Abraham’s Second Marriage and His Death^(A)

25 Abraham married again, and his wife’s name was Keturah. ² Keturah gave birth to these sons of Abraham: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. ³ Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan. Dedan’s descendants were the Assyrians, the Letushites, and the Leummites. ⁴ The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. These were the descendants of Keturah.

⁵ Abraham left everything he had to Isaac. ⁶ But while he was still living, Abraham had given gifts to the sons of his concubines.^[a] He sent them away from his son Isaac to a land in the east.

⁷ Abraham lived 175 years. ⁸ Then he took his last breath, and died at a very old age. After a long and full life, he joined his ancestors in death. ⁹ His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah in the field of Ephron, son of Zohar the Hittite. The cave is east of Mamre. ¹⁰ This was the field that Abraham had bought from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. ¹¹ After Abraham died, Elohim blessed his son Isaac, who settled near Beer Lahai Roi.

The 12 Tribes of Ishmael^(B)

¹² This is the account of the descendants of Abraham’s son Ishmael. He was the son of Sarah’s Egyptian slave Hagar and Abraham. ¹³ These are the names of the sons of Ishmael listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth (Ishmael’s firstborn), Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, ¹⁴ Mishma, Dumah, Massa, ¹⁵ Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. ¹⁶ These are the sons of Ishmael and their names listed by their settlements and camps—12 leaders of their tribes.

¹⁷ Ishmael lived 137 years. Then he took his last breath and died. He joined his ancestors in death. ¹⁸ His descendants lived as nomads from the region of Havilah to Shur, which is near Egypt, in the direction of Assyria. They all fought with each other.

Esau and Jacob

¹⁹ This is the account of Abraham’s son Isaac and his descendants. Abraham was the father of Isaac. ²⁰ Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean. ²¹ Isaac prayed to Yahweh for his wife because she was childless. Yahweh answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. ²² When the children inside her were struggling with each other, she said, “If it’s like this now, what will become of me?”^[b] So she went to ask Yahweh.

²³ Yahweh said to her,

²⁴ When the time came for her to give birth, she had twins. ²⁵ The first one born was red. His whole body was covered with hair, so they named him Esau [Hairy]. ²⁶ Afterwards, his brother was born with his hand holding on to Esau’s heel, and so he was named Jacob [Heel]. Isaac was 60 years old when they were born.

²⁷ They grew up. Esau became an expert hunter, an outdoorsman. Jacob remained a quiet man, staying around the tents. ²⁸ Because Isaac liked to eat the meat of wild animals, he loved Esau. However, Rebekah loved Jacob.

²⁹ Once, Jacob was preparing a meal when Esau, exhausted, came in from outdoors. ³⁰ So Esau said to Jacob, “Let me have the whole pot of red stuff to eat—that red stuff—I’m exhausted.” This is why he was called Edom.^[c]

³¹ Jacob responded, “First, sell me your rights as firstborn.”

³² “I’m about to die.” Esau said. “What good is my inheritance to me?”

³³ “First, swear an oath,” Jacob said. So Esau swore an oath to him and sold him his rights as firstborn. ³⁴ Then Jacob gave Esau a meal of bread and lentils. He ate and drank, and then he got up and left.

This is how Esau showed his contempt for his rights as firstborn.

King Amaziah of Judah^(A)

25 Amaziah was 25 years old when he began to rule, and he ruled for 29 years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jehoaddan from Jerusalem. ² He did what Yahweh considered right, but he did not do it wholeheartedly. ³ As soon as he had firm control over the kingdom, he executed the officials who killed his father, the former king. ⁴ But he didn’t execute their children. He obeyed Yahweh’s command written in the Book of Moses’ Teachings: “Parents must never be put to death for the crimes of their children, and children must never be put to death for the crimes of their parents. Each person must be put to death for his own crime.”

⁵ Amaziah called the people of Judah together and assigned them by families to regiment and battalion commanders for all of Judah and Benjamin. He organized those who were at least 20 years old and found that he had 300,000 of the best men for the army, those who could handle a spear and a shield. ⁶ He also hired 100,000 soldiers from Israel for 7,500 pounds of silver.

⁷ But a man of Elohim came to him and said, “Your Majesty, Israel’s army must not go with you, because Yahweh isn’t with Israel. He’s not with these men from Ephraim. ⁸ If you go into battle with them, no matter how courageous you are, Elohim will use the enemy to defeat you, because Elohim has the power to help you or to defeat you.”

⁹ Amaziah asked the man of Elohim, “What should I do about the 7,500 pounds of silver I gave the troops from Israel?”

The man of Elohim answered, “Yahweh can give you much more than that.”

¹⁰ Then Amaziah dismissed the troops that had come to him from Ephraim. But they became furious with Judah and returned home.

¹¹ Amaziah courageously led his troops. When he came to the Dead Sea region, he killed 10,000 men from Seir.^{[a] 12} The Judeans captured another 10,000 alive, took them to the top of a cliff, and threw them off the top of the cliff so that they were dismembered.

¹³ The troops that Amaziah sent back so that they couldn’t go with him into battle raided the towns in Judah from Samaria to Beth Horon. They killed 3,000 people and took a lot of goods.

