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The Death of Sarah
23 Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years. These were the years of the life of Sarah. 2 Then Sarah died in Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.
3 Then Abraham stood up from before his dead and spoke to the Hittites,[a] saying, 4 “I am a stranger and a foreigner among you. Give me property for a burying place among you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”
5 So the Hittites answered Abraham, 6 “Hear us, my lord. You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places. None of us will withhold from you his burial place that you may bury your dead.”
7 Then Abraham stood up and bowed himself to the people of the land, the Hittites. 8 He spoke with them, saying, “If it be your wish that I bury my dead out of my sight, hear me and entreat Ephron the son of Zohar for me, 9 that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he owns, at the end of his field. Let him give it to me in your presence for the full price for a burial site.”
10 Now Ephron was sitting among the Hittites; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the presence of all the Hittites, all who went in at the gate of his city, saying, 11 “No, my lord. Hear me: I give you the field and the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of the sons of my people. Bury your dead.”
12 Then Abraham bowed before the people of the land. 13 Then he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, “Indeed, if you will give it, please hear me. I will give you money for the field; take it from me and I will bury my dead there.”
14 Then Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, 15 “My lord, listen to me. The land is worth four hundred shekels of silver.[b] What is that between me and you? So bury your dead.”
16 Abraham listened to Ephron; and Abraham weighed out for Ephron four hundred shekels of silver, the price that he had named in the hearing of the Hittites, according to the standard commercial measure.
17 So the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field and the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were in the field that were within all the surrounding borders were deeded 18 to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites, before all who went in at the gate of his city. 19 After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20 So the field and the cave that was in it were deeded to Abraham by the Hittites as property for a burial place.
Isaac and Rebekah
24 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. 2 So Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who was in charge over all that he had, “Please, place your hand under my thigh, 3 and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live. 4 But you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”
5 Then the servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I take your son back to the land from which you came?”
6 Abraham said to him, “See to it that you do not take my son back there. 7 The Lord God of heaven, who took me from my father’s family and from the land of my relatives, and who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give this land,’ He shall send His angel before you and you shall take a wife for my son from there. 8 If the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from my oath. Only do not take my son back there.” 9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him concerning this matter.
10 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, for all the goods of his master were in his hand. And he arose and went to the city of Nahor in Aram Naharaim. 11 He made his camels kneel down outside the city by a well of water in the evening when the women came out to draw water.
12 Then he said, “O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, please let me have success this day and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 See, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 14 Let it be that the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Please lower your pitcher, that I may drink,’ and she shall say, ‘Drink, and I will give your camels water also’—let her be the one that You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. Then I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.”
15 Before he had finished speaking, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milkah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with a pitcher on her shoulder. 16 The young woman was very beautiful to look at, a virgin, and no man had ever been with her. She went down to the well and filled her pitcher and came up.
17 Then the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me drink a little water from your pitcher.”
18 So she said, “Drink, my lord.” Then she quickly let down her pitcher to her hand and gave him a drink.
19 When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.” 20 Then she quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough and ran to the well to draw water and drew for all his camels. 21 The man, gazing at her, remained silent, trying to discern whether the Lord had made his journey a success or not.
22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold nose ring of half a shekel weight[c] and two bracelets for her wrists of ten shekels weight[d] in gold, 23 and said, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to lodge?”
24 She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milkah, whom she bore to Nahor.” 25 Again she said to him, “We have both straw and provision enough, and room in which to lodge.”
26 Then the man bowed down his head and worshipped the Lord. 27 And he said, “Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master. As for me, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s relatives.”
28 So the young woman ran and told her mother’s household of these things. 29 Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban, and Laban ran out to the man at the well. 30 When he saw the nose ring and bracelets on his sister’s hands and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, “This is what the man said to me,” he went to the man who stood by the camels at the well. 31 And he said, “Come in, blessed of the Lord. Why do you stand outside? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.”
32 So the man came to the house. Then he unloaded his camels and gave straw and provision to the camels and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. 33 He then set food before him to eat, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told about my errand.”
And he said, “Speak on.”
34 So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant. 35 The Lord has greatly blessed my master, and he has become wealthy. He has given him flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and male and female servants, and camels and donkeys. 36 Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master when she was old, and he has given to him all that he has. 37 My master made me swear, saying, ‘You must not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live. 38 But you shall go to my father’s house, and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son.’
39 “So I said to my master, ‘Perhaps the woman will not follow me.’
40 “Then he said to me, ‘The Lord, before whom I walk, will send His angel with you and prosper your way, and you will take a wife for my son from my relatives and from my father’s house. 41 You will be free from my oath, when you come to my family, if they will not give her to you; then you will be released from my oath.’
42 “So today I came to the well and said, ‘O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, if You will now give me success in my task; 43 I am standing by the well of water, and let it be that when the virgin comes forth to draw water, and I say to her, “Please give me a little water from your pitcher to drink,” 44 and she says to me, “Drink, and I will also draw for your camels,” let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master’s son.’
45 “Before I had finished speaking in my heart, there was Rebekah coming out with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down to the well and drew water. Then I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’
46 “She then quickly let down her pitcher from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I will give your camels a drink also.’ So I drank, and she gave the camels a drink also.
47 “Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’
“And she said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milkah bore for him.’
“So I put the nose ring on her nose and the bracelets on her wrists. 48 And I bowed down my head and worshipped the Lord, and blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the right way to take the daughter of my master’s brother for his son. 49 And now if you will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.”
50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “This thing comes from the Lord; we cannot speak to you bad or good. 51 Here is Rebekah before you; take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has spoken.”
The Cleansing of a Leper(A)
8 When He came down from the mountains, large crowds followed Him. 2 And then a leper came and worshipped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”
3 Jesus reached out His hand and touched him, saying, “I will. Be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 Then Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one. But go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded as a testimony to them.”
The Healing of a Centurion’s Servant(B)
5 And when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion[a] came to Him, entreating Him, 6 and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home, sick with paralysis, terribly tormented.”
7 Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”
8 The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But speak the word only, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this man, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
10 When Jesus heard it, He was amazed and said to those who followed, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith, no, not in Israel. 11 And I say to you that many will come from the east and west and will dine with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way. And as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that very moment.
The Healing of Many People(C)
14 When Jesus entered Peter’s house, He saw his wife’s mother, lying sick with a fever. 15 He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she rose and served them.
16 When the evening came, they brought to Him many who were possessed with demons. And He cast out the spirits with His word, and healed all who were sick, 17 to fulfill what was spoken by Isaiah the prophet,
“He Himself took our infirmities
and bore our sicknesses.”[b]
13 Be gracious to me, O Lord; consider my trouble from those who hate me,
O You who lifts me up from the gates of death,
14 that I may recount all Your praise
in the gates of the daughter of Zion,
that I may rejoice in Your salvation.
15 The nations have sunk down in the pit that they made;
their own foot is caught in the net which they hid.
16 The Lord is known by the judgment that He executes;
the wicked one is snared in the work of his own hands. Meditation. Selah
17 The wicked will be turned to Sheol,
and all the nations that forget God.
18 For the needy will not always be forgotten,
nor will the hope of the poor perish forever.
19 Arise, O Lord, may mortals not prevail;
let the nations be judged in Your sight.
20 Put them in fear, O Lord,
that the nations themselves may know they are mortals. Selah
The Rewards of Wisdom
3 My son, do not forget my teaching,
but let your heart keep my commandments;
2 for length of days and long life
and peace will they add to you.
3 Do not let mercy and truth forsake you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart,
4 so you will find favor and good understanding
in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He will direct your paths.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.