Genesis 24

¹Hallelujah! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments.

²His descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.

²And Abram had become extremely wealthy in livestock and silver and gold.

²²The blessing of the Lord enriches, and He adds no sorrow to it.

⁹So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

³³But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.

¹¹And Abraham and Sarah were already old and well along in years; Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.

²⁹When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and promise to show me kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt,

⁴Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household and entrusted him with everything he owned.

⁵From the time that he put Joseph in charge of his household and all he owned, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s household on account of him. The Lord’s blessing was on everything he owned, both in his house and in his field.

²But Abram replied, “O Lord God, what can You give me, since I remain childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”

⁹So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter.

¹⁰Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed with all manner of good things from his master in hand. And he set out for Nahor’s hometown in Aram-naharaim.

¹Then Joseph instructed his steward: “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each one’s silver in the mouth of his sack.

⁸But he refused. “Look,” he said to his master’s wife, “with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in his house, and he has entrusted everything he owns to my care.

⁹No one in this house is greater than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. So how could I do such a great evil and sin against God?”

³⁴When Esau was forty years old, he took as his wives Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.

³⁵And they brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.

¹⁴Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership can righteousness have with wickedness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness?

¹⁵What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?

²⁵I rebuked them and called down curses on them. I beat some of these men and pulled out their hair. Then I made them take an oath before God and said, “You must not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters as wives for your sons or for yourselves!

³Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons,

⁴because they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord will burn against you, and He will swiftly destroy you.

⁸And seeing that his father Isaac disapproved of the Canaanite women,

¹⁶And when you take some of their daughters as brides for your sons, their daughters will prostitute themselves to their gods and cause your sons to do the same.

²“Go at once to Paddan-aram, to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel, and take a wife from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother.

²⁰Some time later, Abraham was told, “Milcah has also borne sons to your brother Nahor:

²¹Uz the firstborn, his brother Buz, Kemuel (the father of Aram),

⁷Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your offspring.” So Abram built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

²⁵And after he had become the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.

²and if you can swear, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness, then the nations will be blessed by Him, and in Him they will glory.”

⁵⁸They called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?” “I will go,” she replied.

¹⁶Every prudent man acts with knowledge, but a fool displays his folly.

⁷You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain.

²But if you continue to restrain them and refuse to let them go,

²⁰If indeed they have escaped the corruption of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, only to be entangled and overcome by it again, their final condition is worse than it was at first.

²¹It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than to have known it and then to turn away from the holy commandment passed on to them.

¹It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be encumbered once more by a yoke of slavery.

³⁹But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

⁹By faith he dwelt in the promised land as a stranger in a foreign country. He lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.

¹³All these people died in faith, without having received the things they were promised. However, they saw them and welcomed them from afar. And they acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.

¹⁴Now those who say such things show that they are seeking a country of their own.

⁷The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and he delivers them.

²And I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

¹⁵for all the land that you see, I will give to you and your offspring forever.

¹⁴Are not the angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

²⁰Behold, I am sending an angel before you to protect you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.

²¹Pay attention to him and listen to his voice; do not defy him, for he will not forgive rebellion, since My Name is in him.

¹⁸On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land—from the river of Egypt to the great River Euphrates—

¹⁷The men said to her, “We will not be bound by this oath you made us swear

¹⁸unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother and brothers and all your family into your house.

⁵But if her father prohibits her on the day he hears about it, then none of the vows or pledges by which she has bound herself shall stand. The Lord will absolve her because her father has prohibited her.

⁸But if her husband prohibits her when he hears of it, he nullifies the vow that binds her or the rash promise she has made, and the Lord will absolve her.

²And Stephen declared: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,

²⁰This is how we will treat them: We will let them live, so that no wrath will fall on us because of the oath we swore to them.”

⁴but will go to my country and my kindred to take a wife for my son Isaac.”

⁵The servant asked him, “What if the woman is unwilling to follow me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the land from which you came?”

