GENESIS 24:52- 26:16
MATTHEW 8:18- 34
PSALM 10:1- 15
PROVERBS 3:7- 8
At this reply, Abraham's servant bowed to the ground and worshiped the LORD. 53 Then he brought out silver and gold jewelry and lovely clothing for Rebekah. He also gave valuable presents to her mother and brother. 54 Then they had supper, and the servant and the men with him stayed there overnight. But early the next morning, he said, "Send me back to my master." 55 "But we want Rebekah to stay at least ten days," her brother and mother said. "Then she can go." 56 But he said, "Don't hinder my return. The LORD has made my mission successful, and I want to report back to my master." 57 "Well," they said, "we'll call Rebekah and ask her what she thinks." 58 So they called Rebekah. "Are you willing to go with this man?" they asked her. And she replied, "Yes, I will go." 59 So they said good- bye to Rebekah and sent her away with Abraham's servant and his men. The woman who had been Rebekah's childhood nurse went along with her. 60 They blessed her with this blessing as she parted:"Our sister, may you become
the mother of many millions!
May your descendants overcome
all their enemies."
61 Then Rebekah and her servants mounted the camels and left with Abraham's servant. 62 Meanwhile, Isaac, whose home was in the Negev, had returned from Beer- lahairoi. 63 One evening as he was taking a walk out in the fields, meditating, he looked up and saw the camels coming. 64 When Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac, she quickly dismounted. 65 "Who is that man walking through the fields to meet us?" she asked the servant. And he replied, "It is my master." So Rebekah covered her face with her veil. 66 Then the servant told Isaac the whole story. 67 And Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother's tent, and she became his wife. He loved her very much, and she was a special comfort to him after the death of his mother. 25:1 NOW Abraham married again. Keturah was his new wife, 2 and she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 3 Jokshan's two sons were Sheba and Dedan. Dedan's descendants were the Asshurites, Letushites, and Leummites. 4 Midian's sons were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. These were all descendants of Abraham through Keturah. 5 Abraham left everything he owned to his son Isaac. 6 But before he died, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them off to the east, away from Isaac. 7 Abraham lived for 175 years, 8 and he died at a ripe old age, joining his ancestors in death. 9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite. 10 This was the field Abraham had purchased from the Hittites, where he had buried his wife Sarah. 11 After Abraham's death, God poured out rich blessings on Isaac, who settled near Beer- lahairoi in the Negev. 12 This is the history of the descendants of Ishmael, the son of Abraham through Hagar, Sarah's Egyptian servant. 13 Here is a list, by their names and clans, of Ishmael's descendants:The oldest was Nebaioth, followed by Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 16 These twelve sons of Ishmael became the founders of twelve tribes that bore their names, listed according to the places they settled and camped. 17 Ishmael finally died at the age of 137 and joined his ancestors in death. 18 Ishmael's descendants were scattered across the country from Havilah to Shur, which is east of Egypt in the direction of Asshur. The clans descended from Ishmael camped close to one another. 19 This is the history of the family of Isaac, the son of Abraham. 20 When Isaac was forty years old, he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan- aram and the sister of Laban. 21 Isaac pleaded with the LORD to give Rebekah a child because she was childless. So the LORD answered Isaac's prayer, and his wife became pregnant with twins. 22 But the two children struggled with each other in her womb. So she went to ask the LORD about it. "Why is this happening to me?" she asked. 23 And the LORD told her, "The sons in your womb will become two rival nations. One nation will be stronger than the other; the descendants of your older son will serve the descendants of your younger son." 24 And when the time came, the twins were born. 25 The first was very red at birth. He was covered with so much hair that one would think he was wearing a piece of clothing. So they called him Esau. 26 Then the other twin was born with his hand grasping Esau's heel. So they called him Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when the twins were born. 27 As the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open fields, while Jacob was the kind of person who liked to stay at home. 28 Isaac loved Esau in particular because of the wild game he brought home, but Rebekah favored Jacob. 29 One day when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau arrived home exhausted and hungry from a hunt. 30 Esau said to Jacob, "I'm starved! Give me some of that red stew you've made." (This was how Esau got his other name, Edom-- "Red.") 31 Jacob replied, "All right, but trade me your birthright for it." 32 "Look, I'm dying of starvation!" said Esau. "What good is my birthright to me now?" 33 So Jacob insisted, "Well then, swear to me right now that it is mine." So Esau swore an oath, thereby selling all his rights as the firstborn to his younger brother. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew. Esau ate and drank and went on about his business, indifferent to the fact that he had given up his birthright. 