The Three Visitors

18 The Lord appeared to Abraham^(A) near the great trees of Mamre^(B) while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent^(C) in the heat of the day. ² Abraham looked up^(D) and saw three men^(E) standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.^(F)

³ He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes,^(G) my lord,^[a] do not pass your servant^(H) by. ⁴ Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet^(I) and rest under this tree. ⁵ Let me get you something to eat,^(J) so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.”

“Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.”

⁶ So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick,” he said, “get three seahs^[b] of the finest flour and knead it and bake some bread.”^(K)

⁷ Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf^(L) and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. ⁸ He then brought some curds^(M) and milk^(N) and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them.^(O) While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.

⁹ “Where is your wife Sarah?”^(P) they asked him.

“There, in the tent,^(Q)” he said.

¹⁰ Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year,^(R) and Sarah your wife will have a son.”^(S)

Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. ¹¹ Abraham and Sarah were already very old,^(T) and Sarah was past the age of childbearing.^{(U) 12} So Sarah laughed^(V) to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord^(W) is old, will I now have this pleasure?”

¹³ Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’^{(X) 14} Is anything too hard for the Lord?^(Y) I will return to you at the appointed time next year,^(Z) and Sarah will have a son.”^(AA)

¹⁵ Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.”

But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.”

Abraham Pleads for Sodom

¹⁶ When the men^(AB) got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. ¹⁷ Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham^(AC) what I am about to do?^{(AD) 18} Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation,^(AE) and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.^{[c] 19} For I have chosen him^(AF), so that he will direct his children^(AG) and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord^(AH) by doing what is right and just,^(AI) so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”^(AJ)

²⁰ Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom^(AK) and Gomorrah is so great^(AL) and their sin so grievous^{(AM) 21} that I will go down^(AN) and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.”

²² The men^(AO) turned away and went toward Sodom,^(AP) but Abraham remained standing before the Lord.^{[d](AQ) 23} Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?^{(AR) 24} What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare^[e] the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it?^{(AS) 25} Far be it from you to do such a thing^(AT)—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous^(AU) and the wicked alike.^(AV) Far be it from you! Will not the Judge^(AW) of all the earth do right?”^(AX)

²⁶ The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.^(AY)”

²⁷ Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes,^{(AZ) 28} what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?”

“If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.”

²⁹ Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?”

He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.”

³⁰ Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry,^(BA) but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?”

He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

³¹ Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?”

He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.”

³² Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more.^(BB) What if only ten can be found there?”

He answered, “For the sake of ten,^(BC) I will not destroy it.”

³³ When the Lord had finished speaking^(BD) with Abraham, he left,^(BE) and Abraham returned home.^(BF)

7 After the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers,^(A) the musicians^(B) and the Levites^(C) were appointed. ² I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani,^(D) along with Hananiah^(E) the commander of the citadel,^(F) because he was a man of integrity and feared^(G) God more than most people do. ³ I said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot. While the gatekeepers are still on duty, have them shut the doors and bar them. Also appoint residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some near their own houses.”

The List of the Exiles Who Returned^(H)

⁴ Now the city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it,^(I) and the houses had not yet been rebuilt. ⁵ So my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials and the common people for registration by families. I found the genealogical record of those who had been the first to return. This is what I found written there:

The list of the men of Israel:

³⁹ The priests:

⁴³ The Levites:

⁴⁴ The musicians:^(T)

⁴⁵ The gatekeepers:^(U)

⁴⁶ The temple servants:^(V)

⁶³ And from among the priests:

Ezra Reads the Law

When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns,^(AC)

The Parable of the Sower^(A)(B)(C)

13 That same day Jesus went out of the house^(D) and sat by the lake. ² Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat^(E) and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. ³ Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴ As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred,^(F) sixty or thirty times what was sown. ⁹ Whoever has ears, let them hear.”^(G)

¹⁰ The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

¹¹ He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven^(H) has been given to you,^(I) but not to them. ¹² Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.^{(J) 13} This is why I speak to them in parables:

¹⁴ In them is fulfilled^(L) the prophecy of Isaiah:

¹⁶ But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.^{(N) 17} For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see^(O) but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

¹⁸ “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: ¹⁹ When anyone hears the message about the kingdom^(P) and does not understand it, the evil one^(Q) comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. ²⁰ The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. ²¹ But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.^{(R) 22} The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth^(S) choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²³ But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”^(T)

The Parable of the Weeds

²⁴ Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like^(U) a man who sowed good seed in his field. ²⁵ But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. ²⁶ When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

²⁷ “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

²⁸ “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

²⁹ “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”^(V)

The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast^(W)(X)

³¹ He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like^(Y) a mustard seed,^(Z) which a man took and planted in his field. ³² Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”^(AA)

³³ He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like^(AB) yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds^[b] of flour^(AC) until it worked all through the dough.”^(AD)

³⁴ Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable.^{(AE) 35} So was fulfilled^(AF) what was spoken through the prophet:

The Parable of the Weeds Explained

³⁶ Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable^(AH) of the weeds in the field.”

³⁷ He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man.^{(AI) 38} The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one,^{(AJ) 39} and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest^(AK) is the end of the age,^(AL) and the harvesters are angels.^(AM)

⁴⁰ “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. ⁴¹ The Son of Man^(AN) will send out his angels,^(AO) and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. ⁴² They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.^{(AP) 43} Then the righteous will shine like the sun^(AQ) in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.^(AR)

The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl

⁴⁴ “The kingdom of heaven is like^(AS) treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.^(AT)

⁴⁵ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like^(AU) a merchant looking for fine pearls. ⁴⁶ When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

The Parable of the Net

⁴⁷ “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like^(AV) a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds^(AW) of fish. ⁴⁸ When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. ⁴⁹ This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous^{(AX) 50} and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.^(AY)

⁵¹ “Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked.

“Yes,” they replied.

⁵² He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”

A Prophet Without Honor^(AZ)

⁵³ When Jesus had finished these parables,^(BA) he moved on from there. ⁵⁴ Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue,^(BB) and they were amazed.^(BC) “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked. ⁵⁵ “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?^(BD) Isn’t his mother’s^(BE) name Mary, and aren’t his brothers^(BF) James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? ⁵⁶ Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” ⁵⁷ And they took offense^(BG) at him.

But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home.”^(BH)

⁵⁸ And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.