²So Abraham instructed the chief servant of his household, who managed all he owned, “Place your hand under my thigh,

³¹And Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai the wife of Abram, and they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans for the land of Canaan. But when they arrived in Haran, they settled there.

⁴For they did not meet you with food and water on your way out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram-naharaim to curse you.

²So Abraham instructed the chief servant of his household, who managed all he owned, “Place your hand under my thigh,

⁴Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household and entrusted him with everything he owned.

⁵From the time that he put Joseph in charge of his household and all he owned, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s household on account of him. The Lord’s blessing was on everything he owned, both in his house and in his field.

⁹Parthians, Medes, and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,

¹Jacob resumed his journey and came to the land of the people of the east.

¹¹And as they were climbing the hill to the city, they met some young women coming out to draw water and asked, “Is the seer here?”

¹⁶Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father’s flock.

⁷When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”

¹³But Jacob replied, “My lord knows that the children are frail, and I must care for sheep and cattle that are nursing their young. If they are driven hard for even a day, all the animals will die.

¹⁴Please let my lord go ahead of his servant. I will continue on slowly, at a comfortable pace for the livestock and children, until I come to my lord at Seir.”

¹³Here I am, standing beside the spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water.

¹⁴Now may it happen that the girl to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who responds, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels as well’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. By this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.”

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

²⁷saying, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not withheld His kindness and faithfulness from my master. As for me, the Lord has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.”

⁶Then He said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

²⁴and that night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for the sake of My servant Abraham.”

⁶Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you prosper.

⁴²So when I came to the spring today, I prayed: O Lord, God of my master Abraham, if only You would make my journey a success!

¹⁴Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the waters. “Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” he asked. And when he had struck the waters, they parted to the right and to the left, and Elisha crossed over.

⁴³Here I am, standing beside this spring. Now if a maiden comes out to draw water and I say to her, ‘Please let me drink a little water from your jar,’

⁵Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will do it.

¹¹the voices of the singers at the watering places. There they shall recount the righteous acts of the Lord, the righteous deeds of His villagers in Israel. Then the people of the Lord went down to the gates:

¹¹As evening approached, he made the camels kneel down near the well outside the town at the time when the women went out to draw water.

⁷When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”

⁶in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

³⁷then behold, I will place a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that You are going to save Israel by my hand, as You have said.”

¹⁷Gideon answered, “If I have found favor in Your sight, give me a sign that it is You speaking with me.

⁸But Abram replied, “Lord God, how can I know that I will possess it?”

²⁴As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move quickly, because this will mean that the Lord has gone out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.”

¹⁴Houses and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord.

¹¹“Ask for a sign from the Lord your God, whether from the depths of Sheol or the heights of heaven.”

²⁹And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. Abram’s wife was named Sarai, and Nahor’s wife was named Milcah; she was the daughter of Haran, who was the father of both Milcah and Iscah.

⁴⁵And before I had finished praying in my heart, there was Rebekah coming out with her jar on her shoulder, and she went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’

²⁴Even before they call, I will answer, and while they are still speaking, I will hear.

²O You who listen to prayer, all people will come to You.

²⁰While I was speaking, praying, confessing my sin and that of my people Israel, and presenting my petition before the Lord my God concerning His holy mountain—

²¹while I was still praying, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice.

⁹Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry out, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you remove the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger and malicious talk,

⁷But when the men of that place asked about his wife, he said, “She is my sister.” For he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” since he thought to himself, “The men of this place will kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is so beautiful.”

⁶So Potiphar left all that he owned in Joseph’s care; he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome,

¹⁷So now, kill all the boys, as well as every woman who has had relations with a man,

¹⁸but spare for yourselves every girl who has never had relations with a man.

¹And Adam had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man,” she said.

⁷When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”

¹⁰So Elijah got up and went to Zarephath. When he arrived at the city gate, there was a widow gathering sticks. Elijah called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup, so that I may drink.”

¹⁴Bring water for the thirsty, O dwellers of Tema; meet the refugees with food.

¹Now there was another famine in the land, subsequent to the one that had occurred in Abraham’s time. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines at Gerar.

