¹⁹ This is the ^(A)genealogy of Isaac, Abraham’s son. ^(B)Abraham begot Isaac. ²⁰ Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah as wife, ^(C)the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan Aram, ^(D)the sister of Laban the Syrian. ²¹ Now Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; ^(E)and the Lord granted his plea, ^(F)and Rebekah his wife conceived. ²² But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If all is well, why am I like this?” ^(G)So she went to inquire of the Lord.

²³ And the Lord said to her:

²⁴ So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb. ²⁵ And the first came out red. He was ^(K)like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name ^[a]Esau. ²⁶ Afterward his brother came out, and ^(L)his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so ^(M)his name was called ^[b]Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

²⁷ So the boys grew. And Esau was ^(N)a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was ^(O)a ^[c]mild man, ^(P)dwelling in tents. ²⁸ And Isaac loved Esau because he ^(Q)ate of his game, ^(R)but Rebekah loved Jacob.

Esau Sells His Birthright^(S)

²⁹ Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. ³⁰ And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called ^[d]Edom.

³¹ But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.”

³² And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so ^(T)what is this birthright to me?”

³³ Then Jacob said, ^[e]“Swear to me as of this day.”

So he swore to him, and ^(U)sold his birthright to Jacob. ³⁴ And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then ^(V)he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau ^(W)despised his birthright.

Free from Indwelling Sin

8 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, ^(A)who^[a] do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. ² For ^(B)the law of ^(C)the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from ^(D)the law of sin and death. ³ For ^(E)what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, ^(F)God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who ^(G)do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. ⁵ For ^(H)those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, ^(I)the things of the Spirit. ⁶ For ^(J)to be ^[b]carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. ⁷ Because ^(K)the ^[c]carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, ^(L)nor indeed can be. ⁸ So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

⁹ But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. ¹⁰ And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ¹¹ But if the Spirit of ^(M)Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, ^(N)He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies ^[d]through His Spirit who dwells in you.

The Parable of the Sower^(A)

13 On the same day Jesus went out of the house ^(B)and sat by the sea. ^2 (C)And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that ^(D)He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.

³ Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: ^(E)“Behold, a sower went out to sow. ⁴ And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. ⁵ Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. ⁶ But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. ⁷ And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. ⁸ But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some ^(F)a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. ^9 (G)He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

The Parable of the Sower Explained^(A)

^18 (B)“Therefore hear the parable of the sower: ¹⁹ When anyone hears the word ^(C)of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. ²⁰ But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately ^(D)receives it with joy; ²¹ yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when ^(E)tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately ^(F)he stumbles. ²² Now ^(G)he who received seed ^(H)among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. ²³ But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears ^(I)fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”