26:1 NOW a severe famine struck the land, as had happened before in Abraham's time. So Isaac moved to Gerar, where Abimelech, king of the Philistines, lived. 2 The LORD appeared to him there and said, "Do not go to Egypt. 3 Do as I say, and stay here in this land. If you do, I will be with you and bless you. I will give all this land to you and your descendants, just as I solemnly promised Abraham, your father. 4 I will cause your descendants to become as numerous as the stars, and I will give them all these lands. And through your descendants *all the nations of the earth will be blessed. 5 I will do this because Abraham listened to me and obeyed all my requirements, commands, regulations, and laws." 6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar. 7 And when the men there asked him about Rebekah, he said, "She is my sister." He was afraid to admit that she was his wife. He thought they would kill him to get her, because she was very beautiful. 8 But some time later, Abimelech, king of the Philistines, looked out a window and saw Isaac fondling Rebekah. 9 Abimelech called for Isaac and exclaimed, "She is obviously your wife! Why did you say she was your sister?" "Because I was afraid someone would kill me to get her from me," Isaac replied. 10 "How could you treat us this way!" Abimelech exclaimed. "Someone might have taken your wife and slept with her, and you would have made us guilty of great sin." 11 Then Abimelech made a public proclamation:"Anyone who harms this man or his wife will die!" 12 That year Isaac's crops were tremendous! He harvested a hundred times more grain than he planted, for the LORD blessed him. 13 He became a rich man, and his wealth only continued to grow. 14 He acquired large flocks of sheep and goats, great herds of cattle, and many servants. Soon the Philistines became jealous of him, 15 and they filled up all of Isaac's wells with earth. These were the wells that had been dug by the servants of his father, Abraham. 16 And Abimelech asked Isaac to leave the country. "Go somewhere else," he said, "for you have become too rich and powerful for us."
When Jesus noticed how large the crowd was growing, he instructed his disciples to cross to the other side of the lake. 19 Then one of the teachers of religious law said to him, "Teacher, I will follow you no matter where you go!" 20 But Jesus said, "Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but I, the Son of Man, have no home of my own, not even a place to lay my head." 21 Another of his disciples said, "Lord, first let me return home and bury my father." 22 But Jesus told him, "Follow me now! Let those who are spiritually dead care for their own dead." 23 Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. 24 Suddenly, a terrible storm came up, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went to him and woke him up, shouting, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" 26 And Jesus answered, "Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!" Then he stood up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly all was calm. 27 The disciples just sat there in awe. "Who is this?" they asked themselves. "Even the wind and waves obey him!" 28 When Jesus arrived on the other side of the lake in the land of the Gadarenes, two men who were possessed by demons met him. They lived in a cemetery and were so dangerous that no one could go through that area. 29 They began screaming at him, "Why are you bothering us, Son of God? You have no right to torture us before God's appointed time!" 30 A large herd of pigs was feeding in the distance, 31 so the demons begged, "If you cast us out, send us into that herd of pigs." 32 "All right, go!" Jesus commanded them. So the demons came out of the men and entered the pigs, and the whole herd plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water. 33 The herdsmen fled to the nearby city, telling everyone what happened to the demon- possessed men. 34 The entire town came out to meet Jesus, but they begged him to go away and leave them alone.
O LORD, why do you stand so far away?
Why do you hide when I need you the most?
2 Proud and wicked people viciously oppress the poor.
Let them be caught in the evil they plan for others.
3 For they brag about their evil desires;
they praise the greedy and curse the LORD.
4 These wicked people are too proud to seek God.
They seem to think that God is dead.
5 Yet they succeed in everything they do.
They do not see your punishment awaiting them.
They pour scorn on all their enemies.
6 They say to themselves, "Nothing bad will ever happen to us!
We will be free of trouble forever!"
7 Their mouths are full of cursing, lies, and threats.
Trouble and evil are on the tips of their tongues.
8 They lurk in dark alleys,
murdering the innocent who pass by.
They are always searching
for some helpless victim.
9 Like lions they crouch silently,
waiting to pounce on the helpless.
Like hunters they capture their victims
and drag them away in nets.
10 The helpless are overwhelmed and collapse;
they fall beneath the strength of the wicked.
11 The wicked say to themselves, "God isn't watching!
He will never notice!"
12 Arise, O LORD!
Punish the wicked, O God!
Do not forget the helpless!
13 Why do the wicked get away with cursing God?
How can they think, "God will never call us to account"?
14 But you do see the trouble and grief they cause.
You take note of it and punish them.
The helpless put their trust in you.
You are the defender of orphans.
15 Break the arms of these wicked, evil people!
Go after them until the last one is destroyed!