²The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt. Settle in the land where I tell you.

⁶Then the lame will leap like a deer and the mute tongue will shout for joy. For waters will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.

⁷The parched ground will become a pool, the thirsty land springs of water. In the haunt where jackals once lay, there will be grass and reeds and papyrus.

²⁵And from every high mountain and every raised hill, streams of water will flow in the day of great slaughter, when the towers fall.

⁸Finally, all of you, be like-minded and sympathetic, love as brothers, be tenderhearted and humble.

²⁶She opens her mouth with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

⁸Above all, love one another deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

⁹Show hospitality to one another without complaining.

¹⁴Now may it happen that the girl to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who responds, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels as well’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. By this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.”

¹⁴Now may it happen that the girl to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who responds, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels as well’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. By this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.”

⁴⁵And before I had finished praying in my heart, there was Rebekah coming out with her jar on her shoulder, and she went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’

⁴⁶She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels as well.’ So I drank, and she also watered the camels.

⁹Show hospitality to one another without complaining.

⁴³Let him who is wise pay heed to these things and consider the loving devotion of the Lord.

¹²“O Lord, God of my master Abraham,” he prayed, “please grant me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.

⁵¹Then He went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But His mother treasured up all these things in her heart.

¹⁸Then King David went in, sat before the Lord, and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far?

¹⁹And as if this was a small thing in Your eyes, O Lord God, You have also spoken about the future of the house of Your servant. Is this Your custom with man, O Lord God?

¹⁹But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

¹I love the Lord, for He has heard my voice—my appeal for mercy.

²Because He has inclined His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live.

¹¹I adorned you with jewelry, and I put bracelets on your wrists and a chain around your neck.

¹²I put a ring in your nose, earrings on your ears, and a beautiful crown upon your head.

²So Aaron told them, “Take off the gold earrings that are on your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.”

³Then all the people took off their gold earrings and brought them to Aaron.

¹⁵“Listen to me, my lord. The land is worth four hundred shekels of silver, but what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.”

¹⁶Abraham agreed to Ephron’s terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the standard of the merchants.

³⁰As soon as he saw the ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and heard Rebekah’s words, “The man said this to me,” he went and found the man standing by the camels near the spring.

⁴⁷Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She replied, ‘The daughter of Bethuel son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to him.’ So I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her wrists.

³²Does a maiden forget her jewelry or a bride her wedding sash? Yet My people have forgotten Me for days without number.

¹⁵Before the servant had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor.

²³And Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. Milcah bore these eight sons to Abraham’s brother Nahor.

²⁹And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. Abram’s wife was named Sarai, and Nahor’s wife was named Milcah; she was the daughter of Haran, who was the father of both Milcah and Iscah.

²⁰Some time later, Abraham was told, “Milcah has also borne sons to your brother Nahor:

⁹Show hospitality to one another without complaining.

⁸But a noble man makes honorable plans; he stands up for worthy causes.

¹⁹even though there is both straw and feed for our donkeys, and bread and wine for me and the maidservant and young man with me. There is nothing that we, your servants, lack.”

²⁰“Peace to you,” said the old man. “Let me supply everything you need. Only do not spend the night in the square.”

⁴Let a little water be brought, that you may wash your feet and rest yourselves under the tree.

⁵And I will bring a bit of bread so that you may refresh yourselves. This is why you have passed your servant’s way. After that, you may continue on your way.” “Yes,” they replied, “you may do as you have said.”

⁴⁸Then I bowed down and worshiped the Lord; and I blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who led me on the right road to take the granddaughter of my master’s brother for his son.

⁵²When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord.

³¹and they believed. And when they heard that the Lord had attended to the Israelites and had seen their affliction, they bowed down and worshiped.

²⁷you are to reply, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when He struck down the Egyptians and spared our homes.’” Then the people bowed down and worshiped.

¹⁸Then Jehoshaphat bowed facedown, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down before the Lord to worship Him.

¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

⁴⁸Then I bowed down and worshiped the Lord; and I blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who led me on the right road to take the granddaughter of my master’s brother for his son.

¹⁰I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness You have shown Your servant. Indeed, with only my staff I came across the Jordan, but now I have become two camps.

³He has remembered His love and faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

¹⁴Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a kinsman-redeemer. May his name become famous in Israel.

¹²“O Lord, God of my master Abraham,” he prayed, “please grant me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.

¹⁰Jethro declared, “Blessed be the Lord, who has delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who has delivered the people from the hand of the Egyptians.

³³So Laban went into Jacob’s tent, then Leah’s tent, and then the tents of the two maidservants, but he found nothing. Then he left Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s tent.

⁴⁸Then I bowed down and worshiped the Lord; and I blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who led me on the right road to take the granddaughter of my master’s brother for his son.

⁵⁵But her brother and mother said, “Let the girl remain with us ten days or so. After that, she may go.”

⁶⁷And Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah and took Rebekah as his wife. And Isaac loved her and was comforted after his mother’s death.

⁵“Do you know Laban the grandson of Nahor?” Jacob asked. “We know him,” they replied.

⁵⁵But her brother and mother said, “Let the girl remain with us ten days or so. After that, she may go.”

¹³When Laban heard the news about his sister’s son Jacob, he ran out to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his home, where Jacob told him all that had happened.

⁶⁰And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands upon thousands. May your offspring possess the gates of their enemies.”

¹⁰Then Boaz said, “May the Lord bless you, my daughter. You have shown more kindness now than before, because you have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor.

²⁹that you will not harm us, just as we have not harmed you but have done only good to you, sending you on your way in peace. And now you are blessed by the Lord.”

¹⁵May you be blessed by the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

²said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse—I have the silver here with me; I took it.” Then his mother said, “Blessed be my son by the Lord!”

¹⁶A man’s gift opens doors for him, and brings him before great men.

⁸A bribe is a charm to its giver; wherever he turns, he succeeds.

²¹So he brought him to his house and fed his donkeys. And they washed their feet and ate and drank.

²⁴And the steward took the men into Joseph’s house, gave them water to wash their feet, and provided food for their donkeys.

⁴Let a little water be brought, that you may wash your feet and rest yourselves under the tree.

⁴⁴And turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give Me water for My feet, but she wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.

²and said, “My lords, please turn aside into the house of your servant; wash your feet and spend the night. Then you can rise early and go on your way.” “No,” they answered, “we will spend the night in the square.”

¹⁰and well known for good deeds such as bringing up children, entertaining strangers, washing the feet of the saints, imparting relief to the afflicted, and devoting herself to every good work.

³“I will not enter my house or get into my bed,

⁴I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids,

⁵Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear and sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.

⁶And do this not only to please them while they are watching, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.

²Those who have believing masters should not show disrespect because they are brothers, but should serve them all the more, since those receiving their good service are beloved believers. Teach and encourage these principles.

¹⁰Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, for in Sheol, where you are going, there is no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.

¹²I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread.

¹⁴But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life.”

²And Abram had become extremely wealthy in livestock and silver and gold.

¹By now Abraham was old and well along in years, and the Lord had blessed him in every way.

³⁸He blesses them, and they multiply greatly; He does not let their herds diminish.

²²The blessing of the Lord enriches, and He adds no sorrow to it.

¹⁶He treated Abram well on her account, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels.

³³But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.

⁵Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac.

¹⁰and she said to Abraham, “Expel the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac!”

¹Now the Lord attended to Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what He had promised.

²So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised.

¹⁵Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, do not call her Sarai, for her name is to be Sarah.

¹⁶And I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will descend from her.”

¹⁹Without weakening in his faith, he acknowledged the decrepitness of his body (since he was about a hundred years old) and the lifelessness of Sarah’s womb.

¹⁰Then the Lord said, “I will surely return to you at this time next year, and your wife Sarah will have a son!” Now Sarah was behind him, listening at the entrance to the tent.

¹¹And Abraham and Sarah were already old and well along in years; Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.

