The Lord’s Care over All His Works.

Israel Invoked to Praise the Lord.

Jacob Meets Rachel

29 Then Jacob ^[a]set out on his journey, and went to the land of ^(A)the ^[b]people of the east. ² He looked, and ^[c]saw ^(B)a well in the field, and behold, three flocks of sheep were lying there beside it, because they watered the flocks from that well. Now the stone on the mouth of the well was large. ³ When all the flocks were gathered there, they would roll the stone from the mouth of the well and water the sheep. Then they would put the stone back in its place on the mouth of the well.

⁴ Jacob said to them, “My brothers, where are you from?” And they said, “We are from ^(C)Haran.” ⁵ So he said to them, “Do you know Laban the ^(D)son of Nahor?” And they said, “We know him.” ⁶ And he said to them, “Is it well with him?” And they said, “It is well, and here is his daughter ^(E)Rachel coming with the sheep.” ⁷ Then he said, “Look, it is still high day; it is not time for the livestock to be gathered. Water the sheep, and go, pasture them.” ⁸ But they said, “We cannot, until all the flocks are gathered, and they roll the stone from the mouth of the well; then we water the sheep.”

⁹ While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess. ¹⁰ When Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of his mother’s brother Laban, and the sheep of his mother’s brother Laban, Jacob went up and rolled the stone from the mouth of the well, and watered the flock of his mother’s brother Laban. ¹¹ Then Jacob ^(F)kissed Rachel, and raised his voice and wept. ¹² Jacob told Rachel that he was a ^(G)relative of her father and that he was Rebekah’s son, and ^(H)she ran and told her father.

¹³ So when ^(I)Laban heard the news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he ran to meet him, and ^(J)embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. Then he told Laban all these things. ¹⁴ And Laban said to him, “You certainly are ^(K)my bone and my flesh.” And he stayed with him a month.

¹⁵ Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall ^(L)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 And Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was ^(M)beautiful in figure and appearance. ¹⁸ Now Jacob ^(N)loved Rachel, so he said, “^(O)I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.” ¹⁹ Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than to give her to another man; stay with me.” ²⁰ So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him like only a few days ^(P)because of his love for her.

Principles of Conscience

14 Now ^(A)accept the one who is ^(B)weak ^[a]in faith, but not ^[b]to have quarrels over opinions. ^2 (C)One person has faith that he may eat all things, but the one who is ^(D)weak eats only vegetables. ³ The one who eats is not to ^(E)regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to ^(F)judge the one who eats, for God has ^(G)accepted him. ^4 (H)Who are you to judge the ^[c]servant of another? To his own ^[d]master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

^5 (I)One person ^[e]values one day over another, another ^[f]values every day the same. Each person must be ^(J)fully convinced in his own mind. ⁶ The one who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and the one who eats, ^[g]does so with regard to the Lord, for he ^(K)gives thanks to God; and the one who does not eat, it is for the Lord that he does not eat, and he gives thanks to God. ⁷ For not one of us ^(L)lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; ⁸ for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore ^(M)whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. ⁹ For to this end ^(N)Christ died and lived again, that He might be ^(O)Lord both of the dead and of the living.

¹⁰ But as for you, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or you as well, why do you ^(P)regard your brother or sister with contempt? For ^(Q)we will all appear before the judgment seat of God. ¹¹ For it is written:

¹² So then ^(T)each one of us will give an account of himself to God.

¹³ Therefore let’s not ^(U)judge one another anymore, but rather ^[i]determine this: ^(V)not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s or sister’s way. ¹⁴ I know and am convinced ^[j]in the Lord Jesus that ^(W)nothing is ^[k]unclean in itself; but to the one who ^(X)thinks something is ^[l]unclean, to that person it is ^[m]unclean. ¹⁵ For if because of food your brother or sister is hurt, you are no longer ^(Y)walking in accordance with love. ^(Z)Do not destroy with your choice of food that person for whom Christ died. ¹⁶ Therefore ^(AA)do not let what is for you a good thing be ^[n]spoken of as evil; ¹⁷ for the kingdom of God ^(AB)is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and ^(AC)peace and ^(AD)joy in the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ For the one who ^(AE)serves Christ in this way is ^(AF)acceptable to God and approved by other people. ¹⁹ So then we ^(AG)pursue the things ^[o]which make for peace and the ^(AH)building up of one another. ^20 (AI)Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. ^(AJ)All things indeed are clean, but ^(AK)they are evil for the person who eats ^[p]and causes offense. ^21 (AL)It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother or sister stumbles. ²² The faith which you have, have ^[q]as your own conviction before God. Happy is the one who ^(AM)does not condemn himself in what he approves. ²³ But ^(AN)the one who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.

^47 (A)The one who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”

^48 (B)The Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not rightly say that You are a ^(C)Samaritan, and You ^(D)have a demon?” ⁴⁹ Jesus answered, “I do not ^(E)have a demon; on the contrary, I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. ⁵⁰ But ^(F)I am not seeking My glory; there is One who seeks it, and judges. ⁵¹ Truly, truly I say to you, if anyone ^(G)follows My word, he will never ^(H)see death.” ^52 (I)The Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You ^(J)have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets as well; and yet You say, ‘If anyone ^(K)follows My word, he will never ^(L)taste of death.’ ⁵³ You ^(M)are not greater than our father Abraham, who died, are You? The prophets died too. Whom do You make Yourself out to be?” ⁵⁴ Jesus answered, “^(N)If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; ^(O)it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God’; ⁵⁵ and ^(P)you have not come to know Him, ^(Q)but I know Him. And if I say that I do not know Him, I will be ^(R)a liar like you; ^(S)but I do know Him, and I ^(T)follow His word. ^56 (U)Your father Abraham was ^(V)overjoyed that he would see My day, and he saw it and rejoiced.” ^57 (W)So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and You have seen Abraham?” ⁵⁸ Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham ^[a]was born, ^[b](X)I am.” ⁵⁹ Therefore they ^(Y)picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus ^(Z)hid Himself and left the temple grounds.