Book of Common Prayer

Parashah 7: Vayetze (He went out) 28:10 –32:3(2)

¹⁰ Ya‘akov went out from Be’er-Sheva and traveled toward Haran. ¹¹ He came to a certain place and stayed the night there, because the sun had set. He took a stone from the place, put it under his head and lay down there to sleep. ¹² He dreamt that there before him was a ladder resting on the ground with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of Adonai were going up and down on it. ¹³ Then suddenly Adonai was standing there next to him; and he said, “I am Adonai, the God of Avraham your [grand]father and the God of Yitz’chak. The land on which you are lying I will give to you and to your descendants. ¹⁴ Your descendants will be as numerous as the grains of dust on the earth. You will expand to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. By you and your descendants all the families of the earth will be blessed. ¹⁵ Look, I am with you. I will guard you wherever you go, and I will bring you back into this land, because I won’t leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

¹⁶ Ya‘akov awoke from his sleep and said, “Truly, Adonai is in this place — and I didn’t know it!” ¹⁷ Then he became afraid and said, “This place is fearsome! This has to be the house of God! This is the gate of heaven!”

⁴³ The next day, having decided to leave for the Galil, Yeshua found Philip and said, “Follow me!” ⁴⁴ Philip was from Beit-Tzaidah, the town where Andrew and Kefa lived. ⁴⁵ Philip found Natan’el and told him, “We’ve found the one that Moshe wrote about in the Torah, also the Prophets — it’s Yeshua Ben-Yosef from Natzeret!” ⁴⁶ Natan’el answered him, “Natzeret? Can anything good come from there?” “Come and see,” Philip said to him. ⁴⁷ Yeshua saw Natan’el coming toward him and remarked about him, “Here’s a true son of Isra’el — nothing false in him!” ⁴⁸ Natan’el said to him, “How do you know me?” Yeshua answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” ⁴⁹ Natan’el said, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Isra’el!” ⁵⁰ Yeshua answered him, “you believe all this just because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than that!” ⁵¹ Then he said to him, “Yes indeed! I tell you that you will see heaven opened and the angels of God going up and coming down^[a] on the Son of Man!”

5 Therefore, I urge the congregation leaders among you, as a fellow-leader and witness to the Messiah’s sufferings, as well as a sharer in the glory to be revealed: ² shepherd the flock of God that is in your care, exercising oversight not out of constraint, but willingly, as God wants; and not out of a desire for dishonest gain, but with enthusiasm; ³ also not as machers domineering over those in your care, but as people who become examples to the flock. ⁴ Then, when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive glory as your unfading crown.

⁵ Likewise, you who are less experienced, submit to leaders. Further, all of you should clothe yourselves in humility toward one another, because

⁶ Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that at the right time he may lift you up. ⁷ Throw all your anxieties upon him, because he cares about you.

⁸ Stay sober, stay alert! Your enemy, the Adversary, stalks about like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ⁹ Stand against him, firm in your trust, knowing that your brothers throughout the world are going through the same kinds of suffering. ¹⁰ You will have to suffer only a little while; after that, God, who is full of grace, the one who called you to his eternal glory in union with the Messiah, will himself restore, establish and strengthen you and make you firm. ¹¹ To him be the power forever and ever. Amen.