11 January 2014

Today' Readings and Stuff -- Saturday, 11 January, 2014

a bit of a late entry today, sorry.  Don't really have a good excuse either.  Been a bit of a warmer - by comparison - day outside, rain was heavy at times and most of the snow has melted away.  Expecting a high tomorrow of around 38, but by the end of the week the high is predicted to be 18.  That's the high.  Does not sound all that warm to me.  And it isn't.  Living in the South since 1992, I had gotten out of practice in this kind of weather.    It's the price we pay to be back around family, and Dear Wife is very glad to be back.  She was terribly lonely during our absence, even though we did make friends in our travels, it just was not the same.  I am pretty much a loner, she is not.  It makes a difference.  So we will deal with it.  She's been semi-passed out on the recliner much of the afternoon-early evening, her perviously broken ankle is all discolored and swollen and the shoulder that she injured at the same time the ankle broke (a fall) is very painful for her, most of the week in fact.  Weather changes, primarily meaning barometric pressure, may well have much to do with that.
Tomorrow is Sunday, and has too often been the case, she probably won't be up to attending church services.  Meaning I'll stay home too, in order to take care of her.  After having been in various church ministries and responsibilities of leadership and teaching for more than 20 years, it's wrenching and feels that I'm failing my duties to the Lord.  Of course, it may also be one of those, "until the Lord opens the door for you, praise Him in the hallway" things.  Hanging on to Him, what else can I do?

=======================

The Old Testament reading for the day is chapters 27 and 28 of the Genesis.  Isaac had two sons.  Jacob and Esau.  Not a good relationship there, as was often the case in that area at that time, and quite often since as well.  Some pretty nasty trickery going on, encouraged by the mother, and it had some serious results later.  Result here is that Jacob has to leave town, with his father's blessing, and head off to see the distant relatives and find a wife.  Meets someone along the way.  Whether it was a "mere" angel, or a Theophany, a manifestation of Jesus before His Incarnation, has long been a matter of speculation.  I wasn't there.

1
When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son”; and he answered, “Here I am.”
2
He said, “Behold, I am old; I do not know the day of my death.
3
“Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me,
4
“and prepare for me delicious food, such as I love, and bring it to me so that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.”
5
Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game and bring it,
6
Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “I heard your father speak to your brother Esau,
7
“‘Bring me game and prepare for me delicious food, that I may eat it and bless you before the Lord before I die.’
8
“Now therefore, my son, obey my voice as I command you.
9
“Go to the flock and bring me two good young goats, so that I may prepare from them delicious food for your father, such as he loves.
10
“And you shall bring it to your father to eat, so that he may bless you before he dies.”
11
But Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Behold, my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man.
12
“Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be mocking him and bring a curse upon myself and not a blessing.”
13
His mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, bring them to me.”
14
So he went and took them and brought them to his mother, and his mother prepared delicious food, such as his father loved.
15
Then Rebekah took the best garments of Esau her older son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son.
16
And the skins of the young goats she put on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.
17
And she put the delicious food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.
18
So he went in to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?”
19
Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me; now sit up and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.”
20
But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” He answered, “Because the Lord your God granted me success.”
21
Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, to know whether you are really my son Esau or not.”
22
So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, who felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”
23
And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands. So he blessed him.
24
He said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He answered, “I am.”
25
Then he said, “Bring it near to me, that I may eat of my son’s game and bless you.” So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank.
26
Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near and kiss me, my son.”
27
So he came near and kissed him. And Isaac smelled the smell of his garments and blessed him and said, “See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed!
28
“May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine.
29
“Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you!”
30
As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, when Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, Esau his brother came in from his hunting.
31
He also prepared delicious food and brought it to his father. And he said to his father, “Let my father arise and eat of his son’s game, that you may bless me.”
32
His father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?” He answered, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.”
33
Then Isaac trembled very violently and said, “Who was it then that hunted game and brought it to me, and I ate it all before you came, and I have blessed him? Yes, and he shall be blessed.”
34
As soon as Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me, even me also, O my father!”
35
But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully, and he has taken away your blessing.”
36
Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me these two times. He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” Then he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”
37
Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Behold, I have made him lord over you, and all his brothers I have given to him for servants, and with grain and wine I have sustained him. What then can I do for you, my son?”
38
Esau said to his father, “Have you but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father.” And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.
39
Then Isaac his father answered and said to him: “Behold, away from the fatness of the earth shall your dwelling be, and away from the dew of heaven on high.
40
“By your sword you shall live, and you shall serve your brother; but when you grow restless you shall break his yoke from your neck.”
41
Now Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him, and Esau said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”
42
But the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So she sent and called Jacob her younger son and said to him, “Behold, your brother Esau comforts himself about you by planning to kill you.
43
“Now therefore, my son, obey my voice. Arise, flee to Laban my brother in Haran
44
“and stay with him a while, until your brother’s fury turns away–
45
“until your brother’s anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send and bring you from there. Why should I be bereft of you both in one day?”
46
Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I loathe my life because of the Hittite women. If Jacob marries one of the Hittite women like these, one of the women of the land, what good will my life be to me?”


