Repent or Perish

13 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate^(A) had mixed with their sacrifices. ² Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way?^{(B) 3} I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. ⁴ Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam^(C) fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? ⁵ I tell you, no! But unless you repent,^(D) you too will all perish.”

⁶ Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any.^{(E) 7} So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down!^(F) Why should it use up the soil?’

⁸ “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. ⁹ If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”

Jesus Heals a Crippled Woman on the Sabbath

¹⁰ On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues,^{(G) 11} and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years.^(H) She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. ¹² When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” ¹³ Then he put his hands on her,^(I) and immediately she straightened up and praised God.

¹⁴ Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath,^(J) the synagogue leader^(K) said to the people, “There are six days for work.^(L) So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.”

¹⁵ The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water?^{(M) 16} Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham,^(N) whom Satan^(O) has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”

¹⁷ When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated,^(P) but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.

The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast^(Q)(R)

¹⁸ Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God^(S) like?^(T) What shall I compare it to? ¹⁹ It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree,^(U) and the birds perched in its branches.”^(V)

²⁰ Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? ²¹ It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds^[a] of flour until it worked all through the dough.”^(W)

The Narrow Door

²² Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem.^{(X) 23} Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?”

He said to them, ²⁴ “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door,^(Y) because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. ²⁵ Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’

“But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’^(Z)

²⁶ “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’

²⁷ “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’^(AA)

²⁸ “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth,^(AB) when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. ²⁹ People will come from east and west^(AC) and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. ³⁰ Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”^(AD)

Jesus’ Sorrow for Jerusalem^(AE)(AF)

³¹ At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod^(AG) wants to kill you.”

³² He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’^{(AH) 33} In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet^(AI) can die outside Jerusalem!

³⁴ “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings,^(AJ) and you were not willing. ³⁵ Look, your house is left to you desolate.^(AK) I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’^[b]”^(AL)

The Death of Abraham^(A)

25 Abraham had taken another wife, whose name was Keturah. ² She bore him Zimran,^(B) Jokshan, Medan, Midian,^(C) Ishbak and Shuah.^{(D) 3} Jokshan was the father of Sheba^(E) and Dedan;^(F) the descendants of Dedan were the Ashurites, the Letushites and the Leummites. ⁴ The sons of Midian were Ephah,^(G) Epher, Hanok, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah.

⁵ Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac.^{(H) 6} But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines^(I) and sent them away from his son Isaac^(J) to the land of the east.^(K)

⁷ Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years.^{(L) 8} Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age,^(M) an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people.^{(N) 9} His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him^(O) in the cave of Machpelah^(P) near Mamre,^(Q) in the field of Ephron^(R) son of Zohar the Hittite,^{(S) 10} the field Abraham had bought from the Hittites.^[a](T) There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. ¹¹ After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac,^(U) who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi.^(V)

Ishmael’s Sons^(W)

¹² This is the account^(X) of the family line of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom Sarah’s slave, Hagar^(Y) the Egyptian, bore to Abraham.^(Z)

¹³ These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth^(AA) the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar,^(AB) Adbeel, Mibsam, ¹⁴ Mishma, Dumah,^(AC) Massa, ¹⁵ Hadad, Tema,^(AD) Jetur,^(AE) Naphish and Kedemah. ¹⁶ These were the sons of Ishmael, and these are the names of the twelve tribal rulers^(AF) according to their settlements and camps.^{(AG) 17} Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. He breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people.^{(AH) 18} His descendants^(AI) settled in the area from Havilah to Shur,^(AJ) near the eastern border of Egypt, as you go toward Ashur. And they lived in hostility toward^[b] all the tribes related to them.^(AK)

Jacob and Esau

¹⁹ This is the account^(AL) of the family line of Abraham’s son Isaac.

Abraham became the father of Isaac, ²⁰ and Isaac was forty years old^(AM) when he married Rebekah^(AN) daughter of Bethuel^(AO) the Aramean from Paddan Aram^[c](AP) and sister of Laban^(AQ) the Aramean.^(AR)

²¹ Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless.^(AS) The Lord answered his prayer,^(AT) and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. ²² The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.^(AU)

²³ The Lord said to her,

²⁴ When the time came for her to give birth,^(AX) there were twin boys in her womb.^{(AY) 25} The first to come out was red,^(AZ) and his whole body was like a hairy garment;^(BA) so they named him Esau.^{[d](BB) 26} After this, his brother came out,^(BC) with his hand grasping Esau’s heel;^(BD) so he was named Jacob.^[e](BE) Isaac was sixty years old^(BF) when Rebekah gave birth to them.

