Old/New Testament
Jacob Arrives in Northwestern Mesopotamia
29 Then Jacob ·continued his journey [L lifted his feet] and came to the land of the people of the East [C the area of the Arameans on the northern Euphrates]. 2 He looked and saw a well in the field and three flocks of sheep lying nearby, because they drank water from this well. A large stone covered the mouth of the well. 3 When all the flocks would gather there, ·the shepherds [L they] would roll the stone away from the well and water the sheep. Then they would put the stone back in its place.
4 Jacob said to the shepherds there, “My brothers, where are you from?”
They answered, “We are from Haran [11:31].”
5 Then Jacob asked, “Do you know Laban, ·grandson [descendant] of Nahor?”
They answered, “We know him.”
6 Then Jacob asked, “How is he?”
They answered, “He is well. Look, his daughter Rachel is coming now with his sheep.”
7 Jacob said, “But look, it is still ·the middle of the day [broad daylight]. It is not time for the sheep to be gathered for the night, so give them water and let them go back into the pasture.”
8 But they said, “We cannot do that until all the flocks are gathered. Then we will roll away the stone from the mouth of the well and water the sheep.”
9 While ·Jacob [L he] was talking with ·the shepherds [L them], Rachel came with her father’s sheep, because ·it was her job to care for the sheep [L she was a shepherdess]. 10 When Jacob saw Laban’s daughter Rachel and Laban’s sheep, he went to the well and rolled the stone from its mouth and watered Laban’s sheep. Now Laban was the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s mother. 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and [L lifted his voice and] cried. 12 He told her that he was from her father’s family and that he was the son of Rebekah. So Rachel ran home and told her father.
13 When Laban heard the news about his sister’s son Jacob, he ran to meet him. Laban hugged him and kissed him and brought him to his house, where Jacob told Laban everything that had happened.
14 Then Laban said, “You are my own ·flesh and blood [L bone and flesh].”
Jacob Is Tricked
Jacob stayed there a month. 15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “You are my relative, but ·it is not right for you to work for me without pay [L should you serve me for nothing?]. What ·would you like me to pay you [will your wages be]?”
16 Now Laban had two daughters. The older was Leah, and the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah had ·weak eyes [frail/tender eyes; C likely means unattractive], but Rachel was very beautiful. 18 Jacob loved Rachel, so he said to Laban, “·Let me marry your younger daughter Rachel. If you will, I will work seven years for you [L I will work for seven years for your younger daughter Rachel].”
19 Laban said, “It would be better for ·her to marry you [L me to give her to you] than someone else, so stay here with me.” 20 So Jacob worked for Laban seven years so he could marry Rachel. But they seemed like just a few days to him because he loved Rachel very much.
21 After seven years Jacob said to Laban, “Give me ·Rachel [L my woman/wife] so that I may ·marry [L go to] her. ·The time I promised to work for you is over [L My days are fulfilled].”
22 So Laban gave a ·feast [banquet] for all the people there. 23 That evening he brought his daughter Leah to Jacob, and ·they had sexual relations [L he (Jacob) went into her]. 24 (Laban gave his slave girl Zilpah to his daughter to be her ·servant [L slave girl].) 25 In the morning when Jacob saw that ·he had had sexual relations with [L it was] Leah, he said to Laban, “What have you done to me? I worked hard for you so that I could marry Rachel! Why did you ·trick [deceive; defraud] me?”
26 Laban said, “In our ·country [L place] we do not allow the younger daughter to marry before the ·older daughter [L firstborn]. 27 But complete the full week of ·the marriage ceremony with Leah [L this one], and I will give you ·Rachel [L the other one] to marry also. But you must serve me another seven years.”
28 So Jacob did this, and when he had completed the week ·with Leah [L of this one], Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife. 29 (Laban gave his slave girl Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her ·servant [L slave girl].) 30 So Jacob ·had sexual relations with [L went to] Rachel also, and Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah. Jacob worked for Laban for another seven years.
Jacob’s Family Grows
31 When the Lord saw ·that Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah [L Leah was unloved/hated], he ·made it possible for Leah to have children [L opened up her womb], but ·not Rachel [L Rachel was barren]. 32 Leah ·became pregnant [conceived] and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben [C sounds like “seen my troubles” in Hebrew], because she said, “The Lord has seen my ·troubles [distress]. Surely now my husband will love me.”
33 Leah ·became pregnant [conceived] again and gave birth to another son. She named him Simeon [C sounds like “has heard” in Hebrew] and said, “The Lord has heard that I am ·not loved [or hated], so he has given me this son.”
34 Leah ·became pregnant [conceived] again and gave birth to another son. She named him Levi [C sounds like “be close to” in Hebrew] and said, “Now, surely my husband will ·be close [bind/attach himself] to me, because I have given him three sons.”
