¹⁵ Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?” ¹⁶ Now Laban had two daughters. The name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. ¹⁷ Leah's eyes were weak,^[a] but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance. ¹⁸ Jacob loved Rachel. And he said, ^(A)“I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.” ¹⁹ Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me.” ²⁰ So Jacob ^(B)served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her.

²¹ Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.” ²² So Laban gathered together all the people of the place and ^(C)made a feast. ²³ But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and he went in to her. ²⁴ (Laban gave^{[b] (D)}his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.) ²⁵ And in the morning, behold, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?” ²⁶ Laban said, “It is not so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. ^27 (E)Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years.” ²⁸ Jacob did so, and completed her week. Then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife.

Tell of All His Wondrous Works

²⁶ Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For ^(A)we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but ^(B)the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. ²⁷ And ^(C)he who searches hearts knows what is ^(D)the mind of the Spirit, because^[a] the Spirit ^(E)intercedes for the saints ^(F)according to the will of God. ²⁸ And we know that for those who love God all things work together ^(G)for good,^[b] for ^(H)those who are called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those whom he ^(I)foreknew he also ^(J)predestined ^(K)to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be ^(L)the firstborn among many brothers. ³⁰ And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also ^(M)justified, and those whom he justified he also ^(N)glorified.

God's Everlasting Love

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? ^(O)If God is for us, who can be^[c] against us? ^32 (P)He who did not spare his own Son but ^(Q)gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? ³³ Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? ^(R)It is God who justifies. ^34 (S)Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—^(T)who is at the right hand of God, ^(U)who indeed is interceding for us.^{[d] 35} Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written,

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than ^(X)conquerors through ^(Y)him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Mustard Seed and the Leaven

³¹ He put another parable before them, saying, ^(A)“The kingdom of heaven is like ^(B)a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. ³² It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

³³ He told them another parable. ^(C)“The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in ^(D)three measures of flour, till it was ^(E)all leavened.”

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure

⁴⁴ “The kingdom of heaven ^(A)is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy ^(B)he goes and sells all that he has and ^(C)buys that field.

The Parable of the Pearl of Great Value

⁴⁵ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, ⁴⁶ who, on finding ^(D)one pearl of great value, ^(E)went and sold all that he had and ^(F)bought it.

The Parable of the Net

⁴⁷ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is ^(G)like a net that was thrown into the sea and ^(H)gathered fish of every kind. ⁴⁸ When it was full, ^(I)men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. ⁴⁹ So it will be at ^(J)the end of the age. The angels will come out and ^(K)separate the evil from the righteous ^50 (L)and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place ^(M)there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

New and Old Treasures

^51 (N)“Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” ⁵² And he said to them, “Therefore every ^(O)scribe ^(P)who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who ^(Q)brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”