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A Burial Place for Sarah
23 Sarah lived for 127 years. That’s how long Sarah’s life was. 2 She died in Kiriath-arba (that is, in Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Abraham went in[a] to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. 3 Then Abraham stood up from beside his dead wife[b] and addressed the Hittites. He said, 4 “I am an alien and an outsider among you. Give me a cemetery among you where I can bury my dead away from my presence.”
5 The Hittites responded to Abraham, 6 “Listen to us, sir.[c] You are a mighty prince[d] among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our burial tombs. None of us would refuse you his tomb for burying your dead.”
7 Abraham rose and bowed before the Hittites, the people of the land, 8 and addressed them, “If you are willing that I should bury my dead out of my sight, listen to me and make a request of Zohar’s son Ephron on my behalf. 9 Give me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him, at the end of his field. He should sell[e] it to me in your presence at full price for a burial site.”
10 Now since Ephron the Hittite had taken a seat there among the Hittites, he responded publicly to Abraham where the Hittites and everyone who was entering the gate of his city could hear him: 11 “No, sir.[f] Listen to me! I’ll give you the field, and I’ll give you the cave that’s in it. I give it to you publicly, in the sight of my people. Bury your dead.”
12 Abraham bowed before the people of the land 13 and then addressed Ephron so all the people of the land could hear him: “Please listen to me! I’m willing to pay the price of the field. Accept it from me, so I may bury my dead there.”
14 So Ephron answered Abraham, 15 “Sir,[g] listen to me! The land is worth 400 shekels of silver, but what’s that between us? You may bury your dead.”
16 Abraham agreed with Ephron, so he[h] weighed out to Ephron the money to which he had agreed publicly while the Hittites were listening: 400 shekels of silver at the current merchant rate.
17 That’s how Ephron’s field in Machpelah, east of[i] Mamre—the field, the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were within the boundaries of[j] the field—came to be deeded 18 to Abraham in the presence of all the Hittites and everyone who was entering the city gate. 19 After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave at the field of Machpelah, east of Mamre (that is, in Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20 And so the field with its cave was deeded by the Hittites to Abraham as a burial site.
Finding a Bride for Isaac
24 Now Abraham had grown old, was well advanced in age, and the Lord had blessed Abraham in every way. 2 So Abraham instructed his servant, who was the oldest member of his household and in charge of everything he owned, “Make this solemn oath to me[k] 3 as a promise to the Lord, the God of heaven and earth, that you won’t acquire a wife for my son from the Canaanite women among whom I’m living. 4 Instead, you are to go to my country and to my family and acquire a wife for my son Isaac.”
5 “What if the woman doesn’t want to come back with me to this land?” the servant asked. “Shouldn’t I have your son go to the land from which you came?”
6 “Make sure not to take my son there,” Abraham replied. 7 “The Lord God of heaven, who brought me from my father’s house and from my family’s land, who spoke to me and promised me ‘I will give this land to your descendants,’ will send his angel ahead of you, and you are to acquire a wife for my son from there. 8 If the woman isn’t willing to follow you, then you’ll be free from this oath to me. Just don’t take my son back there!” 9 So the servant made a solemn oath[l] to his master Abraham regarding this matter.
The Servant Encounters Rebekah
10 Then Abraham’s servant took ten camels from his master’s herd of[m] camels and left on his journey with all kinds of gifts from his master’s inventory. Eventually, he traveled as far as Aram-naharaim, Nahor’s home town. 11 As evening approached, he had the camels kneel outside the town at the water well, right about the time when women customarily went out to draw water.
12 That’s when he prayed, “Lord God of my master Abraham, help me to succeed today. Please show your gracious love to my master Abraham. 13 I’ve stationed myself here by the spring as the women of the town come to draw water. 14 May it be that the young woman to whom I ask, ‘Please, lower your jug so that I may drink,’ responds, ‘Have a drink, and I’ll water your camels as well.’ May she be the one whom you have chosen for your servant Isaac. This is how I’ll know that you have shown your gracious love to my master.”
15 Before he had finished speaking, Rebekah appeared. She was a daughter of Milcah’s son Bethuel. (Milcah was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor.) She approached the well, carrying a jug on her shoulder. 16 The woman was very beautiful, young, and had not had sexual relations with a man. Going down to the spring, she filled her jug and turned for home. 17 Then Abraham’s servant ran to meet her and asked her, “Please, let me have a sip of water from your jug.”
18 “Drink, sir!” she replied as she quickly lowered her jug on her arm to offer him a drink. 19 When she had finished giving him a drink, she also said, “I’ll also draw water[n] for your camels until they’ve had enough to drink.”
20 She quickly emptied her jug into the trough and ran to the well to draw again until she had drawn enough water[o] for all ten of the servant’s[p] camels. 21 The man stared at her in silence, waiting to see whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful. 22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a half shekel and two bracelets for her wrists, weighing 10 shekels and presented them to her.[q]
23 He asked her, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”
24 “I am the daughter of Bethuel,” she answered. “He’s the son of Milcah and Nahor. 25 And yes,” she continued, “we have plenty of straw and feed, as well as a place to spend the night.”
26 At this, the man bowed down and worshipped the Lord. 27 “Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who hasn’t held back his gracious love and faithfulness from my master! The Lord has led me to the house of my master’s relatives!”
28 The young woman then ran ahead and informed her mother’s household what had happened.
Rebekah’s Brother Laban
29 Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, who ran out to the man and met him[r] at the spring. 30 And so it was, as soon as he saw the nose ring and bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and as soon as he heard what his sister Rebekah was saying about what the man had spoken to her,[s] he went out to the man who was still standing by the camels at the spring! 31 “Come on,” Laban[t] said. “The Lord has blessed you! So why are you standing out here when I’ve prepared some space in the house and a place for the camels?”
