Daily Readings for January 16
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Genesis 28

 

1.Isaac called Jacob, blessed him, and commanded him, "You shall not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. 2.Arise, go to Paddan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother's father. Take a wife from there from the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother. 3.May God Almighty bless you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, that you may be a company of peoples, 4.and give you the blessing of Abraham, to you, and to your seed with you, that you may inherit the land where you travel, which God gave to Abraham."

5.Isaac sent Jacob away. He went to Paddan Aram to Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, Rebekah's brother, Jacob's and Esau's mother.

6.Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan Aram, to take him a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he gave him a command, saying, "You shall not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan," 7.and that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Paddan Aram. 8.Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan didn't please Isaac, his father. 9.Esau went to Ishmael, and took, besides the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife.

10.Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. 11.He came to a certain place, and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. He took one of the stones of the place, and put it under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep. 12.He dreamed. Behold, a stairway set upon the earth, and its top reached to heaven. Behold, the angels of God ascending and descending on it. 13.Behold, Yahweh stood above it, and said, "I am Yahweh, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. The land whereon you lie, to you will I give it, and to your seed. 14.Your seed will be as the dust of the earth, and you will spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. In you and in your seed will all the families of the earth be blessed. 15.Behold, I am with you, and will keep you, wherever you go, and will bring you again into this land. For I will not leave you, until I have done that which I have spoken of to you."

16.Jacob awakened out of his sleep, and he said, "Surely Yahweh is in this place, and I didn't know it." 17.He was afraid, and said, "How dreadful is this place! This is none other than God's house, and this is the gate of heaven."

18.Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil on its top. 19.He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first. 20.Jacob vowed a vow, saying, "If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and clothing to put on, 21.so that I come again to my father's house in peace, and Yahweh will be my God, 22.then this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, will be God's house. Of all that you will give me I will surely give the tenth to you."

 

Genesis 29

 

1.Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the children of the east. 2.He looked, and behold, a well in the field, and, behold, three flocks of sheep lying there by it. For out of that well they watered the flocks. The stone on the well's mouth was large. 3.There all the flocks were gathered. They rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again on the well's mouth in its place. 4.Jacob said to them, "My relatives, where are you from?"

They said, "We are from Haran."

5.He said to them, "Do you know Laban, the son of Nahor?"

They said, "We know him."

6.He said to them, "Is it well with him?"

They said, "It is well. See, Rachel, his daughter, is coming with the sheep."

7.He said, "Behold, it is still the middle of the day, not time to gather the livestock together. Water the sheep, and go and feed them."

8.They said, "We can't, until all the flocks are gathered together, and they roll the stone from the well's mouth. Then we water the sheep."

9.While he was yet speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she kept them. 10.It happened, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban, his mother's brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother. 11.Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept. 12.Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's brother, and that he was Rebekah's son. She ran and told her father.

13.It happened, when Laban heard the news of Jacob, his sister's son, that he ran to meet Jacob, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things. 14.Laban said to him, "Surely you are my bone and my flesh." He lived with him for a month. 15.Laban said to Jacob, "Because you are my brother, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what will your wages be?"

16.Laban had two daughters. The name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17.Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and attractive. 18.Jacob loved Rachel. He said, "I will serve you seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter."

19.Laban said, "It is better that I give her to you, than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me."

20.Jacob served seven years for Rachel. They seemed to him but a few days, for the love he had for her.

21.Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her."

22.Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast. 23.It happened in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him. He went in to her. 24.Laban gave Zilpah his handmaid to his daughter Leah for a handmaid. 25.It happened in the morning that, behold, it was Leah. He said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? Didn't I serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?"

26.Laban said, "It is not done so in our place, to give the younger before the firstborn. 27.Fulfill the week of this one, and we will give you the other also for the service which you will serve with me yet seven other years."

28.Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week. He gave him Rachel his daughter as wife. 29.Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah, his handmaid, to be her handmaid. 30.He went in also to Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.