1
Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and directed him, “You must not take a wife from the Canaanite women.
2
“Arise, go to Paddan-aram to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father, and take as your wife from there one of the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother.
3
“God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples.
4
“May he give the blessing of Abraham to you and to your offspring with you, that you may take possession of the land of your sojournings that God gave to Abraham!”
5
Thus Isaac sent Jacob away. And he went to Paddan-aram, to Laban, the son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.
6
Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan-aram to take a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he directed him, “You must not take a wife from the Canaanite women,”
7
and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and gone to Paddan-aram.
8
So when Esau saw that the Canaanite women did not please Isaac his father,
9
Esau went to Ishmael and took as his wife, besides the wives he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebaioth.
10
Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran.
11
And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep.
12
And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it!
13
And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring.
14
“Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall 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 back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
16
Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.”
17
And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”
18
So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it.
19
He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first.
20
Then Jacob made 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 wear,
21
“so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God,
22
“and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.”


===================

The New Testament reading is verses 18-38 in the 9th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew.  Jesus is healing the blind, raising the dead, and generally creating quite a stir.  Wish I could have been there.

18
While he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.”
19
And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples.
20
And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment,
21
for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.”
22
Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well.
23
And when Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion,
24
he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him.
25
But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.
26
And the report of this went through all that district.
27
And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.”
28
When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.”
29
Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.”
30
And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about it.”
31
But they went away and spread his fame through all that district.
32
As they were going away, behold, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to him.
33
And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.”
34
But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.”
35
And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.
36
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
37
Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;
38
therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.


10 January 2014

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Friday, 10 January, 2013

Happy Friday.  It's a teeny bit warmer here today.  Actually is above freezing!  if you can believe it.  If only it was the harbinger of more of this, and by that I mean more than just tomorrow, which is slated to be similar to today.  And then the thermometer heads for the basement once again.  Color me not happy.

Dear Wife has ankle discolored and swollen.  This is the one she broke, twice about two years ago.  Due to her medical conditions, she doesn't heal well and has brittle bones.  And is in nearly constant pain.  It is not easy, believe me, to see those yo love in pain and to be unable to do anything whatever to make it better.

=================

The Old Testament reading for the day is chapters 25 and 26.  Sarah, the wife of Abraham, has died.  So he takes another wife.  Who bore sevral children to him.  You may take note of the names, you will see reference later to some of their descendants, causing problems in an unhappy world.  As, for one example, the Midianites, the descendants of Midian.  One of these children of Abraham.

1
Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah.
2
And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.
3
And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim.
4
And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abidah, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.
5
And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac.
6
But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country.
7
And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years.
8
Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.
9
And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre;
10
The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.
11
And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahairoi.
12
Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, bare unto Abraham:
13
And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,
14
And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa,
15
Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah:
16
These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations.
17
And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people.
18
And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: and he died in the presence of all his brethren.
19
And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham begat Isaac:
20
And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian.
21
And Isaac entreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
22
And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of the LORD.
23
And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.
24
And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.
25
And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.
26
And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them.
27
And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.
28
And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.
29
And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:
30
And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.
31
And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
32
And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?
33
And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
34
Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.


1
And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.
2
And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:
3
Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;
4
And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
5
Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
6
And Isaac dwelt in Gerar:
7
And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon.
8
And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife.
9
And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, of a surety she is thy wife; and how saidst thou, She is my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die for her.
10
And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might lightly have lien with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us.
11
And Abimelech charged all his people, saying, He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.
12
Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.
13
And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great:
14
For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.
15
For all the wells which his father's servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth.
16
And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we.
17
And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.
18
And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them.
19
And Isaac's servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water.
20
And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac's herdmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him.
21
And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah.
22
And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.
23
And he went up from thence to Beersheba.
24
And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake.
25
And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac's servants digged a well.
26
Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army.
27
And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?
28
And they said, We saw certainly that the LORD was with thee: and we said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee;
29
That thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace: thou art now the blessed of the LORD.
30
And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink.
31
And they rose up betimes in the morning, and sware one to another: and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.
32
And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac's servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said unto him, We have found water.
33
And he called it Shebah: therefore the name of the city is Beersheba unto this day.
34
And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite:
35
Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.




