Today's Reading

¹Dinah, the daughter of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.

²Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her. He took her, lay with her, and humbled her.

³His soul joined to Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young lady, and spoke kindly to the young lady.

⁴Shechem spoke to his father, Hamor, saying, "Get me this young lady as a wife."

⁵Now Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah, his daughter; and his sons were with his livestock in the field. Jacob held his peace until they came.

⁶Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to talk with him.

⁷The sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it. The men were grieved, and they were very angry, because he had done folly in Israel in lying with Jacob's daughter; a which thing ought not to be done.

⁸Hamor talked with them, saying, "The soul of my son, Shechem, longs for your daughter. Please give her to him as a wife.

⁹Make marriages with us. Give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves.

¹⁰You shall dwell with us, and the land will be before you. Live and trade in it, and get possessions in it."

¹¹Shechem said to her father and to her brothers, "Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you will tell me I will give.

¹²Ask me a great amount for a dowry, and I will give whatever you ask of me, but give me the young lady as a wife."

¹³The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father with deceit, and spoke, because he had defiled Dinah their sister,

¹⁴and said to them, "We can't do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised; for that is a reproach to us.

¹⁵Only on this condition will we consent to you. If you will be as we are, that every male of you be circumcised;

¹⁶then will we give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people.

¹⁷But if you will not listen to us, to be circumcised, then we will take our sister, and we will be gone."

¹⁸Their words pleased Hamor and Shechem, Hamor's son.

¹⁹The young man did not wait to do this thing, because he had delight in Jacob's daughter, and he was honored above all the house of his father.

²⁰Hamor and Shechem, his son, came to the gate of their city, and talked with the men of their city, saying,

²¹"These men are peaceful with us. Therefore let them live in the land and trade in it. For behold, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters.

²²Only on this condition will the men consent to us to live with us, to become one people, if every male among us is circumcised, as they are circumcised.

²³Won't their livestock and their possessions and all their animals be ours? Only let us give our consent to them, and they will dwell with us."

²⁴All who went out of the gate of his city listened to Hamor, and to Shechem his son; and every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.

²⁵It happened on the third day, when they were sore, that two of Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, each took his sword, came upon the unsuspecting city, and killed all the males.

²⁶They killed Hamor and Shechem, his son, with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem's house, and went away.

²⁷Jacob's sons came on the dead, and plundered the city, because they had defiled their sister.

²⁸They took their flocks, their herds, their donkeys, that which was in the city, that which was in the field,

²⁹and all their wealth. They took captive all their little ones and their wives, and took as plunder everything that was in the house.

³⁰Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You have troubled me, to make me odious to the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I am few in number. They will gather themselves together against me and strike me, and I will be destroyed, I and my house."

³¹They said, "Should he deal with our sister as with a prostitute?"

¹God said to Jacob, "Arise, go up to Bethel, and live there. Make there an altar to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother."

²Then Jacob said to his household, and to all who were with him, "Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, change your garments.

³Let us arise, and go up to Bethel. I will make there an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went."

⁴They gave to Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hands, and the rings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.

⁵They traveled, and a terror of God was on the cities that were around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.

⁶So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him.

⁷He built an altar there, and called the place El Beth El; because there God was revealed to him, when he fled from the face of his brother.

⁸Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the oak; and its name was called Allon Bacuth.

⁹God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan Aram, and blessed him.

¹⁰God said to him, "Your name is Jacob. Your name shall not be Jacob any more, but your name will be Israel." He named him Israel.

¹¹God said to him, "I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations will be from you, and kings will come out of your body.

¹²The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to you, and to your seed after you will I give the land."

¹³God went up from him in the place where he spoke with him.

¹⁴Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he spoke with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering on it, and poured oil on it.

¹⁵Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him "Bethel."

¹⁶They traveled from Bethel. There was still some distance to come to Ephrath, and Rachel travailed. She had hard labor.

¹⁷When she was in hard labor, the midwife said to her, "Do not be afraid, for now you will have another son."

¹⁸It happened, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she named him Benoni, but his father named him Benjamin.

¹⁹Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath (the same is Bethlehem).

²⁰Jacob set up a pillar on her grave. The same is the Pillar of Rachel's grave to this day.

²¹Israel traveled, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Eder.

²²It happened, while Israel lived in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah, his father's concubine, and Israel heard of it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve.

²³The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob's firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.

²⁴The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.

²⁵The sons of Bilhah (Rachel's handmaid): Dan and Naphtali.

²⁶The sons of Zilpah (Leah's handmaid): Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan Aram.

²⁷Jacob came to Isaac his father, to Mamre, to Kiriath Arba (which is Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac lived as foreigners.

²⁸The days of Isaac were one hundred eighty years.

²⁹Isaac gave up the spirit, and died, and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. Esau and Jacob, his sons, buried him.

¹Now this is the history of the generations of Esau (that is, Edom).

²Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan: Adah the daughter of Elon, the Hittite; and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon, the Hivite;

³and Basemath, Ishmael's daughter, sister of Nebaioth.

⁴Adah bore to Esau Eliphaz. Basemath bore Reuel.

⁵Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the sons of Esau, who were born to him in the land of Canaan.

⁶Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the members of his household, with his livestock, all his animals, and all his possessions, which he had gathered in the land of Canaan, and went into a land away from his brother Jacob.

⁷For their substance was too great for them to dwell together, and the land of their travels couldn't bear them because of their livestock.

⁸Esau lived in the hill country of Seir. Esau is Edom.

⁹This is the history of the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in the hill country of Seir:

¹⁰these are the names of Esau's sons: Eliphaz, the son of Adah, the wife of Esau; and Reuel, the son of Basemath, the wife of Esau.

¹¹The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, and Gatam, and Kenaz.

¹²Timna was concubine to Eliphaz, Esau's son; and she bore to Eliphaz Amalek. These are the sons of Adah, Esau's wife.

¹³These are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the sons of Basemath, Esau's wife.

¹⁴These were the sons of Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon, Esau's wife: she bore to Esau Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.

¹⁵These are the chiefs of the sons of Esau: the sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau: chief Teman, chief Omar, chief Zepho, chief Kenaz,

¹⁶chief Korah, chief Gatam, chief Amalek: these are the chiefs who came of Eliphaz in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Adah.

¹⁷These are the sons of Reuel, Esau's son: chief Nahath, chief Zerah, chief Shammah, chief Mizzah: these are the chiefs who came of Reuel in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Basemath, Esau's wife.

¹⁸These are the sons of Oholibamah, Esau's wife: chief Jeush, chief Jalam, chief Korah: these are the chiefs who came of Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, Esau's wife.

¹⁹These are the sons of Esau (that is, Edom), and these are their chiefs.

²⁰These are the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,

²¹Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These are the chiefs who came of the Horites, the children of Seir in the land of Edom.

²²The children of Lotan were Hori and Heman. Lotan's sister was Timna.

²³These are the children of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.

²⁴These are the children of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah. This is Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness, as he fed the donkeys of Zibeon his father.

²⁵These are the children of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah.

²⁶These are the children of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.

²⁷These are the children of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.

²⁸These are the children of Dishan: Uz and Aran.

²⁹These are the chiefs who came of the Horites: chief Lotan, chief Shobal, chief Zibeon, chief Anah,

³⁰chief Dishon, chief Ezer, and chief Dishan: these are the chiefs who came of the Horites, according to their chiefs in the land of Seir.

³¹These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom, before any king reigned over the children of Israel.

³²Bela, the son of Beor, reigned in Edom. The name of his city was Dinhabah.

³³Bela died, and Jobab, the son of Zerah of Bozrah, reigned in his place.

³⁴Jobab died, and Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his place.

³⁵Husham died, and Hadad, the son of Bedad, who struck Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his place. The name of his city was Avith.

³⁶Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place.

³⁷Samlah died, and Shaul of Rehoboth by the river, reigned in his place.

³⁸Shaul died, and Baal Hanan, the son of Achbor reigned in his place.

³⁹Baal Hanan the son of Achbor died, and Hadar reigned in his place. The name of his city was Pau. His wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab.

⁴⁰These are the names of the chiefs who came from Esau, according to their families, after their places, and by their names: chief Timna, chief Alvah, chief Jetheth,

⁴¹chief Oholibamah, chief Elah, chief Pinon,

⁴²chief Kenaz, chief Teman, chief Mibzar,

⁴³chief Magdiel, and chief Iram. These are the chiefs of Edom, according to their habitations in the land of their possession. This is Esau, the father of the Edomites.

¹At that time, Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the grain fields. His disciples were hungry and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.

²But the Pharisees, when they saw it, said to him, "Behold, your disciples do what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath."

³But he said to them, "Have not you read what David did, when he was hungry, he and his companions;

⁴how he entered into the house of God, and ate the show bread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for those who were with him, but only for the priests?

⁵Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath day, the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are guiltless?

⁶But I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.

⁷But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless.

⁸For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

⁹And he departed there, and went into their synagogue.

¹⁰And behold there was a man with a withered hand. They asked him, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day?" that they might accuse him.

¹¹And he said to them, "What man is there among you, who has one sheep, and if this one falls into a pit on the Sabbath day, won't he grab on to it, and lift it out?

¹²Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath day."

¹³Then he told the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out; and it was restored whole, just like the other.

¹⁴But the Pharisees went out, and conspired against him, how they might destroy him.

¹⁵But Jesus, perceiving that, withdrew from there. Many followed him; and he healed them all,

¹⁶and commanded them that they should not make him known:

¹⁷that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying,

¹⁸"Behold, my servant whom I have chosen; my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my Spirit on him. And he will proclaim justice to the nations.

¹⁹He will not strive, nor shout; neither will anyone hear his voice in the streets.

²⁰He won't break a bruised reed. And he won't quench a smoking flax, until he leads justice to victory.

²¹And in his name, the nations will hope."

²²Then one possessed by a demon, blind and mute, was brought to him and he healed him, so that the mute man both spoke and saw.

²³And all the multitudes were amazed, and said, "Can this be the son of David?"

²⁴But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, "This man does not cast out demons, except by Beelzebul, the prince of the demons."

²⁵And knowing their thoughts, he said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.

²⁶And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?

²⁷If I by Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.

²⁸But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.

²⁹Or how can one enter into the house of the strong man, and carry off his possessions, unless he first bind the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.

³⁰"He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters.

³¹Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.

³²And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, neither in this age, nor in that which is to come.

³³"Either make the tree good, and its fruit good, or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by its fruit.

³⁴You offspring of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.

³⁵The good man out of his good treasure brings out good things, and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings out evil things.

³⁶But I tell you that every idle word that men speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.

³⁷For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

³⁸Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from you."

³⁹But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, but no sign will be given it but the sign of Jonah the prophet.

⁴⁰For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

⁴¹The men of Nineveh will stand up in the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it, for they repented at the proclaiming of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

⁴²The queen of the south will rise up in the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, someone greater than Solomon is here.

⁴³But the unclean spirit, when he is gone out of the man, passes through waterless places, seeking rest, and does not find it.

⁴⁴Then he says, 'I will return into my house from which I came out,' and when he has come back, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.

⁴⁵Then he goes, and takes with himself seven other spirits more evil than he is, and they enter in and dwell there. The last state of that man becomes worse than the first. Even so will it be also to this evil generation."

⁴⁶While he was yet speaking to the multitudes, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, seeking to speak to him.

⁴⁷Then one said to him, "Behold, your mother and your brothers stand outside, seeking to speak to you."

⁴⁸But he answered him who spoke to him, "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?"

⁴⁹And he stretched out his hand towards his disciples, and said, "Behold, my mother and my brothers!

⁵⁰For whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother."

¹ Help, Lord; for the godly man ceases. For the faithful fail from among the children of men.

²Everyone lies to his neighbor. They speak with flattering lips, and with a double heart.

³May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that boasts,

⁴who have said, "With our tongue we will prevail. Our lips are our own. Who is lord over us?"

⁵"Because of the oppression of the weak and because of the groaning of the needy, I will now arise," says the Lord; "I will set him in safety from those who malign him."

⁶The words of the Lord are flawless words, as silver refined in a clay furnace, purified seven times.

⁷You will keep them, Lord. You will preserve them from this generation forever.

⁸The wicked walk on every side, when what is vile is exalted among the sons of men.

¹Whoever loves correction loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.

²A good man shall obtain favor from the Lord, but he will condemn a man of wicked devices.

³A man shall not be established by wickedness, but the root of the righteous shall not be moved.

⁴A worthy woman is the crown of her husband, but a disgraceful wife is as rottenness in his bones.

⁵The thoughts of the righteous are just, but the advice of the wicked is deceitful.

⁶The words of the wicked are about lying in wait for blood, but the speech of the upright rescues them.

⁷The wicked are overthrown, and are no more, but the house of the righteous shall stand.

⁸A man shall be commended according to his wisdom, but he who has a warped mind shall be despised.

⁹Better is he who is lightly esteemed, and has a servant, than he who honors himself, and lacks bread.

¹⁰A righteous man regards the life of his animal, but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.

¹¹He who tills his land shall have plenty of bread, but he who chases fantasies is void of understanding.

¹²The wicked desires the plunder of evil men, but the root of the righteous flourishes.

¹³An evil man is trapped by sinfulness of lips, but the righteous shall come out of trouble.

¹⁴A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth. The work of a man's hands shall be rewarded to him.

¹⁵The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who is wise listens to counsel.

¹⁶A fool shows his annoyance the same day, but one who overlooks an insult is prudent.

¹⁷He who is truthful testifies honestly, but a false witness lies.

¹⁸There is one who speaks rashly like the piercing of a sword, but the tongue of the wise heals.

¹⁹Truth's lips will be established forever, but a lying tongue is only momentary.

²⁰Deceit is in the heart of those who plot evil, but joy comes to the promoters of peace.

²¹No mischief shall happen to the righteous, but the wicked shall be filled with evil.

²²Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who do the truth are his delight.

²³A prudent man keeps his knowledge, but the hearts of fools proclaim foolishness.

²⁴The hands of the diligent ones shall rule, but laziness ends in slave labor.

²⁵Anxiety in a man's heart weighs it down, but a kind word makes it glad.

²⁶A righteous person is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

²⁷The slothful man doesn't roast his game, but the possessions of diligent men are prized.

²⁸In the way of righteousness is life; in its path there is no death.