] But they seemed like only a few days to him[bz] because his love for her was so great.[ca]
21 Finally Jacob said[cb] to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my time of service is up.[cc] And I want to sleep with her.”[cd] 22 So Laban invited all the people[ce] of that place and prepared a feast. 23 In the evening he brought his daughter Leah[cf] to Jacob,[cg] and he slept with her.[ch] 24 (Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.)[ci]
25 In the morning Jacob discovered it was Leah![cj] So Jacob[ck] said to Laban, “What in the world have you done to me?[cl] Didn’t I work for you in exchange for Rachel? Why have you tricked[cm] me?” 26 “It is not our custom here,”[cn] Laban replied, “to give the younger daughter in marriage[co] before the firstborn. 27 Complete my older daughter’s bridal week.[cp] Then we will give you the younger one[cq] too, in exchange for seven more years of work.”[cr]
28 Jacob did as Laban said.[cs] When Jacob[ct] completed Leah’s bridal week,[cu] Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife.[cv] 29 (Laban gave his female servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.)[cw] 30 Jacob[cx] slept with[cy] Rachel as well. He also loved Rachel more than Leah. Then he worked for Laban[cz] for seven more years.
The Family of Jacob
31 When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved,[da] he enabled her to become pregnant[db] while Rachel remained childless. 32 So Leah became pregnant[dc] and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben,[dd] for she said, “The Lord has looked with pity on my oppressed condition.[de] Surely my husband will love me now.”
33 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “Because the Lord heard that I was unloved,[df] he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon.[dg]
34 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “Now this time my husband will show me affection,[dh] because I have given birth to three sons for him.” That is why he was named Levi.[di]
35 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” That is why she named him Judah.[dj] Then she stopped having children.
Restoration and Healing
18 As he was saying these things, a leader[a] came, bowed low before him, and said, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her and she will live.” 19 Jesus and his disciples got up and followed him. 20 But[b] a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage[c] for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge[d] of his cloak.[e] 21 For she kept saying to herself,[f] “If only I touch his cloak, I will be healed.”[g] 22 But when Jesus turned and saw her he said, “Have courage, daughter! Your faith has made you well.”[h] And the woman was healed[i] from that hour. 23 When Jesus entered the leader’s house and saw the flute players[j] and the disorderly crowd, 24 he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but asleep!” And they began making fun of him.[k] 25 But when the crowd had been forced outside,[l] he went in and gently took her by the hand, and the girl got up. 26 And the news of this spread throughout that region.[m]
Healing the Blind and Mute
27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men began to follow[n] him, shouting,[o] “Have mercy[p] on us, Son of David!”[q] 28 When[r] he went into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus[s] said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” 29 Then he touched their eyes saying, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.” 30 And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about this!” 31 But they went out and spread the news about him throughout that entire region.[t]
32 As[u] they were going away,[v] a man who was demon-possessed and unable to speak[w] was brought to him. 33 After the demon was cast out, the man who had been mute began to speak.[x] The crowds were amazed and said, “Never has anything like this been seen in Israel!” 34 But the Pharisees[y] said, “By the ruler[z] of demons he casts out demons!”
Workers for the Harvest
35 Then Jesus went throughout all the towns[aa] and villages, teaching in their synagogues,[ab] preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and sickness.[ac] 36 When[ad] he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were bewildered and helpless,[ae] like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest[af] to send out workers into his harvest-ready fields.”[ag]
Psalm 11[a]
For the music director, by David.
11 In the Lord I have taken shelter.[b]
How can you say to me,[c]
“Flee to a mountain like a bird.[d]
2 For look, the wicked[e] prepare[f] their bows,[g]
they put their arrows on the strings,
to shoot in the darkness[h] at the morally upright.[i]
3 When the foundations[j] are destroyed,
what can the godly[k] accomplish?”[l]
4 The Lord is in his holy temple;[m]
the Lord’s throne is in heaven.[n]
His eyes[o] watch;[p]
his eyes[q] examine[r] all people.[s]
5 The Lord approves of[t] the godly,[u]
but he[v] hates[w] the wicked and those who love to do violence.[x]
6 May he rain down[y] burning coals[z] and brimstone[aa] on the wicked!
A whirlwind is what they deserve.[ab]
7 Certainly[ac] the Lord is just;[ad]
he rewards godly deeds.[ae]
The upright will experience his favor.[af]
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