=== 

The New Testament reading is verses 1-17 of the 9th chapter in the Gospel of Matthew.  Jesus' ministry is definitely underway, and definitely is attracting notice.

1
And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city.
2
And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.
3
And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.
4
And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?
5
For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?
6
But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.
7
And he arose, and departed to his house.
8
But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.
9
And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.
10
And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.
11
And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?
12
But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.
13
But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
14
Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?
15
And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.
16
No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse.
17
Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.

09 January 2014

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Thursday, 09 January, 2014

BING!
This is a bit of a milestone for this site.  This is the 2,000th posting on this blog, reaching back to 2006, in now three states (not counting postings from out-of-town trips, of which there have been several.)   I have had several large gaps in postings, in large part due to some of the awful schedules I've had to maintain several times.  I intend to keep going so long as the Lord permits.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
yesterday was a bit weird.  Dear Wife decided to hit the shower immediately on rising.  Shortly thereafter, realized that the tub drain was frozen.  So much for sitting in the tub for a muscle and joint relief soak after washing her hair.  Didn't happen. So she took over the recliner with a heating pad and a heavy blanket.  Tub drain un-froze around noon.
Water lines to the washing machine were froze also.  Got thawing around 2:30 p. m., so ran a single load of stuff really needed.
Got some mail we've been waiting for, some three months later than was promised.  Taking her down to the Social Security-type office this morning, one effect of which is supposed to be putting her on a Medicaid list.  That's not great, but it's all we have.  The hard part, as many know, will be finding a physician and a dentist that will accept Medicaid assignment.  The information we have is that the reimbursements to the providers are so low, that many are "firing" their patients and refusing new ones.  Will be a challenge, but we have not much choice.  This was SUPPOSED to have all been done over the summer, while we were living a very long way from here.  It's been a high stress situation.  And still is, but any progress at all is welcome.
Now if her Disability award would become reality.  We were told back in November that the 2-year-old app was approved, but that determination of the amount could take as much as 60 days.  It's been that long.  We could really use it, we've been barely scraping by, and the pantry's getting a bit bare.

===========

The Old Testament reading is chapters 23 and 24 from the Genesis.

1
Sarah lived 127 years; these were the years of the life of Sarah.
2
And Sarah died at Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.
3
And Abraham rose up from before his dead and said to the Hittites,
4
“I am a sojourner and foreigner among you; give me property among you for a burying place, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”
5
The Hittites answered Abraham,
6
“Hear us, my lord; you are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will withhold from you his tomb to hinder you from burying your dead.”
7
Abraham rose and bowed to the Hittites, the people of the land.
8
And he said to them, “If you are willing that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me and entreat for me Ephron the son of Zohar,
9
“that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he owns; it is at the end of his field. For the full price let him give it to me in your presence as property for a burying place.”
10
Now Ephron was sitting among the Hittites, and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the Hittites, of all who went in at the gate of his city,
11
“No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the sight of the sons of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead.”
12
Then Abraham bowed down before the people of the land.
13
And he said to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, “But if you will, hear me: I give the price of the field. Accept it from me, that I may bury my dead there.”
14
Ephron answered Abraham,
15
“My lord, listen to me: a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.”
16
Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver that he had named in the hearing of the Hittites, four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weights current among the merchants.
17
So the field of Ephron in Machpelah, which was to the east of Mamre, the field with the cave that was in it and all the trees that were in the field, throughout its whole area, was made over
18
to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites, before all who went in at the gate of his city.
19
After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah east of Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.
20
The field and the cave that is in it were made over to Abraham as property for a burying place by the Hittites.


