Daily Readings for January 17

Daily Readings for January 17
Click the arrow above to the left of the audio strip to start audio for today

Genesis 30

1.When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister. She said to Jacob, "Give me children, or else I will die."

2.Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, "Am I in God's place, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?"

3.She said, "Behold, my maid Bilhah. Go in to her, that she may bear on my knees, and I also may obtain children by her." 4.She gave him Bilhah her handmaid as wife, and Jacob went in to her. 5.Bilhah conceived, and bore Jacob a son. 6.Rachel said, "God has judged me, and has also heard my voice, and has given me a son." Therefore called she his name Dan. 7.Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid, conceived again, and bore Jacob a second son. 8.Rachel said, "With mighty wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and have prevailed." She named him Naphtali.

9.When Leah saw that she had finished bearing, she took Zilpah, her handmaid, and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 10.Zilpah, Leah's handmaid, bore Jacob a son. 11.Leah said, "How fortunate!" She named him Gad. 12.Zilpah, Leah's handmaid, bore Jacob a second son. 13.Leah said, "Happy am I, for the daughters will call me happy." She named him Asher.

14.Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother, Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, "Please give me some of your son's mandrakes."

15.She said to her, "Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son's mandrakes, also?"

Rachel said, "Therefore he will lie with you tonight for your son's mandrakes."

16.Jacob came from the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, "You must come in to me; for I have surely hired you with my son's mandrakes."

He lay with her that night. 17.God listened to Leah, and she conceived, and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18.Leah said, "God has given me my hire, because I gave my handmaid to my husband." She named him Issachar. 19.Leah conceived again, and bore a sixth son to Jacob. 20.Leah said, "God has endowed me with a good dowry. Now my husband will live with me, because I have borne him six sons." She named him Zebulun. 21.Afterwards, she bore a daughter, and named her Dinah.

22.God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her, and opened her womb. 23.She conceived, bore a son, and said, "God has taken away my reproach." 24.She named him Joseph,¹⁵ saying, "May Yahweh add another son to me."

25.It happened, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, "Send me away, that I may go to my own place, and to my country. 26.Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know my service with which I have served you."

27.Laban said to him, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, stay here, for I have divined that Yahweh has blessed me for your sake." 28.He said, "Appoint me your wages, and I will give it."

29.He said to him, "You know how I have served you, and how your livestock have fared with me. 30.For it was little which you had before I came, and it has increased to a multitude. Yahweh has blessed you wherever I turned. Now when will I provide for my own house also?"

31.He said, "What shall I give you?"

Jacob said, "You shall not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will again feed your flock and keep it. 32.I will pass through all your flock today, removing from there every speckled and spotted one, and every black one among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats. This will be my hire. 33.So my righteousness will answer for me hereafter, when you come concerning my hire that is before you. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and black among the sheep, that might be with me, will be counted stolen."

34.Laban said, "Behold, let it be according to your word."

35.That day, he removed the male goats that were streaked and spotted, and all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white in it, and all the black ones among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons. 36.He set three days' journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks.

37.Jacob took to himself rods of fresh poplar, almond, plane tree, peeled white streaks in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods. 38.He set the rods which he had peeled opposite the flocks in the gutters in the watering-troughs where the flocks came to drink. They conceived when they came to drink. 39.The flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks produced streaked, speckled, and spotted. 40.Jacob separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the streaked and all the black in the flock of Laban: and he put his own droves apart, and didn't put them into Laban's flock. 41.It happened, whenever the stronger of the flock conceived, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the flock in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods; 42.but when the flock were feeble, he didn't put them in. So the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's. 43.The man increased exceedingly, and had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

Psalm 34

1.I will bless Yahweh at all times. His praise will always be in my mouth. 2.My soul shall boast in Yahweh. The humble shall hear of it, and be glad. 3.Oh magnify Yahweh with me. Let us exalt his name together. 4.I sought Yahweh, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. 5.They looked to him, and were radiant. Their faces shall never be covered with shame. 6.This poor man cried, and Yahweh heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. 7.The angel of Yahweh encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. 8.Oh taste and see that Yahweh is good. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. 9.Oh fear Yahweh, you his saints, for there is no lack with those who fear him. 10.The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger, but those who seek Yahweh shall not lack any good thing.

11.Come, you children, listen to me. I will teach you the fear of Yahweh. 12.Who is someone who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good? 13.Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking lies. 14.Depart from evil, and do good. seek peace, and pursue it. 15.Yahweh's eyes are toward the righteous. His ears listen to their cry. 16.Yahweh's face is against those who do evil, to cut off their memory from the earth. 17.The righteous cry, and Yahweh hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. 18.Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit. 19.Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but Yahweh delivers him out of them all. 20.He protects all of his bones. Not one of them is broken. 21.Evil shall kill the wicked. Those who hate the righteous shall be condemned. 22.Yahweh redeems the soul of his servants. None of those who take refuge in him shall be condemned.

Matthew 19

1.It happened when Jesus had finished these words, he departed from Galilee, and came into the borders of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2.Great multitudes followed him, and he healed them there. 3.Pharisees came to him, testing him, and saying, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?"

4.He answered, "Haven't you read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female,[85] 5.and said, 'For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall join to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh?'[86] 6.So that they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, don't let man tear apart."

7.They asked him, "Why then did Moses command us to give her a bill of divorce, and divorce her?"

8.He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it has not been so. 9.I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and he who marries her when she is divorced commits adultery."

10.His disciples said to him, "If this is the case of the man with his wife, it is not expedient to marry."

11.But he said to them, "Not all men can receive this saying, but those to whom it is given. 12.For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men; and there are eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven's sake. He who is able to receive it, let him receive it."

13.Then little children were brought to him, that he should lay his hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them. 14.But Jesus said, "Allow the little children, and don't forbid them to come to me; for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to ones like these." 15.He laid his hands on them, and departed from there.

16.Behold, one came to him and said, "Good teacher, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?"

17.He said to him, "Why do you call me good?⁸⁷ No one is good but one, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments."

18.He said to him, "Which ones?"

Jesus said, "'You shall not murder.' 'You shall not commit adultery.' 'You shall not steal.' 'You shall not offer false testimony.' 19.'Honor your father and mother.'[88] And, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"[89]

20.The young man said to him, "All these things I have observed from my youth. What do I still lack?"

21.Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." 22.But when the young man heard the saying, he went away sad, for he was one who had great possessions. 23.Jesus said to his disciples, "Most certainly I say to you, a rich man will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven with difficulty. 24.Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God."

25.When the disciples heard it, they were exceedingly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?"

26.Looking at them, Jesus said, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

27.Then Peter answered, "Behold, we have left everything, and followed you. What then will we have?"

28.Jesus said to them, "Most certainly I tell you that you who have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on the throne of his glory, you also will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29.Everyone who has left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, will receive one hundred times, and will inherit eternal life. 30.But many will be last who are first; and first who are last.