²⁷ The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter,^(BG) a man of the open country,^(BH) while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. ²⁸ Isaac, who had a taste for wild game,^(BI) loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.^(BJ)

²⁹ Once when Jacob was cooking some stew,^(BK) Esau came in from the open country,^(BL) famished. ³⁰ He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew!^(BM) I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.^[f])^(BN)

³¹ Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.^(BO)”

³² “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”

³³ But Jacob said, “Swear^(BP) to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright^(BQ) to Jacob.

³⁴ Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew.^(BR) He ate and drank, and then got up and left.

So Esau despised his birthright.

Isaac and Abimelek^(BS)

26 Now there was a famine in the land^(BT)—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines^(BU) in Gerar.^{(BV) 2} The Lord appeared^(BW) to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt;^(BX) live in the land where I tell you to live.^{(BY) 3} Stay in this land for a while,^(BZ) and I will be with you^(CA) and will bless you.^(CB) For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands^(CC) and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham.^{(CD) 4} I will make your descendants^(CE) as numerous as the stars in the sky^(CF) and will give them all these lands,^(CG) and through your offspring^[g] all nations on earth will be blessed,^{[h](CH) 5} because Abraham obeyed me^(CI) and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees^(CJ) and my instructions.^(CK)” ⁶ So Isaac stayed in Gerar.^(CL)

⁷ When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,^(CM)” because he was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful.”

⁸ When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelek king of the Philistines^(CN) looked down from a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. ⁹ So Abimelek summoned Isaac and said, “She is really your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?^(CO)”

Isaac answered him, “Because I thought I might lose my life on account of her.”

¹⁰ Then Abimelek said, “What is this you have done to us?^(CP) One of the men might well have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.”

¹¹ So Abimelek gave orders to all the people: “Anyone who harms^(CQ) this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”^(CR)

¹² Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold,^(CS) because the Lord blessed him.^{(CT) 13} The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy.^{(CU) 14} He had so many flocks and herds and servants^(CV) that the Philistines envied him.^{(CW) 15} So all the wells^(CX) that his father’s servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up,^(CY) filling them with earth.

¹⁶ Then Abimelek said to Isaac, “Move away from us;^(CZ) you have become too powerful for us.^(DA)”

¹⁷ So Isaac moved away from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar,^(DB) where he settled. ¹⁸ Isaac reopened the wells^(DC) that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them.

¹⁹ Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there. ²⁰ But the herders of Gerar quarreled^(DD) with those of Isaac and said, “The water is ours!”^(DE) So he named the well Esek,^[i] because they disputed with him. ²¹ Then they dug another well, but they quarreled^(DF) over that one also; so he named it Sitnah.^{[j] 22} He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth,^[k](DG) saying, “Now the Lord has given us room^(DH) and we will flourish^(DI) in the land.”

²³ From there he went up to Beersheba.^{(DJ) 24} That night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham.^(DK) Do not be afraid,^(DL) for I am with you;^(DM) I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants^(DN) for the sake of my servant Abraham.”^(DO)

²⁵ Isaac built an altar^(DP) there and called on the name of the Lord.^(DQ) There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well.^(DR)

²⁶ Meanwhile, Abimelek had come to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces.^{(DS) 27} Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?^(DT)”

²⁸ They answered, “We saw clearly that the Lord was with you;^(DU) so we said, ‘There ought to be a sworn agreement between us’—between us and you. Let us make a treaty^(DV) with you ²⁹ that you will do us no harm,^(DW) just as we did not harm you but always treated you well and sent you away peacefully. And now you are blessed by the Lord.”^(DX)

³⁰ Isaac then made a feast^(DY) for them, and they ate and drank. ³¹ Early the next morning the men swore an oath^(DZ) to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they went away peacefully.

³² That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well^(EA) they had dug. They said, “We’ve found water!” ³³ He called it Shibah,^[l] and to this day the name of the town has been Beersheba.^[m](EB)

Jacob Takes Esau’s Blessing

³⁴ When Esau was forty years old,^(EC) he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.^{(ED) 35} They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.^(EE)