¹After these things had been accomplished, the leaders approached me and said, “The people of Israel, including the priests and Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the surrounding peoples whose abominations are like those of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites.

²Indeed, the Israelites have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, so that the holy seed has been mixed with the people of the land. And the leaders and officials have taken the lead in this unfaithfulness!”

²So Abraham instructed the chief servant of his household, who managed all he owned, “Place your hand under my thigh,

³and I will have you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I am dwelling,

⁴⁶Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am weary of my life because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a Hittite wife from among them, what good is my life?”

²the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they took as wives whomever they chose.

⁴but will go to my country and my kindred to take a wife for my son Isaac.”

¹⁹Now while Laban was out shearing his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household idols.

¹Then the Lord said to Abram, “Leave your country, your kindred, and your father’s household, and go to the land I will show you.

⁵The servant asked him, “What if the woman is unwilling to follow me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the land from which you came?”

²⁰Behold, I am sending an angel before you to protect you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.

⁸I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

²⁴Enoch walked with God, and then he was no more, because God had taken him away.

²And I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

¹When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty. Walk before Me and be blameless.

²⁸Nebuchadnezzar declared, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him. They violated the king’s command and risked their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.

⁸And if the woman is unwilling to follow you, then you are released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there.”

¹²so that you may enter into the covenant of the Lord your God, which He is making with you today, and into His oath,

¹¹O Lord, may Your ear be attentive to my prayer and to the prayers of Your servants who delight to revere Your name. Give Your servant success this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” (At that time I was the cupbearer to the king.)

¹²“O Lord, God of my master Abraham,” he prayed, “please grant me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.

¹³Here I am, standing beside the spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water.

¹⁷May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish for us the work of our hands—yes, establish the work of our hands!

¹⁰in my prayers at all times, asking that now at last by God’s will I may succeed in coming to you.

⁵Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will do it.

²¹And there by the Ahava Canal I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask Him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions.

¹³Here I am, standing beside the spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water.

¹⁴Now may it happen that the girl to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who responds, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels as well’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. By this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.”

¹⁴Now may it happen that the girl to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who responds, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels as well’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. By this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.”

²²He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.

³³The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.

²Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.

²²And from the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man, He made a woman and brought her to him.

⁸Finally, all of you, be like-minded and sympathetic, love as brothers, be tenderhearted and humble.

¹⁵Before the servant had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor.

¹⁶Now the girl was very beautiful, a virgin who had not had relations with any man. She went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came up again.

³⁰Cornelius answered: “Four days ago I was in my house praying at this, the ninth hour. Suddenly a man in radiant clothing stood before me

⁷Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.

²⁴Even before they call, I will answer, and while they are still speaking, I will hear.

²³At the beginning of your petitions, an answer went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are highly precious. So consider the message and understand the vision:

¹²And when he had realized this, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered together and were praying.

¹³He knocked at the outer gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer it.

¹⁸“Drink, my lord,” she replied, and she quickly lowered her jar to her hands and gave him a drink.

¹⁹After she had given him a drink, she said, “I will also draw water for your camels, until they have had enough to drink.”

¹⁰I clothed you in embroidered cloth and gave you sandals of fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk.

¹¹I adorned you with jewelry, and I put bracelets on your wrists and a chain around your neck.

³You will be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, a royal diadem in the palm of your God.

⁴No longer will you be called Forsaken, nor your land named Desolate; but you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the Lord will take delight in you, and your land will be His bride.

²²And after the camels had finished drinking, he took out a gold ring weighing a beka, and two gold bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels.

²³“Whose daughter are you?” he asked. “Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”

¹³All glorious is the princess in her chamber; her gown is embroidered with gold.

¹⁴In colorful garments she is led to the king; her virgin companions are brought before you.

⁵³Then he brought out jewels of silver and gold, and articles of clothing, and he gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious gifts to her brother and her mother.

⁹The daughters of kings are among your honored women; the queen stands at your right hand, adorned with the gold of Ophir.

