Psalm 30^[a]

A psalm. A song. For the dedication of the temple.^[b] Of David.

⁹ Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.^(A)

Abram in Egypt^(B)

¹⁰ Now there was a famine in the land,^(C) and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe.^{(D) 11} As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai,^(E) “I know what a beautiful woman^(F) you are. ¹² When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. ¹³ Say you are my sister,^(G) so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.”

¹⁴ When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman.^{(H) 15} And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. ¹⁶ He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.^(I)

¹⁷ But the Lord inflicted^(J) serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household^(K) because of Abram’s wife Sarai. ¹⁸ So Pharaoh summoned Abram. “What have you done to me?”^(L) he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife?^{(M) 19} Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’^(N) so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!” ²⁰ Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had.

Abram and Lot Separate

13 So Abram went up from Egypt^(O) to the Negev,^(P) with his wife and everything he had, and Lot^(Q) went with him.

¹⁸ The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless^{(A) 19} (for the law made nothing perfect),^(B) and a better hope^(C) is introduced, by which we draw near to God.^(D)

²⁰ And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, ²¹ but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him:

²² Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant.^(G)

²³ Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; ²⁴ but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood.^{(H) 25} Therefore he is able to save^(I) completely^[b] those who come to God^(J) through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.^(K)

²⁶ Such a high priest^(L) truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners,^(M) exalted above the heavens.^{(N) 27} Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices^(O) day after day, first for his own sins,^(P) and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all^(Q) when he offered himself.^{(R) 28} For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness;^(S) but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son,^(T) who has been made perfect^(U) forever.

The Disciples Rejoin Jesus

²⁷ Just then his disciples returned^(A) and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”

²⁸ Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, ²⁹ “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did.^(B) Could this be the Messiah?”^{(C) 30} They came out of the town and made their way toward him.

³¹ Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi,^(D) eat something.”

³² But he said to them, “I have food to eat^(E) that you know nothing about.”

³³ Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”

³⁴ “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will^(F) of him who sent me and to finish his work.^{(G) 35} Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.^{(H) 36} Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests^(I) a crop for eternal life,^(J) so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. ³⁷ Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’^(K) is true. ³⁸ I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”

Many Samaritans Believe

³⁹ Many of the Samaritans from that town^(L) believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.”^{(M) 40} So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. ⁴¹ And because of his words many more became believers.

⁴² They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”^(N)