35 Then Leah gave birth to another son. She named him Judah [C sounds like “praise” in Hebrew], because she said, “Now I will praise the Lord.” Then Leah stopped having children.
30 When Rachel saw that she was not having children for Jacob, she ·envied [was jealous of] her sister Leah. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!” 2 Jacob became angry with her and said, “·Can I do what only God can do [L Am I in the place of God]? He ·is the one who has kept you from having children [L has withheld the fruit of your womb].”
3 Then Rachel said, “Here is my slave girl Bilhah. ·Have sexual relations with [L Go to] her so she can ·give birth to a child for me [L bear a child on my knees]. Then I can ·have my own family [L be built up] through her.”
4 So Rachel gave Bilhah, her slave girl, to Jacob as a ·wife [or concubine], and he ·had sexual relations with [L went to] her. 5 Bilhah ·became pregnant [conceived] and gave Jacob a son. 6 Rachel said, “God has ·judged me innocent [vindicated me]. He has listened to my prayer and has given me a son,” so she named him Dan [C sounds like “he has judged” in Hebrew].
7 Bilhah ·became pregnant [conceived] again and gave Jacob a second son. 8 Rachel said, “I have ·struggled [or wrestled] hard with my sister, and I have won.” So she named that son Naphtali [C sounds like “my struggle/wrestling” in Hebrew].
9 Leah saw that she had stopped having children, so she gave her slave girl Zilpah to Jacob as a ·wife [or concubine]. 10 When Zilpah, the slave girl of Leah, ·got pregnant [conceived] and had a son, 11 Leah said, “·I am lucky [Good fortune],” so she named him Gad [C sounds like “lucky” in Hebrew]. 12 Zilpah, the slave girl of Leah, gave birth to another son, 13 and Leah said, “I am very ·happy [or blessed]! Now women will call me ·happy [or blessed],” so she named him Asher [C sounds like “happy/blessed” in Hebrew].
14 During the wheat harvest Reuben went into the field and found some mandrake plants [C an aphrodisiac, also thought to increase fertility] and brought them to his mother Leah. But Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”
15 Leah answered, “·You have already [L Is it a minor matter that you have] taken away my husband, and now you are trying to take away my son’s mandrakes.”
But Rachel answered, “If you will give me your son’s mandrakes, you may ·sleep [L lie] with Jacob tonight.”
16 When Jacob came in from the field ·that night [in the evening], Leah went out to meet him. She said, “You will ·have sexual relations with [L come to] me tonight because I have ·paid for [bought; hired] you with my son’s mandrakes.” So Jacob ·slept [L lay] with her that night.
17 Then God ·answered Leah’s prayer [L heard Leah], and she ·became pregnant [L conceived] again. She gave birth to a fifth son 18 and said, “God has given me what I ·paid for [bought; hired], because I gave my slave girl to my husband.” So Leah named her son Issachar [C sounds like “paid for” in Hebrew].
19 Leah ·became pregnant [conceived] again and gave birth to a sixth son. 20 ·She [L Leah] said, “God has given me a fine ·gift [dowry]. Now surely Jacob will ·honor [exalt] me, because I have given him six sons,” so she named him Zebulun [C sounds like “honor” in Hebrew]. 21 Later Leah gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah [ch. 34].
22 Then God remembered Rachel and ·answered her prayer [L heard her], ·making it possible for her to have children [L and opened her womb]. 23 When she ·became pregnant [conceived] and gave birth to a son, she said, “God has taken away my ·shame [reproach],” 24 and she named him Joseph [C sounds like “he adds” in Hebrew]. Rachel said, “I wish the Lord would ·give [L add to] me another son.”
Jacob Tricks Laban
25 ·After the birth of [At the time that Rachel gave birth to] Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Now ·let me [L send me away that I might] go to my own home and country. 26 Give me my wives and my children and let me go. I have earned them by working for you, and you know that I have served you well.”
27 Laban said to him, “If I have ·pleased you [L found grace in your eyes], please stay. I ·know [or have learned by divination that] the Lord has blessed me because of you. 28 ·Tell me what I should pay you [Name your price], and I will give it to you.”
29 Jacob answered, “You know that I have worked hard for you, and [L how] your ·flocks [herds; or cattle] have ·grown while I cared for them [L have done with me]. 30 When I came, you had little, but now you have ·much [L increased many times]. ·Every time I did something for you [Wherever I turned; L At my feet], the Lord blessed you. But when will I be able to do something for my own ·family [household; L house]?”
31 Laban asked, “Then what should I give you?”
Jacob answered, “I don’t want you to give me anything. Just do this one thing, and I will come back and ·take care of [L feed and watch] your flocks. 32 Today let me ·go [pass] through all your flocks. I will ·take [remove] every speckled or spotted sheep, every black lamb, and every spotted or speckled goat. That will be my ·pay [wage; hire]. 33 In the future ·you can easily see if I am honest [L my honesty/righteousness will answer for me]. When you come to look at my flocks, if I have any goat that isn’t speckled or spotted or any lamb that isn’t black, you will know I stole it.”