1
Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years. And the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.
2
And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh,
3
“that I may make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell,
4
“but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”
5
The servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?”
6
Abraham said to him, “See to it that you do not take my son back there.
7
“The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke to me and swore to me, ‘To your offspring I will give this land,’ he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.
8
“But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this oath of mine; only you must not take my son back there.”
9
So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him concerning this matter.
10
Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, taking all sorts of choice gifts from his master; and he arose and went to Mesopotamia to the city of Nahor.
11
And he made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time when women go out to draw water.
12
And he said, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham.
13
“Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.
14
“Let the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’–let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.”
15
Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her water jar on her shoulder.
16
The young woman was very attractive in appearance, a maiden whom no man had known. She went down to the spring and filled her jar and came up.
17
Then the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water to drink from your jar.”
18
She said, “Drink, my lord.” And she quickly let down her jar upon her hand and gave him a drink.
19
When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.”
20
So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran again to the well to draw water, and she drew for all his camels.
21
The man gazed at her in silence to learn whether the Lord had prospered his journey or not.
22
When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold ring weighing a half shekel, and two bracelets for her arms weighing ten gold shekels,
23
and said, “Please tell me whose daughter you are. Is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”
24
She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.”
25
She added, “We have plenty of both straw and fodder, and room to spend the night.”
26
The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord
27
and said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, the Lord has led me in the way to the house of my master’s kinsmen.”
28
Then the young woman ran and told her mother’s household about these things.
29
Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban. Laban ran out toward the man, to the spring.
30
As soon as he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister’s arms, and heard the words of Rebekah his sister, “Thus the man spoke to me,” he went to the man. And behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring.
31
He said, “Come in, O blessed of the Lord. Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.”
32
So the man came to the house and unharnessed the camels, and gave straw and fodder to the camels, and there was water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.
33
Then food was set before him to eat. But he said, “I will not eat until I have said what I have to say.” He said, “Speak on.”
34
So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant.
35
“The Lord has greatly blessed my master, and he has become great. He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male servants and female servants, camels and donkeys.
36
“And Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master when she was old, and to him he has given all that he has.
37
“My master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell,
38
“‘but you shall go to my father’s house and to my clan and take a wife for my son.’
39
“I said to my master, ‘Perhaps the woman will not follow me.’
40
“But he said to me, ‘The Lord, before whom I have walked, will send his angel with you and prosper your way. You shall take a wife for my son from my clan and from my father’s house.
41
“‘Then you will be free from my oath, when you come to my clan. And if they will not give her to you, you will be free from my oath.’
42
“I came today to the spring and said, ‘O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, if now you are prospering the way that I go,
43
“‘behold, I am standing by the spring of water. Let the virgin who comes out to draw water, to whom I shall say, “Please give me a little water from your jar to drink,”
44
“‘and who will say to me, “Drink, and I will draw for your camels also,” let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master’s son.’
45
“Before I had finished speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came out with her water jar on her shoulder, and she went down to the spring and drew water. I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’
46
“She quickly let down her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I will give your camels drink also.’ So I drank, and she gave the camels drink also.
47
“Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him.’ So I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her arms.
48
“Then I bowed my head and worshiped the Lord and blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me by the right way to take the daughter of my master’s kinsman for his son.
49
“Now then, if you are going to show steadfast love and faithfulness to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.”
50
Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “The thing has come from the Lord; we cannot speak to you bad or good.
51
“Behold, Rebekah is before you; take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has spoken.”
52
When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed himself to the earth before the Lord.
53
And the servant brought out jewelry of silver and of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave to her brother and to her mother costly ornaments.
54
And he and the men who were with him ate and drank, and they spent the night there. When they arose in the morning, he said, “Send me away to my master.”
55
Her brother and her mother said, “Let the young woman remain with us a while, at least ten days; after that she may go.”
56
But he said to them, “Do not delay me, since the Lord has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master.”
57
They said, “Let us call the young woman and ask her.”
58
And they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” She said, “I will go.”
59
So they sent away Rebekah their sister and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant and his men.
60
And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “Our sister, may you become thousands of ten thousands, and may your offspring possess the gate of those who hate him!”
61
Then Rebekah and her young women arose and rode on the camels and followed the man. Thus the servant took Rebekah and went his way.
62
Now Isaac had returned from Beer-lahai-roi and was dwelling in the Negeb.
63
And Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening. And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, there were camels coming.
64
And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she dismounted from the camel
65
and said to the servant, “Who is that man, walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took her veil and covered herself.
66
And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done.
67
Then Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.





 ===================
 
The New Testament is chapter 8 of the Gospel of Matthew.  We just read through the account of the Sermon on the Mount.  This is what happens next.


1
When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him.
2
And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.”
3
And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
4
And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”
5
When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him,
6
“Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.”
7
And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.”
8
But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.
9
“For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
10
When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.
11
“I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,
12
“while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
13
And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.
14
And when Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever.
15
He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him.
16
That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick.
17
This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”
18
Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side.
19
And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
20
And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
21
Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
22
And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”
23
And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.
24
And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep.
25
And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.”
26
And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
27
And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”
28
And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way.
29
And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”
30
Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them.
31
And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.”
32
And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters.
33
The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men.
34
And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.