²⁵ Jacob had set up his tent in the hill country of Gilead. That’s where Laban caught up with him. Laban and his relatives camped there too. ²⁶ Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done? You have tricked me. You have taken my daughters away like prisoners of war. ²⁷ Why did you run away in secret and trick me? Why didn’t you tell me? Then I could have sent you away happily. We could have sung to the music of tambourines and harps.

⁴³ Laban answered Jacob, “The women are my daughters. The children are my children. The flocks are my flocks. Everything you see is mine. But what can I do today about these daughters of mine? What can I do about the children they’ve had? ⁴⁴ Come now. Let’s make a formal agreement, you and I. Let it be a witness between us.”

⁴⁵ So Jacob set up a stone as a way to remember. ⁴⁶ He said to his relatives, “Get some stones.” So they took stones and put them in a pile. And they ate there by it. ⁴⁷ Laban named the pile of stones Jegar Sahadutha. Jacob named it Galeed.

⁴⁸ Laban said, “This pile of stones is a witness between you and me today.” That’s why it was named Galeed. ⁴⁹ It was also called Mizpah. That’s because Laban said, “May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other. ⁵⁰ Don’t treat my daughters badly. Don’t get married to any women besides my daughters. There isn’t anyone here to see what we’re doing. But remember that God is a witness between you and me.”

Suffering Now and Glory in the Future

¹⁸ What we are suffering now is nothing compared with our future glory. ¹⁹ Everything God created looks forward to the future. That will be the time when his children appear in their full and final glory. ²⁰ The created world was held back from fulfilling its purpose. But this was not the result of its own choice. It was planned that way by the one who held it back. God planned ²¹ to set the created world free. He didn’t want it to rot away. Instead, God wanted it to have the same freedom and glory that his children have.

²² We know that all that God created has been groaning. It is in pain as if it were giving birth to a child. The created world continues to groan even now. ²³ And that’s not all. We have the Holy Spirit as the promise of future blessing. But we also groan inside ourselves. We do this as we look forward to the time when God adopts us as full members of his family. Then he will give us everything he has for us. He will raise our bodies and give glory to them. ²⁴ That’s the hope we had when we were saved. But hope that can be seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? ²⁵ We hope for what we don’t have yet. So we are patient as we wait for it.

Jesus Heals a Dead Girl and a Suffering Woman

⁴⁰ When Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him. They were all expecting him. ⁴¹ Then a man named Jairus came. He was a synagogue leader. He fell at Jesus’ feet and begged Jesus to come to his house. ⁴² His only daughter was dying. She was about 12 years old. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him.

⁴³ A woman was there who had a sickness that made her bleed. Her sickness had lasted for 12 years. No one could heal her. ⁴⁴ She came up behind Jesus and touched the edge of his clothes. Right away her bleeding stopped.

⁴⁵ “Who touched me?” Jesus asked.

Everyone said they didn’t do it. Then Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pushing against you.”

⁴⁶ But Jesus said, “Someone touched me. I know that power has gone out from me.”

⁴⁷ The woman realized that people would notice her. Shaking with fear, she came and fell at his feet. In front of everyone, she told why she had touched him. She also told how she had been healed in an instant. ⁴⁸ Then he said to her, “Dear woman, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”

⁴⁹ While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus. Jairus was the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” the messenger said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.”

⁵⁰ Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just believe. She will be healed.”

⁵¹ When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let everyone go in with him. He took only Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother. ⁵² During this time, all the people were crying and sobbing loudly over the child. “Stop crying!” Jesus said. “She is not dead. She is sleeping.”

⁵³ They laughed at him. They knew she was dead. ⁵⁴ But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!” ⁵⁵ Her spirit returned, and right away she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat.