Pleading for Help and Grateful Trust in God.

For the music director; according to ^[a]Jonath elem rehokim. A ^[b]Mikhtam of David, ^[c]when the Philistines seized him in Gath.

Israel Invoked to Praise the Lord.

⁹ Then Abram journeyed on, continuing toward ^(A)the ^[a]Negev.

¹⁰ Now there was ^(B)a famine in the land; so Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a time, because the famine was ^(C)severe in the land. ¹¹ It came about, when he ^[b]was approaching Egypt, that he said to his wife Sarai, “See now, I know that you are a ^[c](D)beautiful woman; ^12 (E)and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. ¹³ Please say that you are ^(F)my sister so that it may go well for me because of you, and that ^[d](G)I may live on account of you.” ¹⁴ Now it came about, when Abram entered Egypt, that the Egyptians ^[e]saw that the woman was very beautiful. ¹⁵ Pharaoh’s officials saw her and praised her to Pharaoh; and ^(H)the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. ¹⁶ Therefore ^(I)he treated Abram well for her sake; and ^[f](J)he gave him sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants and female servants, female donkeys, and camels.

¹⁷ But the Lord ^(K)struck Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. ¹⁸ Then Pharaoh called Abram and said, “^(L)What is this that you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? ¹⁹ Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for myself as a wife? Now then, ^[g]here is your wife, take her and go!” ²⁰ And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they ^[h]escorted him away, with his wife and all that belonged to him.

Abram and Lot

13 So Abram went up from Egypt to ^(M)the ^[i]Negev, he and his wife and all that belonged to him, and Lot with him.

¹⁸ For, on the one hand, there is the nullification of a former commandment ^(A)because of its weakness and uselessness ¹⁹ (for ^(B)the Law made nothing perfect); on the other hand, there is the introduction of a better ^(C)hope, through which we ^(D)come near to God. ²⁰ And to the extent that it was not without an oath ²¹ (for they indeed became priests without an oath, but He with an oath through the One who said to Him,

²² by the same extent Jesus also has become the ^[a](H)guarantee of ^(I)a better covenant.

^23 [b]The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing; ^24 [c]Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues ^(J)forever, holds His priesthood permanently. ²⁵ Therefore He is also able to ^(K)save ^[d]forever those who ^(L)come to God through Him, since He always lives to ^(M)make intercession for them.

²⁶ For it was fitting for us to have such a ^(N)high priest, ^(O)holy, ^(P)innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and ^(Q)exalted above the heavens; ²⁷ who has no daily need, like those high priests, to ^(R)offer up sacrifices, ^(S)first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because He did this ^(T)once for all time when He ^(U)offered up Himself. ²⁸ For the Law appoints men as high priests ^(V)who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints ^(W)a Son, who has been ^(X)made perfect forever.

²⁷ And at this point His ^(A)disciples came, and they were amazed that He had been speaking with a woman, yet no one said, “What are You seeking?” or, “Why are You speaking with her?” ²⁸ So the woman left her waterpot and went into the city, and *said to the people, ²⁹ “Come, see a man ^(B)who told me all the things that I have done; ^(C)this is not the ^[a]Christ, is He?” ³⁰ They left the city and were coming to Him.

³¹ Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, “^(D)Rabbi, eat something.” ³² But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” ³³ So the ^(E)disciples were saying to one another, “No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?” ³⁴ Jesus *said to them, “My food is to ^(F)do the will of Him who sent Me, and to ^(G)accomplish His work. ³⁵ Do you not say, ‘There are still four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I tell you, raise your eyes and observe the fields, that they are white ^(H)for harvest. ³⁶ Already the one who reaps is receiving ^(I)wages and is gathering ^(J)fruit for ^(K)eternal life, so that the one who sows and the one who reaps may rejoice together. ³⁷ For in this case the saying is true: ‘^(L)One sows and another reaps.’ ³⁸ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have ^[b]come into their labor.”

The Samaritans

³⁹ Now from ^(M)that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “^(N)He told me all the things that I have done.” ⁴⁰ So when the Samaritans came to ^[c]Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. ⁴¹ Many more believed because of His word; ⁴² and they were saying to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One truly is ^(O)the Savior of the world.”