Don't be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the LORD and turn your back on evil. Then you will gain renewed health and vitality
MATTHEW 8:18- 34
PSALM 10:1- 15
PROVERBS 3:7- 8
At this reply, Abraham's servant bowed to the ground and worshiped the LORD. 53 Then he brought out silver and gold jewelry and lovely clothing for Rebekah. He also gave valuable presents to her mother and brother. 54 Then they had supper, and the servant and the men with him stayed there overnight. But early the next morning, he said, "Send me back to my master." 55 "But we want Rebekah to stay at least ten days," her brother and mother said. "Then she can go." 56 But he said, "Don't hinder my return. The LORD has made my mission successful, and I want to report back to my master." 57 "Well," they said, "we'll call Rebekah and ask her what she thinks." 58 So they called Rebekah. "Are you willing to go with this man?" they asked her. And she replied, "Yes, I will go." 59 So they said good- bye to Rebekah and sent her away with Abraham's servant and his men. The woman who had been Rebekah's childhood nurse went along with her. 60 They blessed her with this blessing as she parted:"Our sister, may you become
the mother of many millions!
May your descendants overcome
all their enemies."
61 Then Rebekah and her servants mounted the camels and left with Abraham's servant. 62 Meanwhile, Isaac, whose home was in the Negev, had returned from Beer- lahairoi. 63 One evening as he was taking a walk out in the fields, meditating, he looked up and saw the camels coming. 64 When Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac, she quickly dismounted. 65 "Who is that man walking through the fields to meet us?" she asked the servant. And he replied, "It is my master." So Rebekah covered her face with her veil. 66 Then the servant told Isaac the whole story. 67 And Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother's tent, and she became his wife. He loved her very much, and she was a special comfort to him after the death of his mother. 25:1 NOW Abraham married again. Keturah was his new wife, 2 and she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 3 Jokshan's two sons were Sheba and Dedan. Dedan's descendants were the Asshurites, Letushites, and Leummites. 4 Midian's sons were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. These were all descendants of Abraham through Keturah. 5 Abraham left everything he owned to his son Isaac. 6 But before he died, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them off to the east, away from Isaac. 7 Abraham lived for 175 years, 8 and he died at a ripe old age, joining his ancestors in death. 9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite. 10 This was the field Abraham had purchased from the Hittites, where he had buried his wife Sarah. 11 After Abraham's death, God poured out rich blessings on Isaac, who settled near Beer- lahairoi in the Negev. 12 This is the history of the descendants of Ishmael, the son of Abraham through Hagar, Sarah's Egyptian servant. 13 Here is a list, by their names and clans, of Ishmael's descendants:The oldest was Nebaioth, followed by Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 16 These twelve sons of Ishmael became the founders of twelve tribes that bore their names, listed according to the places they settled and camped. 17 Ishmael finally died at the age of 137 and joined his ancestors in death. 18 Ishmael's descendants were scattered across the country from Havilah to Shur, which is east of Egypt in the direction of Asshur. The clans descended from Ishmael camped close to one another. 19 This is the history of the family of Isaac, the son of Abraham. 20 When Isaac was forty years old, he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan- aram and the sister of Laban. 21 Isaac pleaded with the LORD to give Rebekah a child because she was childless. So the LORD answered Isaac's prayer, and his wife became pregnant with twins. 22 But the two children struggled with each other in her womb. So she went to ask the LORD about it. "Why is this happening to me?" she asked. 23 And the LORD told her, "The sons in your womb will become two rival nations. One nation will be stronger than the other; the descendants of your older son will serve the descendants of your younger son." 24 And when the time came, the twins were born. 25 The first was very red at birth. He was covered with so much hair that one would think he was wearing a piece of clothing. So they called him Esau. 26 Then the other twin was born with his hand grasping Esau's heel. So they called him Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when the twins were born. 27 As the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open fields, while Jacob was the kind of person who liked to stay at home. 28 Isaac loved Esau in particular because of the wild game he brought home, but Rebekah favored Jacob. 29 One day when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau arrived home exhausted and hungry from a hunt. 30 Esau said to Jacob, "I'm starved! Give me some of that red stew you've made." (This was how Esau got his other name, Edom-- "Red.") 31 Jacob replied, "All right, but trade me your birthright for it." 32 "Look, I'm dying of starvation!" said Esau. "What good is my birthright to me now?" 33 So Jacob insisted, "Well then, swear to me right now that it is mine." So Esau swore an oath, thereby selling all his rights as the firstborn to his younger brother. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew. Esau ate and drank and went on about his business, indifferent to the fact that he had given up his birthright. 