Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

David wrote this prayer.

A prayer for help

Jacob runs away from Laban

31 Jacob heard that Laban's sons were complaining about him. They were saying, ‘Jacob has taken everything that belonged to our father. He has taken things from our father and he has become rich himself.’

² And Jacob could see that Laban was not as nice to him as he had been before.

³ Then the Lord said to Jacob, ‘Go back to the land where your father and grandfather lived. Go back to your relatives. I will be with you there.’ ⁴ Jacob sent a message to Rachel and Leah. He said that they must come to the field where he was taking care of his animals. ⁵ Jacob said to them, ‘I see that your father is not as nice to me now as he was before. But the God of my father has been with me. ⁶ You know that I have worked very hard for your father. I have worked as well as I can. ⁷ But your father has cheated me many times. He has changed what I receive for my work at least ten times. But God has protected me from him. ⁸ Sometimes Laban said, “I will pay you with the animals that have different colours on their skin.” If he said that, all the animals gave birth to babies with different colours on their skins. Sometimes he said, “I will pay you with the animals that have marks on them.” Then all the animals gave birth to babies with marks on them. ⁹ In this way God took away your father's animals, and he gave them to me.

¹⁰ One night I had a dream. It was at the time when the animals were becoming pregnant. In the dream, I saw that the male goats had marks and different colours on their skin. ¹¹ The angel of God spoke to me in the dream. He said, “Jacob.” I replied, “Yes, here I am.” ¹² The angel said, “Look carefully. See all the male goats that are having sex with the female goats. They all have marks and different colours on their skin. I am helping you because I have seen the bad things that Laban has done to you. ¹³ I am the God who appeared to you at Bethel. That is where you poured oil on the special stone and you made a promise to me. Now I am telling you to leave this land. Go back to the land where you were born.” ’

¹⁴ Rachel and Leah replied, ‘Our father will not give us anything more when he dies. ¹⁵ He now thinks of us like foreigners. You worked hard for him so that we could become your wives. He has cheated us as well as you! ¹⁶ So everything that God has taken away from our father really belongs to us and to our children. So you must do everything that God has told you to do.’

¹⁷ So Jacob put his children and wives on his camels. ¹⁸ He put together all his animals and everything that he had received in Paddan Aram. He took them with him to go to the land of Canaan. He left to go back to his father Isaac. ¹⁹ Before they left, Laban had gone to cut the wool from his sheep. While he was away from the house, Rachel took the idols that Laban worshipped in his house.^[a]

²⁰ Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean. He did not tell Laban that he was going away. ²¹ Jacob went away quickly and he took all his things. He went across the Euphrates river. He went towards the hill country of Gilead.

Jesus teaches his disciples more about God

⁷ Jesus said, ‘Go on asking God for what you need. Then God will give it to you. Go on looking for what you need. Then you will find it. Go on knocking at the door, and God will open it for you. ⁸ Everyone who asks for something will receive it. Everyone who looks for something will find it. God will open the door for everyone who knocks on it.

⁹ Some of you are fathers. If your son asks you for some bread, you would not give him a stone. ¹⁰ If he asks you for a fish, you would not give him a snake. ¹¹ You may be bad, but even you know how to give good things to your children. Your Father in heaven knows much better than you do how to give good things to his children. He will give good things to everyone who asks him.^[a]