← Through the ESV Bible in a Year with Jackie Hill Perry
Through the ESV Bible in a Year with Jackie Hill Perry
January 17 (Genesis 31; Psalm 17; Matthew 20)
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A reading from the book of Genesis. Now Jacob heard that the sons of Laban were saying, jacob has taken all that was our father's, and from what was our father's he has gained all this wealth. And Jacob saw that Laban did not regard him with favor as before. Then the Lord said to Jacob, return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you. So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah into the field where his flock was and and said to them, I see that your father does not regard me with favor as he did before. But the God of my father has been with me. You know that I have served your father with all my strength. Yet your father has cheated me and changed my wages 10 times. But God did not permit him to harm me. If he said, the spotted shall be your wages, then all the flock bore spotted. And if he said, the striped shall be your wages, then all the flock bore striped. Thus God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me in the breeding season of the flock. I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream that the goats that mated with the flocks were striped, spotted, and mottled. Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, Jacob. And I said, here I am. And he said, lift up your eyes and see. All the goats that mate with the flock are striped, spotted, and modeled. For I have seen all that Laban is doing to you, and I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and made a vow to me. Now arise, go out from this land and return to the land of your kindred. Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, is there any portion or inheritance left to us in our father's house? Are we not regarded by him as foreigners? For he has sold us and he has indeed devoured our money. All the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do so. Jacob arose and set his sons and his wives on camels. He drove away all his livestock, all his property that he had gained the livestock in his possession that he had acquired in Paddan Aram to go to the land of Canaan to his father Isaac. Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole her father's household gods. And Jacob tricked Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he intended to flee. He fled with all that he had and arose and crossed the Euphrates and set his face toward the hill country of Gilead. When it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled, he took his kinsmen with him and pursued him for seven days and followed close after him in the hill country of Gilead. But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night and said to him, be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad. And Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban with his kinsmen pitched tents in the hill country of Gilead. And Laban said to Jacob, what have you done that you have tricked me and driven away my daughters like captives of the sword? Why did you flee secretly and trick me and did not tell me so that I might have sent you away with mirth and songs, with tambourine and lyre? And why did you not permit me to kiss my sons and my daughters farewell? Now you have done foolishly. It is in my power to do you harm. But the God of your fathers spoke to me last night, saying, be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad. And now you have gone away because you longed greatly for your father's house. But why did you steal my gods? Jacob answered and said to Laban, because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force. Anyone with whom you find your God shall not live in the presence of our kinsmen. Point out what I have that is yours and take it now. Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them. So Laban went into Jacob's tent and into Leah's tent and into the tent of the two female servants. But he did not find them. And he went out of Leah's tent and entered Rachel's. Now, Rachel had taken the household gods and put them in the camel's saddle and sat on them. Laban felt all about the tent but did not find them. And she said to her father, let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise before you, for the way of women is upon me. So he searched, but did not find the household gods. Then Jacob became angry and berated Laban. Jacob said to Laban, what is my offense, what is my sin that you have hotly pursued me? For you have felt through all my goods. And what have you found of all your household goods? Set it here before my kinsmen and your kinsmen that they may decide between us 2. These 20 years I have been with you, your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, and I have not eaten the rams of your flocks. What was torn by wild beasts I did not bring to you. I bore the loss of it myself. From my hand you required it. Whether stolen by day or stolen by night. There I was by day. The heat consumed me and the cold by night. And my sleep fled from my eyes. These 20 years I have been in your house. I served you 14 years for your two daughters and six years for your flock. And you have changed my wages 10 times. If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the fear of Isaac had not been on my side, surely now you would have sent me away empty handed. God saw my affliction and the labor of my hands and rebuked you last night. Then Laban answered and said to Jacob, the daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine. But what can I do this day for these my daughters? Or for their children whom they have borne? Come now, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it be a witness between you and me. So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. And Jacob said to his kinsmen, gather stones. And they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there by the heap. Laban called it Jagir Saadutha, but Jacob called it Gilead. Laban said, this heap is a witness between you and me today. Therefore he named it Gilead and Mizpah. For he said, the Lord, watch between you and me. And when we are out of one another's sight, if you oppress my daughters or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no one is with us, see God is witness between you and me. Then Laban said to Jacob, see this heap and the pillar which I have set between you and me. This heap is a witness and the pillar is a witness that I will not pass over this heap to you and you will not pass over this heap and this pillar to me to do harm. The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father judge between us. So Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac. And Jacob offered a sacrifice in the hill country and called his kinsmen to eat bread. They ate bread and spent the night in the hill country. Early in the morning, Laban arose and kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned home. A reading from the Book of Psalms. A prayer of David. Hear a just cause, O Lord, attend to my cry. Give ear to my prayer. From lips free of deceit, from your presence, Let my Vindication. Come, let your eyes behold the right. You have tried my heart. You have visited me by night, you have tested me, and you will find nothing. I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress with regard to the works of man. By the word of your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent. My steps have held fast to your paths. My feet have not slipped. I call upon you, for you will answer me. O God, incline your ear to me. Hear my words wondrously. Show your steadfast love, O savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries. At your right hand keep me as the apple of your eye. Hide me in the shadow of your wings from the wicked who do me violence. My deadly enemies who surround me, they close their hearts to pity with their mouths they speak arrogantly. They have now surrounded our steps. They set their eyes to cast us to the ground. He is like a lion, eager to tear, as a young lion lurking in ambush. Arise, O Lord, confront him, subdue him. Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword, from men, by your hand, O Lord, from men of the world whose portion is in this life. You fill their womb with treasure. They are satisfied with children, and they leave their abundance to their infants. As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness. A reading of the Gospel according to Matthew. For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace. And to them he said, you go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right, I will give you. So they went, going out Again, about the sixth hour and the ninth hour he did the same. And about the 11th hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, why do you stand here idle all day? They said to him, because no one has hired us. He said to them, you go into the vineyard too. And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first. And when those hired about the 11th hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now, when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more. But each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it, they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, these last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us. Who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat. But he replied to one of them, friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I chose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity? So the last will be first, and the first last. And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, see, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day. Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked him for something. And he said to her, what do you want? She said to him, say that these two sons of mine are to sit one at your right hand and one at your left in your kingdom. Jesus answered, you do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink? They said to him, we are able. He said to them, you will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father. And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, you know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercised authority over them. It shall not be so among you, but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave. Even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside. And when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, lord, have mercy on us, son of David. The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, lord, have mercy on us, son of David. And stopping Jesus called them and said, what do you want me to do for you? They said to him, lord, let our eyes be opened. And Jesus in pity, touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.