Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

A Song of Ascents

The Guardian of God’s People

⁴³ But Laban answered Jacob, “These women are my daughters. These children are my children. The flocks are mine. In fact, everything that you see belongs to me. But what would I do today to my daughters and the children they have borne? ⁴⁴ Come, let’s make a covenant just between you and me. And let it serve as a witness between you and me.”

⁴⁵ So Jacob took a stone and raised it as a pillar. ⁴⁶ Then Jacob told his relatives, “Go gather some stones.” So they picked up stones and stacked them one on top of the other. Then they had a meal together there by the stack of stones. ⁴⁷ Laban named the place Jegar-sahadutha,^[a] but Jacob named it Galeed.^[b]

⁴⁸ Then Laban said, “This stack will serve as a witness between you and me today.” That’s how the place came to be named Galeed. ⁴⁹ It was also called Mizpah,^[c] because Laban^[d] said, “May the Lord watch between you and me, when we are estranged^[e] from each other. ⁵⁰ If you mistreat my daughters or if you take other wives besides them, though no one is watching^[f] us, keep in mind that God stands as a witness between you and me.”

⁵¹ “Look!” Laban added, “Here is the stack of stones and here is the pillar that I’ve set up between you and me. ⁵² This stack is a witness, and so is this pillar, reminding me not to cross beyond this stack of stones, and reminding you not to pass by this stack in my direction, intending to cause harm. ⁵³ May Abraham’s God and Nahor’s god judge between us.”

So Jacob made an oath by his father’s Fear,^{[g] 54} offered sacrifices there on the mountain, and called on his relatives to eat some food. So they ate the food and spent the night on the mountain. ^55 [h]Early the next morning, Laban woke up, kissed his grandchildren and daughters, blessed them, and then left for home.^[i]

Jacob Prepares to Meet Esau

32 ^[j]As Jacob went on his way, angels from God met him. ² As he was watching them, Jacob said, “This must be God’s camp,” so he named that place Mahanaim.^[k]

¹⁴ Remind others about these things, and warn them before God^[a] not to argue over words. Arguing^[b] does not do any good but only destroys those who are listening. ¹⁵ Do your best to present yourself to God as an approved worker who has nothing to be ashamed of, handling the word of truth with precision. ¹⁶ However, avoid pointless discussions. For people will become more and more ungodly, ¹⁷ and what they say will spread everywhere like gangrene. Hymenaeus and Philetus are like that. ¹⁸ They have abandoned the truth by claiming that the resurrection has already taken place, and so they destroy the faith of others.

¹⁹ However, God’s solid foundation still stands. It has this inscription on it: “The Lord^[c] knows those who belong to him,”^[d] and “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord^[e] must turn away from evil.”^{[f] 20} In a large house there are not only utensils made of gold and silver, but also those made of wood and clay. Some are for special use, while others are for ordinary use. ²¹ Therefore, if anyone stops associating with^[g] these people, he will become a special utensil, set apart for the owner’s use, prepared for every good action.

²² Flee from youthful passions. Instead, pursue righteousness, faithfulness,^[h] love, and peace together with those who call on the Lord with a pure heart. ²³ Do not have anything to do with foolish and stupid discussions, because you know they breed arguments. ²⁴ A servant^[i] of the Lord must not argue. Instead, he must be kind to everyone, teachable,^[j] willing to suffer wrong, ²⁵ and gentle when refuting opponents. After all, maybe God will allow them to repent and to come to a full knowledge of the truth, ²⁶ so that they might escape from the Devil’s snare, even though they’ve been held captive by him to do his will.