Wednesday, 17 January

1.   Abraham again took a wife, and her name was Keturah. 2.   And she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 3.   Jokshan begot Sheba and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. 4.   And the sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abidah, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah. 5.   And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac. 6.   But Abraham gave gifts to the sons of the concubines which Abraham had; and while he was still living he sent them eastward, away from Isaac his son, to the country of the east. 7.   This is the sum of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived: one hundred and seventy–five years. 8.   Then Abraham breathed his last 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, which is before Mamre, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, 10.   the field which Abraham purchased from the sons of Heth. There Abraham was 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 at Beer Lahai Roi. 12.   Now this is the genealogy of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s maidservant, bore to Abraham. 13.   And these were the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14.   Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15.   Hadar, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 16.   These were the sons of Ishmael and these were their names, by their towns and their settlements, twelve princes according to their nations. 17.   These were the years of the life of Ishmael: one hundred and thirty–seven years; and he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people. 18.   (They dwelt from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt as you go toward Assyria.) He died in the presence of all his brethren. 19.   This is the genealogy of Isaac, Abraham’s son. Abraham begot Isaac. 20.   Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah as wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan Aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian. 21.   Now Isaac pleaded with the LORD for his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22.   But the children struggled together within her; and she said, "If all is well, why am I like this?" So she went to inquire of the LORD. 23.   And the LORD said to her: "Two nations are in your womb, Two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, And the older shall serve the younger." 24.   So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb. 25.   And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau. 26.   Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. 27.   So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents. 28.   And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. 29.   Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. 30.   And Esau said to Jacob, "Please feed me with that same red stew , for I am weary." Therefore his name was called Edom. 31.   But Jacob said, "Sell me your birthright as of this day." 32.   And Esau said, "Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?" 33.   Then Jacob said, "Swear to me as of this day." So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34.   And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

38.   "And because of all this, We make a sure covenant , and write it ; Our leaders, our Levites, and our priests seal it ."

1.   Now those who placed their seal on the document were : Nehemiah the governor, the son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah, 2.   Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, 3.   Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, 4.   Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, 5.   Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, 6.   Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, 7.   Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, 8.   Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah. These were the priests. 9.   The Levites: Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, and Kadmiel. 10.   Their brethren: Shebaniah, Hodijah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, 11.   Micha, Rehob, Hashabiah, 12.   Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, 13.   Hodijah, Bani, and Beninu. 14.   The leaders of the people: Parosh, Pahath–Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, 15.   Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, 16.   Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, 17.   Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, 18.   Hodijah, Hashum, Bezai, 19.   Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, 20.   Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, 21.   Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua, 22.   Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, 23.   Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub, 24.   Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek, 25.   Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, 26.   Ahijah, Hanan, Anan, 27.   Malluch, Harim, and Baanah. 28.   Now the rest of the people––the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Nethinim, and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, everyone who had knowledge and understanding–– 29.   these joined with their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes: 30.   We would not give our daughters as wives to the peoples of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons; 31.   if the peoples of the land brought wares or any grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we would not buy it from them on the Sabbath, or on a holy day; and we would forego the seventh year’s produce and the exacting of every debt. 32.   Also we made ordinances for ourselves, to exact from ourselves yearly one–third of a shekel for the service of the house of our God: 33.   for the showbread, for the regular grain offering, for the regular burnt offering of the Sabbaths, the New Moons, and the set feasts; for the holy things, for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and all the work of the house of our God. 34.   We cast lots among the priests, the Levites, and the people, for bringing the wood offering into the house of our God, according to our fathers’ houses, at the appointed times year by year, to burn on the altar of the LORD our God as it is written in the Law. 35.   And we made ordinances to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, to the house of the LORD; 36.   to bring the firstborn of our sons and our cattle, as it is written in the Law, and the firstborn of our herds and our flocks, to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God; 37.   to bring the firstfruits of our dough, our offerings, the fruit from all kinds of trees, the new wine and oil, to the priests, to the storerooms of the house of our God; and to bring the tithes of our land to the Levites, for the Levites should receive the tithes in all our farming communities. 38.   And the priest, the descendant of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive tithes; and the Levites shall bring up a tenth of the tithes to the house of our God, to the rooms of the storehouse. 39.   For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the grain, of the new wine and the oil, to the storerooms where the articles of the sanctuary are, where the priests who minister and the gatekeepers and the singers are ; and we will not neglect the house of our God.

1.   At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2.   And when the Pharisees saw it , they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!" 3.   But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: 4.   "how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? 5.   "Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? 6.   "Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple. 7.   "But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8.   "For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." 9.   Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue. 10.   And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" ––that they might accuse Him. 11.   Then He said to them, "What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? 12.   "Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." 13.   Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other. 14.   Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him. 15.   But when Jesus knew it , He withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all. 16.   Yet He warned them not to make Him known, 17.   that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: 18.   "Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He will declare justice to the Gentiles. 19.   He will not quarrel nor cry out, Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. 20.   A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench, Till He sends forth justice to victory; 21.   And in His name Gentiles will trust."