31.Yahweh saw that Leah was hated, and he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. 32.Leah conceived, and bore a son, and she named him Reuben. For she said, "Because Yahweh has looked at my affliction. For now my husband will love me." 33.She conceived again, and bore a son, and said, "Because Yahweh has heard that I am hated, he has therefore given me this son also." She named him Simeon. 34.She conceived again, and bore a son. Said, "Now this time will my husband be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons." Therefore was his name called Levi. 35.She conceived again, and bore a son. She said, "This time will I praise Yahweh." Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing.

 

Psalm 33

 

1.Rejoice in Yahweh, you righteous! Praise is fitting for the upright. 2.Give thanks to Yahweh with the lyre. Sing praises to him with the harp of ten strings. 3.Sing to him a new song. Play skillfully with a shout of joy! 4.For the word of Yahweh is right. All his work is done in faithfulness. 5.He loves righteousness and justice. The earth is full of the loving kindness of Yahweh. 6.By Yahweh's word, the heavens were made; all their army by the breath of his mouth. 7.He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap. He lays up the deeps in storehouses. 8.Let all the earth fear Yahweh. Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. 9.For he spoke, and it was done. He commanded, and it stood firm. 10.Yahweh brings the counsel of the nations to nothing. He makes the thoughts of the peoples to be of no effect. 11.The counsel of Yahweh stands fast forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. 12.Blessed is the nation whose God is Yahweh, the people whom he has chosen for his own inheritance. 13.Yahweh looks from heaven. He sees all the sons of men. 14.From the place of his habitation he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, 15.he who fashions all of their hearts; and he considers all of their works. 16.There is no king saved by the multitude of an army. A mighty man is not delivered by great strength. 17.A horse is a vain thing for safety, neither does he deliver any by his great power. 18.Behold, Yahweh's eye is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his loving kindness; 19.to deliver their soul from death, to keep them alive in famine. 20.Our soul has waited for Yahweh. He is our help and our shield. 21.For our heart rejoices in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. 22.Let your loving kindness be on us, Yahweh, since we have hoped in you.

 

Matthew 18

 

1.In that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?"

2.Jesus called a little child to himself, and set him in their midst, 3.and said, "Most certainly I tell you, unless you turn, and become as little children, you will in no way enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. 4.Whoever therefore humbles himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. 5.Whoever receives one such little child in my name receives me, 6.but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him that a huge millstone should be hung around his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depths of the sea.

7."Woe to the world because of occasions of stumbling! For it must be that the occasions come, but woe to that person through whom the occasion comes! 8.If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life maimed or crippled, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire. 9.If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the Gehenna⁸¹ of fire. 10.See that you don't despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. 11.For the Son of Man came to save that which was lost.

12."What do you think? If a man has one hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, doesn't he leave the ninety-nine, go to the mountains, and seek that which has gone astray? 13.If he finds it, most certainly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. 14.Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

15."If your brother sins against you, go, show him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained back your brother. 16.But if he doesn't listen, take one or two more with you, that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.[82] 17.If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the assembly. If he refuses to hear the assembly also, let him be to you as a Gentile or a tax collector. 18.Most certainly I tell you, whatever things you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever things you release on earth will have been released in heaven. 19.Again, assuredly I tell you, that if two of you will agree on earth concerning anything that they will ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven. 20.For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in their midst."

21.Then Peter came and said to him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Until seven times?"

22.Jesus said to him, "I don't tell you until seven times, but, until seventy times seven. 23.Therefore the Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who wanted to reconcile accounts with his servants. 24.When he had begun to reconcile, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.⁸³ 25.But because he couldn't pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, with his wife, his children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26.The servant therefore fell down and kneeled before him, saying, 'Lord, have patience with me, and I will repay you all!' 27.The lord of that servant, being moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.

28."But that servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, who owed him one hundred denarii,⁸⁴ and he grabbed him, and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!'

29."So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will repay you!' 30.He would not, but went and cast him into prison, until he should pay back that which was due. 31.So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were exceedingly sorry, and came and told to their lord all that was done. 32.Then his lord called him in, and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt, because you begged me. 33.Shouldn't you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, even as I had mercy on you?' 34.His lord was angry, and delivered him to the tormentors, until he should pay all that was due to him. 35.So my heavenly Father will also do to you, if you don't each forgive your brother from your hearts for his misdeeds."

 

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