26:1 NOW a severe famine struck the land, as had happened before in Abraham's time. So Isaac moved to Gerar, where Abimelech, king of the Philistines, lived. 2 The LORD appeared to him there and said, "Do not go to Egypt. 3 Do as I say, and stay here in this land. If you do, I will be with you and bless you. I will give all this land to you and your descendants, just as I solemnly promised Abraham, your father. 4 I will cause your descendants to become as numerous as the stars, and I will give them all these lands. And through your descendants *all the nations of the earth will be blessed. 5 I will do this because Abraham listened to me and obeyed all my requirements, commands, regulations, and laws." 6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar. 7 And when the men there asked him about Rebekah, he said, "She is my sister." He was afraid to admit that she was his wife. He thought they would kill him to get her, because she was very beautiful. 8 But some time later, Abimelech, king of the Philistines, looked out a window and saw Isaac fondling Rebekah. 9 Abimelech called for Isaac and exclaimed, "She is obviously your wife! Why did you say she was your sister?" "Because I was afraid someone would kill me to get her from me," Isaac replied. 10 "How could you treat us this way!" Abimelech exclaimed. "Someone might have taken your wife and slept with her, and you would have made us guilty of great sin." 11 Then Abimelech made a public proclamation:"Anyone who harms this man or his wife will die!" 12 That year Isaac's crops were tremendous! He harvested a hundred times more grain than he planted, for the LORD blessed him. 13 He became a rich man, and his wealth only continued to grow. 14 He acquired large flocks of sheep and goats, great herds of cattle, and many servants. Soon the Philistines became jealous of him, 15 and they filled up all of Isaac's wells with earth. These were the wells that had been dug by the servants of his father, Abraham. 16 And Abimelech asked Isaac to leave the country. "Go somewhere else," he said, "for you have become too rich and powerful for us."
When Jesus noticed how large the crowd was growing, he instructed his disciples to cross to the other side of the lake. 19 Then one of the teachers of religious law said to him, "Teacher, I will follow you no matter where you go!" 20 But Jesus said, "Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but I, the Son of Man, have no home of my own, not even a place to lay my head." 21 Another of his disciples said, "Lord, first let me return home and bury my father." 22 But Jesus told him, "Follow me now! Let those who are spiritually dead care for their own dead." 23 Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. 24 Suddenly, a terrible storm came up, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went to him and woke him up, shouting, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" 26 And Jesus answered, "Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!" Then he stood up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly all was calm. 27 The disciples just sat there in awe. "Who is this?" they asked themselves. "Even the wind and waves obey him!" 28 When Jesus arrived on the other side of the lake in the land of the Gadarenes, two men who were possessed by demons met him. They lived in a cemetery and were so dangerous that no one could go through that area. 29 They began screaming at him, "Why are you bothering us, Son of God? You have no right to torture us before God's appointed time!" 30 A large herd of pigs was feeding in the distance, 31 so the demons begged, "If you cast us out, send us into that herd of pigs." 32 "All right, go!" Jesus commanded them. So the demons came out of the men and entered the pigs, and the whole herd plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water. 33 The herdsmen fled to the nearby city, telling everyone what happened to the demon- possessed men. 34 The entire town came out to meet Jesus, but they begged him to go away and leave them alone.
O LORD, why do you stand so far away?
Why do you hide when I need you the most?
2 Proud and wicked people viciously oppress the poor.
Let them be caught in the evil they plan for others.
3 For they brag about their evil desires;
they praise the greedy and curse the LORD.
4 These wicked people are too proud to seek God.
They seem to think that God is dead.
5 Yet they succeed in everything they do.
They do not see your punishment awaiting them.
They pour scorn on all their enemies.
6 They say to themselves, "Nothing bad will ever happen to us!
We will be free of trouble forever!"
7 Their mouths are full of cursing, lies, and threats.
Trouble and evil are on the tips of their tongues.
8 They lurk in dark alleys,
murdering the innocent who pass by.
They are always searching
for some helpless victim.
9 Like lions they crouch silently,
waiting to pounce on the helpless.
Like hunters they capture their victims
and drag them away in nets.
10 The helpless are overwhelmed and collapse;
they fall beneath the strength of the wicked.
11 The wicked say to themselves, "God isn't watching!
He will never notice!"
12 Arise, O LORD!
Punish the wicked, O God!
Do not forget the helpless!
13 Why do the wicked get away with cursing God?
How can they think, "God will never call us to account"?
14 But you do see the trouble and grief they cause.
You take note of it and punish them.
The helpless put their trust in you.
You are the defender of orphans.
15 Break the arms of these wicked, evil people!
Go after them until the last one is destroyed!
Don't be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the LORD and turn your back on evil. Then you will gain renewed health and vitality
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