34 Laban answered, “Agreed! We will do what you ·ask [L say].” 35 But that day Laban ·took away [removed] all the male goats that had streaks or spots, all the speckled and spotted female goats (all those that had white on them), and all the black sheep. He told his sons to ·watch over [take charge of] them. 36 Then he took these animals to a place that was three days’ journey away from Jacob. Jacob ·took care of [pastured] all the flocks that were left.
37 So Jacob cut ·green [fresh] ·branches [rods] from poplar, almond, and plane trees and peeled off some of the bark so that the ·branches [rods] had white stripes on them. 38 He put the ·branches [rods] in front of the flocks at the watering ·places [troughs]. When the animals came to drink, they ·also mated there [L were in heat], 39 so the flocks mated in front of the branches [rods]. Then the young that were born were streaked, speckled, or spotted [C since nothing in Jacob’s strategy would have produced this result, God must have done it]. 40 Jacob separated the young animals from the others, and he made them face the streaked and dark animals in Laban’s flock. Jacob kept his animals separate from Laban’s. 41 When the stronger animals in the flock were ·mating [L in heat], Jacob put the ·branches [rods] before their eyes so they would mate near the branches. 42 But when the ·weaker [feebler] animals ·mated [L were in heat], Jacob did not put the ·branches [rods] there. So the animals born from the ·weaker [feebler] animals were Laban’s, and those born from the stronger animals were Jacob’s. 43 In this way ·Jacob [L the man] became very rich. He had large flocks, many male and female servants, camels, and donkeys.
Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man(A)
9 Jesus got into a boat and went back across the ·lake [sea] to his own town. 2 [L And look/T behold] Some people brought to Jesus a man who was paralyzed and lying on a ·mat [cot; bed]. When Jesus saw ·the faith of these people [L their faith], he said to the paralyzed man, “·Be encouraged [Have courage; Take heart], ·young man [son; child]. Your sins are forgiven.”
3 Some of the ·teachers of the law [scribes] said to themselves, “·This man speaks as if he were God. That is blasphemy [L This man blasphemes]!”
4 ·Knowing [Perceiving] their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why are you thinking evil ·thoughts [L in your hearts]? 5 [L For] Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to tell him, ‘Stand up and walk’? 6 But ·I will prove to you [L so that you may know] that the Son of Man [C a title for the Messiah; Dan. 7:13–14] has authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Stand up, ·take [pick up] your ·mat [cot; bed], and go home.” 7 And the man stood up and went home. 8 When the ·people [crowds] saw this, they were ·amazed [filled with awe; afraid] and ·praised [glorified] God for giving ·power like this [such authority] to ·human beings [mankind; C the language echoes the Son of Man title just used by Jesus (v. 6), which the crowds misunderstand to mean simply “a human being”].
Jesus Chooses Matthew(B)
9 When Jesus was ·leaving [walking along], he saw a man named Matthew sitting in the tax collector’s booth [C probably a tariff booth for taxing goods in transit]. Jesus said to him, “Follow me,” and he stood up and followed Jesus.
10 As Jesus was ·having dinner [L reclining; C around a low table; the posture for a formal banquet or dinner party] at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ·ate [L reclined together] with Jesus and his ·followers [disciples]. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked Jesus’ ·followers [disciples], “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors [C despised because they worked for the Roman rulers and were notorious for corruption and extortion] and sinners?”
12 When Jesus heard them, he said, “It is not the healthy people who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I ·want [desire; require; am pleased by] ·kindness [compassion; mercy] ·more than I want [L not] animal sacrifices [Hos. 6:6].’ [L For] I did not come to ·invite [call] ·good people [the righteous; C meaning the “self-righteous” who feel no need to repent] but to invite [call] sinners [C those who recognize their need to repent].”
Jesus’ Followers Are Criticized(C)
14 Then the ·followers [disciples] of John [C the Baptist] came to Jesus and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees often fast [C giving up eating for spiritual purposes], but your ·followers [disciples] don’t?”
15 Jesus answered, “The ·friends of the bridegroom [or wedding guests; L children of the wedding hall] ·are not sad [L cannot mourn] while he is with them [C Jesus is referring to himself; John 3:29; Rev. 19:7]. But the ·time [L days] will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and then they will fast.
16 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk [C new] cloth over a hole in an old ·coat [garment]. If he does, the patch will shrink and pull away from the ·coat [garment], making the ·hole [tear] worse. 17 Also, people never pour new wine into old ·leather bags [wineskins]. Otherwise, the ·bags [wineskins] will ·break [burst; C because the fermenting wine expands], the wine will spill, and the ·wine bags [wineskins] will be ruined. But people always pour new wine into ·new [fresh] ·wine bags [wineskins]. Then both ·will continue to be good [are preserved].”
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