BOOK II

Psalms 42–72

Psalm 42^[a][b]

For the director of music. A maskil^[c] of the Sons of Korah.

Psalm 146

Isaac and Abimelek^(A)

26 Now there was a famine in the land^(B)—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines^(C) in Gerar.^{(D) 2} The Lord appeared^(E) to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt;^(F) live in the land where I tell you to live.^{(G) 3} Stay in this land for a while,^(H) and I will be with you^(I) and will bless you.^(J) For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands^(K) and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham.^{(L) 4} I will make your descendants^(M) as numerous as the stars in the sky^(N) and will give them all these lands,^(O) and through your offspring^[a] all nations on earth will be blessed,^{[b](P) 5} because Abraham obeyed me^(Q) and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees^(R) and my instructions.^(S)” ⁶ So Isaac stayed in Gerar.^(T)

¹² Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold,^(A) because the Lord blessed him.^{(B) 13} The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy.^{(C) 14} He had so many flocks and herds and servants^(D) that the Philistines envied him.^{(E) 15} So all the wells^(F) that his father’s servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up,^(G) filling them with earth.

¹⁶ Then Abimelek said to Isaac, “Move away from us;^(H) you have become too powerful for us.^(I)”

¹⁷ So Isaac moved away from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar,^(J) where he settled. ¹⁸ Isaac reopened the wells^(K) that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them.

¹⁹ Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there. ²⁰ But the herders of Gerar quarreled^(L) with those of Isaac and said, “The water is ours!”^(M) So he named the well Esek,^[a] because they disputed with him. ²¹ Then they dug another well, but they quarreled^(N) over that one also; so he named it Sitnah.^{[b] 22} He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth,^[c](O) saying, “Now the Lord has given us room^(P) and we will flourish^(Q) in the land.”

²³ From there he went up to Beersheba.^{(R) 24} That night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham.^(S) Do not be afraid,^(T) for I am with you;^(U) I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants^(V) for the sake of my servant Abraham.”^(W)

²⁵ Isaac built an altar^(X) there and called on the name of the Lord.^(Y) There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well.^(Z)

²⁶ Meanwhile, Abimelek had come to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces.^{(AA) 27} Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?^(AB)”

²⁸ They answered, “We saw clearly that the Lord was with you;^(AC) so we said, ‘There ought to be a sworn agreement between us’—between us and you. Let us make a treaty^(AD) with you ²⁹ that you will do us no harm,^(AE) just as we did not harm you but always treated you well and sent you away peacefully. And now you are blessed by the Lord.”^(AF)

³⁰ Isaac then made a feast^(AG) for them, and they ate and drank. ³¹ Early the next morning the men swore an oath^(AH) to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they went away peacefully.

³² That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well^(AI) they had dug. They said, “We’ve found water!” ³³ He called it Shibah,^[d] and to this day the name of the town has been Beersheba.^[e](AJ)

¹⁷ Have confidence in your leaders^(A) and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you^(B) as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.

¹⁸ Pray for us.^(C) We are sure that we have a clear conscience^(D) and desire to live honorably in every way. ¹⁹ I particularly urge you to pray so that I may be restored to you soon.^(E)

Benediction and Final Greetings

²⁰ Now may the God of peace,^(F) who through the blood of the eternal covenant^(G) brought back from the dead^(H) our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep,^{(I) 21} equip you with everything good for doing his will,^(J) and may he work in us^(K) what is pleasing to him,^(L) through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.^(M)

²² Brothers and sisters, I urge you to bear with my word of exhortation, for in fact I have written to you quite briefly.^(N)

²³ I want you to know that our brother Timothy^(O) has been released. If he arrives soon, I will come with him to see you.

²⁴ Greet all your leaders^(P) and all the Lord’s people. Those from Italy^(Q) send you their greetings.

²⁵ Grace be with you all.^(R)

[The earliest manuscripts and many other ancient witnesses do not have John 7:53—8:11. A few manuscripts include these verses, wholly or in part, after John 7:36, John 21:25, Luke 21:38 or Luke 24:53.]

⁵³ Then they all went home, 8 ¹ but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.^(A)

² At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them.^{(B) 3} The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group ⁴ and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵ In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women.^(C) Now what do you say?” ⁶ They were using this question as a trap,^(D) in order to have a basis for accusing him.^(E)

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. ⁷ When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone^(F) at her.”^{(G) 8} Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

⁹ At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. ¹⁰ Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

¹¹ “No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,”^(H) Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”^(I)