32 So the servant went to the house and unbridled the camels. They provided straw and feed for the camels and water for washing his feet and those of the men with him. 33 But when they had prepared a meal and set it in front of him, he said, “I’m not eating until I’ve spoken.”
“Speak up!” Laban[u] exclaimed.
The Servant Relates His Adventures
34 “I’m Abraham’s servant,” he said. 35 “The Lord has greatly blessed my master, so that he has become wealthy. He has provided him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, camels and donkeys. 36 My master’s wife Sarah gave birth to my master’s son in her old age, and Abraham[v] has given him everything that belongs to him. 37 My master made me swear this oath: ‘You are not to select a wife for my son from among the daughters of the Canaanites in this land where I live. 38 Instead, you are to go to my father’s household, to my relatives, and choose a wife for my son there.’
39 “So I asked my master, ‘What if the woman won’t come back with me?’
40 “Abraham[w] told me, ‘The Lord, who is with me wherever I go, will send his angel with you to make your journey successful. So you are to choose a wife for my son from my family, from my father’s household. 41 Only then will you be released from fulfilling[x] my oath. However, when you come to my family, if they don’t give her to you, you’ll be released from fulfilling[y] my oath.’
42 “So today I arrived at the spring and prayed, ‘Lord God of my master Abraham, if you wish to make the journey that I have traveled successful, 43 here I am standing by the spring. May it be that the young woman who comes out to draw water, from whom I request a little water from her[z] jug to drink, 44 if she tells me to drink and also draws water for the[aa] camels, may she be the woman that the Lord has chosen for my master’s son.’
45 “Before I had finished praying, along came Rebekah with her jug on her shoulder! She went to the spring and drew some water. I asked her to please let me have a drink. 46 She quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder[ab] and told me, ‘Have a drink while I also water your camels.’ So I drank, and she also gave my camels water[ac] to drink.
47 “That’s when I asked, ‘Whose daughter are you?’
“She replied, ‘I’m the daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore for him.’
“So I gave her a ring for her nose and bracelets for her wrists. 48 I bowed down and worshipped the Lord, and I praised the Lord God of my master Abraham, who led me on the true way to request[ad] the daughter of my master’s brother for his son. 49 So now, if you wish to show gracious love and truth toward my master, tell me so. But if not, tell me, so that I may go elsewhere.”[ae]
Laban and Bethuel Acquiesce
50 “Since this has come from the Lord,” Laban and Bethuel both replied, “we cannot speak one way or another.[af] 51 So here’s Rebekah—she’s right in front of you. Take her and go, so she can become a wife for your master’s son, just as the Lord has decreed.”
Jesus Cleanses a Leper(A)
8 When Jesus[a] came down from the hillside, large crowds followed him. 2 Suddenly, a leper[b] came up to him, fell down before him, and said, “Sir,[c] if you want to, you can make me clean.”[d]
3 So Jesus[e] reached out his hand, touched him, and said, “I do want to. Be clean!” And instantly his leprosy was made clean. 4 Then Jesus told him, “See to it that you don’t speak to anyone. Instead, go and show yourself to the priest, and then offer the sacrifice that Moses commanded[f] as proof to the authorities.”[g]
Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Servant(B)
5 When Jesus[h] returned to Capernaum, a centurion[i] came up to him and begged him repeatedly, 6 “Sir,[j] my servant is lying at home paralyzed and in terrible pain.”
7 Jesus[k] told him, “I will come and heal him.”
8 The centurion replied, “Sir,[l] I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed, 9 because I, too, am a man under authority and I have soldiers under me. I say to one of them[m] ‘Go’ and he goes, to another ‘Come’ and he comes, and to my servant ‘Do this’ and he does it.”
10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and told those who were following him, “I tell all of you[n] with certainty, not even[o] in Israel have I found this kind of faith! 11 I tell all of you,[p] many will come from east and west and will feast with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom from[q] heaven. 12 But the unfaithful heirs[r] of that kingdom will be thrown into the darkness outside. In that place there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”[s]
13 “Go,” Jesus told the centurion, “and it will be done for you, just as you have believed.” And his servant was healed that very hour.
Jesus Heals Many People(C)
14 When Jesus went into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s[t] mother-in-law lying in bed, sick with a fever. 15 He touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then she got up and began serving him.
16 When evening came, people[u] brought to him many who were possessed by demons. He drove out the spirits by speaking a command[v] and healed everyone who was sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was declared by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
“It was he who took our illnesses away
and removed our diseases.”[w]
13 Be gracious to me, Lord,
take note of my affliction,
because of those who hate me.
You snatch me away from the gates of death,
14 so I may declare everything for which you should be praised[a]
in the gates of the daughter of Zion,[b]
so I will rejoice in your deliverance.
15 The nations have sunk down into the pit they made,
their feet are ensnared in the trap[c] they set.
16 The Lord has made himself known,
executing judgment.
The wicked are ensnared
by what their hands have made.
17 The wicked will turn back to where the dead are[e]—
all the nations that have forgotten God.
18 For he will not always overlook the plight of the poor,
nor will the hope of the afflicted perish forever.
19 Rise up, Lord,
do not let man prevail!
The nations will be judged in your presence.
20 Make them afraid, Lord,
Let the nations know that they are only human.[f]
The Blessings of Trusting God
3 My son, don’t forget my instruction,
and keep my commandments carefully in mind.[a]
2 For they will add length to your days, years to your life,
and abundant peace to you.
3 Do not let gracious love and truth leave you.
Bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart,
4 and find favor and a good reputation[b] with God and men.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not depend on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge[c] him,
and he will make your paths straight.
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