²⁶Then the man bowed down and worshiped the Lord,

²⁷saying, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not withheld His kindness and faithfulness from my master. As for me, the Lord has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.”

⁵Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;

⁶in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

⁸I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will give you counsel and watch over you.

¹⁴For this God is our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even till death.

¹⁷Thus says the Lord your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you for your benefit, who directs you in the way you should go.

⁵²When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord.

²⁹When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and promise to show me kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt,

¹⁴“Our lives for your lives!” the men agreed. “If you do not report our mission, we will show you kindness and faithfulness when the Lord gives us the land.”

³Never let loving devotion or faithfulness leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.

¹⁰I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness You have shown Your servant. Indeed, with only my staff I came across the Jordan, but now I have become two camps.

¹⁷Please let us pass through your land. We will not go through any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will stay on the King’s Highway; we will not turn to the right or to the left until we have passed through your territory.”

²⁷“Let us pass through your land; we will stay on the main road. We will not turn to the right or to the left.

²³This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes.

²⁴But that night God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream and warned him, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.”

²⁹I have power to do you great harm, but last night the God of your father said to me, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’

²²And Absalom never said a word to Amnon, either good or bad, because he hated Amnon for violating his sister Tamar.

¹¹This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

⁵⁵But her brother and mother said, “Let the girl remain with us ten days or so. After that, she may go.”

¹⁵And Abimelech said, “Look, my land is before you. Settle wherever you please.”

¹⁵Before the servant had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor.

¹⁰But the king replied, “What have I to do with you, O sons of Zeruiah? If he curses me because the Lord told him, ‘Curse David,’ who can ask, ‘Why did you do this?’”

²⁶Then the man bowed down and worshiped the Lord,

⁴⁸Then I bowed down and worshiped the Lord; and I blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who led me on the right road to take the granddaughter of my master’s brother for his son.

¹I love the Lord, for He has heard my voice—my appeal for mercy.

²Because He has inclined His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live.

⁶O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.

²⁰Then David said to the whole assembly, “Bless the Lord your God.” So the whole assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their fathers. They bowed down and paid homage to the Lord and to the king.

¹⁸Then Jehoshaphat bowed facedown, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down before the Lord to worship Him.

²²And after the camels had finished drinking, he took out a gold ring weighing a beka, and two gold bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels.

¹⁰Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed with all manner of good things from his master in hand. And he set out for Nahor’s hometown in Aram-naharaim.

³⁵Furthermore, the Israelites acted on Moses’ word and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold, and for clothing.

²Now announce to the people that men and women alike should ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold.”

²²Every woman shall ask her neighbor and any woman staying in her house for silver and gold jewelry and clothing, and you will put them on your sons and daughters. So you will plunder the Egyptians.”

¹³Your branches are an orchard of pomegranates with the choicest of fruits, with henna and nard,

⁵⁶But he replied, “Do not delay me, since the Lord has made my journey a success. Send me on my way so that I may go to my master.”

⁵⁹So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham’s servant and his men.

²⁴Then Joseph sent his brothers on their way, and as they were leaving, he said to them, “Do not quarrel on the way!”

¹⁹Then Ahimaaz son of Zadok said, “Please let me run and tell the king the good news that the Lord has avenged him of his enemies.”

⁵So Isaac sent Jacob to Paddan-aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, who was the mother of Jacob and Esau.

⁶Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him to Paddan-aram to take a wife there, commanding him, “Do not marry a Canaanite woman,”

¹⁰Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is unwise of you to ask about this.

²⁹If a man sells a house in a walled city, he retains his right of redemption until a full year after its sale; during that year it may be redeemed.

³So in the course of time, Cain brought some of the fruit of the soil as an offering to the Lord,

⁸When Samson returned later to take her, he left the road to see the lion’s carcass, and in it was a swarm of bees, along with their honey.

¹⁵I, even I, have spoken; yes, I have called him. I have brought him, and he will succeed in his mission.

²⁵Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land.

⁸This Book of the Law must not depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in all you do.