King Amaziah’s Sin Leads to His Defeat^(B)

¹⁴ After Amaziah came back from defeating the Edomites, he brought the gods of the people of Seir, set them up as his gods, bowed down to them, and burned sacrifices to them. ¹⁵ Yahweh became angry with Amaziah. He sent him a prophet who asked him, “Why do you dedicate your life to serving the gods of those people? Those gods couldn’t save their own people from you.”

¹⁶ As he was talking, the king asked him, “Did we make you an adviser to the king? Stop! Do you want me to have you killed?”

The prophet stopped. He said, “I know that Elohim has decided to destroy you because you did this, but you refuse to listen to my advice.”

¹⁷ After getting advice from his advisers, King Amaziah of Judah sent messengers to King Jehoash,^[b] son of Jehoahaz and grandson of Jehu of Israel, to declare war on Israel.

¹⁸ King Jehoash of Israel sent this message to King Amaziah of Judah: “A thistle in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar in Lebanon. It said, ‘Let your daughter marry my son,’ but a wild animal from Lebanon came along and trampled the thistle. ¹⁹ You say you defeated Edom, and now you’ve become arrogant enough to look for more fame. Stay home! Why must you invite disaster and your own defeat and take Judah with you?”

²⁰ But Amaziah wouldn’t listen. (Elohim made this happen because he wanted to hand over the Judeans to Jehoash because they had sought help from Edom’s gods.) ²¹ So King Jehoash of Israel attacked, and King Amaziah of Judah met him in battle at Beth Shemesh in Judah. ²² Israel defeated the army of Judah, and the Judeans fled to their homes. ²³ King Jehoash of Israel captured King Amaziah, son of Joash and grandson of Ahaziah of Judah, at Beth Shemesh and brought him to Jerusalem. He tore down a 600-foot section of the wall around Jerusalem from Ephraim Gate to Corner Gate. ²⁴ He took all the gold, silver, and all the utensils he found in Elohim’s temple with Obed Edom and in the royal palace treasury. He also took hostages. Then he returned to Samaria.

²⁵ Joash’s son King Amaziah of Judah lived 15 years after the death of Jehoahaz’s son King Jehoash of Israel. ²⁶ Isn’t everything else about Amaziah, from beginning to end, written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel? ²⁷ After Amaziah turned away from Yahweh, conspirators in Jerusalem plotted against him. Amaziah fled to Lachish, but they sent men to Lachish after him and killed him there. ²⁸ They brought him back by horse and buried him in the city of Judah with his ancestors.

Moses and Elijah Appear with Jesus^(A)

17 After six days Yeshua took Peter, James, and John (the brother of James) and led them up a high mountain where they could be alone.

² Yeshua’s appearance changed in front of them. His face became as bright as the sun and his clothes as white as light. ³ Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared to them and were talking with Yeshua.

⁴ Peter said to Yeshua, “Lord, it’s good that we’re here. If you want, I’ll put up three tents here—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

⁵ He was still speaking when a bright cloud overshadowed them. Then a voice came out of the cloud and said, “This is my Son, whom I love and with whom I am pleased. Listen to him!”

⁶ The disciples were terrified when they heard this and fell facedown on the ground. ⁷ But Yeshua touched them and said, “Get up, and don’t be afraid!” ⁸ As they raised their heads, they saw no one but Yeshua.

⁹ On their way down the mountain, Yeshua ordered them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen. Wait until the Son of Man has been brought back to life.”

¹⁰ So the disciples asked him, “Why do the experts in Moses’ Teachings say that Elijah must come first?”

¹¹ Yeshua answered, “Elijah is coming and will put everything in order again. ¹² Actually, I can guarantee that Elijah has already come. Yet, people treated him as they pleased because they didn’t recognize him. In the same way they’re going to make the Son of Man suffer.”

¹³ Then the disciples understood that he was talking about John the Baptizer.

Jesus Cures a Demon-Possessed Boy^(B)

¹⁴ When they came to a crowd, a man came up to Yeshua, knelt in front of him, ¹⁵ and said, “Sir, have mercy on my son. He suffers from seizures. Often he falls into fire or water. ¹⁶ I brought him to your disciples, but they couldn’t cure him.”

¹⁷ Yeshua replied, “You unbelieving and corrupt generation! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him here to me!”

¹⁸ Yeshua ordered the demon to come out of the boy. At that moment the boy was cured.

¹⁹ Then the disciples came to Yeshua privately and asked, “Why couldn’t we force the demon out of the boy?”

²⁰ He told them, “Because you have so little faith. I can guarantee this truth: If your faith is the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”^[a]

Jesus Again Foretells That He Will Die and Come Back to Life^(C)

²² While they were traveling together in Galilee, Yeshua told them, “The Son of Man will be betrayed and handed over to people. ²³ They will kill him, but on the third day he will be brought back to life.” Then the disciples became very sad.

Paying the Temple Tax

²⁴ When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax came to Peter. They asked him, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?”

²⁵ “Certainly,” he answered.

Peter went into the house. Before he could speak, Yeshua asked him, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the world collect fees or taxes? Is it from their family members or from other people?”

²⁶ “From other people,” Peter answered.

Yeshua said to him, “Then the family members are exempt. ²⁷ However, so that we don’t create a scandal, go to the sea and throw in a hook. Take the first fish that you catch. Open its mouth, and you will find a coin. Give that coin to them for you and me.”

Psalm 24

A psalm by David.