The Call of Abram

12 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household(A) to the land(B) I will show you.(C)

“I will make you into a great nation,(D)
    and I will bless you;(E)
I will make your name great,
    and you will be a blessing.[a](F)
I will bless those who bless you,
    and whoever curses you I will curse;(G)
and all peoples on earth
    will be blessed through you.(H)[b]

So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot(I) went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old(J) when he set out from Harran.(K) He took his wife Sarai,(L) his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated(M) and the people(N) they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan,(O) and they arrived there.

Abram traveled through the land(P) as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh(Q) at Shechem.(R) At that time the Canaanites(S) were in the land. The Lord appeared to Abram(T) and said, “To your offspring[c] I will give this land.(U)(V) So he built an altar there to the Lord,(W) who had appeared to him.

From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel(X) and pitched his tent,(Y) with Bethel on the west and Ai(Z) on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.(AA)

Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.(AB)

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 12:2 Or be seen as blessed
  2. Genesis 12:3 Or earth / will use your name in blessings (see 48:20)
  3. Genesis 12:7 Or seed

12 Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.

And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.

And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him.

And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the name of the Lord.

And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.

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Psalm 33

Sing joyfully(A) to the Lord, you righteous;
    it is fitting(B) for the upright(C) to praise him.
Praise the Lord with the harp;(D)
    make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.(E)
Sing to him a new song;(F)
    play skillfully, and shout for joy.(G)

For the word of the Lord is right(H) and true;(I)
    he is faithful(J) in all he does.
The Lord loves righteousness and justice;(K)
    the earth is full of his unfailing love.(L)

By the word(M) of the Lord the heavens were made,(N)
    their starry host(O) by the breath of his mouth.
He gathers the waters(P) of the sea into jars[a];(Q)
    he puts the deep into storehouses.
Let all the earth fear the Lord;(R)
    let all the people of the world(S) revere him.(T)
For he spoke, and it came to be;
    he commanded,(U) and it stood firm.

10 The Lord foils(V) the plans(W) of the nations;(X)
    he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
11 But the plans of the Lord stand firm(Y) forever,
    the purposes(Z) of his heart through all generations.

12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,(AA)
    the people he chose(AB) for his inheritance.(AC)

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 33:7 Or sea as into a heap

33 Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.

Praise the Lord with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.

Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.

For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth.

He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.

He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses.

Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.

10 The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect.

11 The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.

12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.

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15 Then I will return to my lair(A)
    until they have borne their guilt(B)
    and seek my face(C)
in their misery(D)
    they will earnestly seek me.(E)

Israel Unrepentant

“Come, let us return(F) to the Lord.
He has torn us to pieces(G)
    but he will heal us;(H)
he has injured us
    but he will bind up our wounds.(I)
After two days he will revive us;(J)
    on the third day(K) he will restore(L) us,
    that we may live in his presence.
Let us acknowledge the Lord;
    let us press on to acknowledge him.
As surely as the sun rises,
    he will appear;
he will come to us like the winter rains,(M)
    like the spring rains that water the earth.(N)

“What can I do with you, Ephraim?(O)
    What can I do with you, Judah?
Your love is like the morning mist,
    like the early dew that disappears.(P)
Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets,
    I killed you with the words of my mouth(Q)
    then my judgments go forth like the sun.[a](R)
For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,(S)
    and acknowledgment(T) of God rather than burnt offerings.(U)

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 6:5 The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.

15 I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.

Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.

After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.

Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.

O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away.

Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth: and thy judgments are as the light that goeth forth.

For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

“Listen, my people, and I will speak;
    I will testify(A) against you, Israel:
    I am God, your God.(B)
I bring no charges(C) against you concerning your sacrifices
    or concerning your burnt offerings,(D) which are ever before me.
I have no need of a bull(E) from your stall
    or of goats(F) from your pens,(G)
10 for every animal of the forest(H) is mine,
    and the cattle on a thousand hills.(I)
11 I know every bird(J) in the mountains,
    and the insects in the fields(K) are mine.
12 If I were hungry I would not tell you,
    for the world(L) is mine, and all that is in it.(M)
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls
    or drink the blood of goats?

14 “Sacrifice thank offerings(N) to God,
    fulfill your vows(O) to the Most High,(P)
15 and call(Q) on me in the day of trouble;(R)
    I will deliver(S) you, and you will honor(T) me.”

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Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify against thee: I am God, even thy God.

I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt offerings, to have been continually before me.

I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy folds.

10 For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.

11 I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine.

12 If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.

13 Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?

14 Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High:

15 And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

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13 It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise(A) that he would be heir of the world,(B) but through the righteousness that comes by faith.(C) 14 For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless,(D) 15 because the law brings wrath.(E) And where there is no law there is no transgression.(F)

16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace(G) and may be guaranteed(H) to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.(I) 17 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.”[a](J) He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life(K) to the dead and calls(L) into being things that were not.(M)

18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations,(N) just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”[b](O) 19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead(P)—since he was about a hundred years old(Q)—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.(R) 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened(S) in his faith and gave glory to God,(T) 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.(U) 22 This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.”(V) 23 The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, 24 but also for us,(W) to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him(X) who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.(Y) 25 He was delivered over to death for our sins(Z) and was raised to life for our justification.(AA)

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 4:17 Gen. 17:5
  2. Romans 4:18 Gen. 15:5

13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

14 For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:

15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.

16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.

19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb:

20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;

24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;

25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

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The Calling of Matthew(A)

As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,”(B) he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”(C)

12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’[a](D) For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”(E)

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 9:13 Hosea 6:6

And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.

10 And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.

11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?

12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.

13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

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Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman(A)

18 While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him(B) and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her,(C) and she will live.” 19 Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.

20 Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak.(D) 21 She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”

22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart,(E) daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.”(F) And the woman was healed at that moment.(G)

23 When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes,(H) 24 he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead(I) but asleep.”(J) But they laughed at him. 25 After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up.(K) 26 News of this spread through all that region.(L)

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18 While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.

19 And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples.

20 And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:

21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.

22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.

23 And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise,

24 He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.

25 But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.

26 And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land.

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