⁹Now return quickly to my father and tell him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me without delay.

¹⁰You shall settle in the land of Goshen and be near me—you and your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and everything you own.

³⁸“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it happen to me according to your word.” Then the angel left her.

¹⁰Listen, O daughter! Consider and incline your ear: Forget your people and your father’s house,

¹¹and the king will desire your beauty; bow to him, for he is your lord.

⁸Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel. So Jacob named it Allon-bacuth.

⁶⁰And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands upon thousands. May your offspring possess the gates of their enemies.”

⁵³Then he brought out jewels of silver and gold, and articles of clothing, and he gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious gifts to her brother and her mother.

⁵As you know, we never used words of flattery or any pretext for greed. God is our witness!

¹²Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth, so that You should tell me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries an infant,’ to the land that You swore to give their fathers?

⁵⁰Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the Lord; we have no choice in the matter.

¹⁷I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the gates of their enemies.

¹⁶And I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will descend from her.”

¹¹“We are witnesses,” said the elders and all the people at the gate. “May the Lord make the woman entering your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you be prosperous in Ephrathah and famous in Bethlehem.

¹²And may your house become like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring the Lord will give you by this young woman.”

³May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, so that you may become a company of peoples.

¹⁵Then he blessed Joseph and said: “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,

¹⁶the angel who has redeemed me from all harm—may He bless these boys. And may they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they grow into a multitude upon the earth.”

¹And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.

¹⁰Listen, O daughter! Consider and incline your ear: Forget your people and your father’s house,

²⁴For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

¹⁰Mordecai wrote in the name of King Xerxes and sealed it with the royal signet ring. He sent the documents by mounted couriers riding on swift horses bred from the royal mares.

³⁴Now Rachel had taken Laban’s household idols, put them in the saddlebag of her camel, and was sitting on them. And Laban searched everything in the tent but found nothing.

¹⁴The couriers rode out in haste on their royal horses, pressed on by the command of the king. And the edict was also issued in the citadel of Susa.

¹⁷And David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man escaped, except four hundred young men who fled, riding off on camels.

¹⁴Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi. It is located between Kadesh and Bered.

¹¹After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who lived near Beer-lahai-roi.

¹Now Abraham journeyed from there to the region of the Negev and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he was staying in Gerar,

⁹And Abram journeyed on toward the Negev.

¹⁵I will meditate on Your precepts and regard Your ways.

⁵I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your works; I consider the work of Your hands.

⁶I stretch out my hands to You; my soul thirsts for You like a parched land. Selah

³⁴May my meditation be pleasing to Him, for I rejoice in the Lord.

²But his delight is in the Law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night.

⁸This Book of the Law must not depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in all you do.

⁵the glorious splendor of Your majesty. And I will meditate on Your wondrous works.

¹⁸One day Acsah came to Othniel and urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you desire?”

¹⁴One day Acsah came to Othniel and urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you desire?”

⁹Likewise, I want the women to adorn themselves with respectable apparel, with modesty, and with self-control, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes,

⁵And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for it is just as if her head were shaved.

⁶If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off. And if it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head.

¹⁰For this reason a woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head, because of the angels.

¹⁶And he said to Sarah, “See, I am giving your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is your vindication before all who are with you; you are completely cleared.”

³⁰Meanwhile, the apostles gathered around Jesus and brought Him news of all they had done and taught.

²I would lead you and bring you to the house of my mother who taught me. I would give you spiced wine to drink, the nectar of my pomegranates.

²²Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.

²³For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior.

¹Now Sarah lived to be 127 years old.

²She died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went out to mourn and to weep for her.

¹⁸Since Jacob loved Rachel, he answered, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.”

⁹“Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked. “There, in the tent,” he replied.

¹⁰Then the Lord said, “I will surely return to you at this time next year, and your wife Sarah will have a son!” Now Sarah was behind him, listening at the entrance to the tent.

³⁵All his sons and daughters tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said. “I will go down to Sheol mourning for my son.” So his father wept for him.