1 And they set out and made camp in the plains of Moab, across the Jordan, where Jericho is situated.
2 Then Balak, the son of Zippor, seeing all that Israel had done to the Amorite,
3 and that the Moabites had great fear of him, and that they were not able to bear his assault,
4 said to those greater by birth of Midian: “So will this people wipe away all those who are dwelling within our borders, in the same way that the ox is accustomed to tear out grass, all the way to the roots.” At that time, he was king of Moab.
5 Therefore, he sent messengers to Balaam, the son of Beor, a seer who lived above the river of the land of the sons of Ammon, to call him, and to say: “Behold, a people has gone forth from Egypt, which has covered the face of the earth. They are encamped opposite me.
6 Therefore, come and curse this people, for they are stronger than I am. If only, in some way, I might be able to strike them and to drive them from my land. For I know that he whom you bless shall be blessed, and he whom you curse shall be cursed.”
7 And the elders of Moab, and those greater by birth of Midian, continued on, holding the price of divination in their hands. And when they had come to Balaam, and had explained to him all the words of Balak,
8 he responded, “Remain for this night, and I will answer with whatever the Lord will say to me.” And while they stayed with Balaam, God came and said to him,
9 What do these men want with you?
10 He responded, “Balak, the son of Zippor, the king of the Moabites has sent to me,
11 saying: ‘Behold, a people, which has gone forth from Egypt, has covered the face of the earth. Come and curse them, so that, in some way, I may be able to fight them and drive them away.’ “
12 And God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them, and do not curse the people, for they are blessed.”
13 And he, rising up in the morning, said to the leaders, “Go into your own land, for the Lord has prohibited me from going with you.”
14 Returning, the leaders said to Balak, “Balaam was not willing to come with us.”
15 Again, he sent many more persons, and these were more noble than those he had sent before.
16 And when these had come to Balaam, they said: “So says Balak, the son of Zippor. Do not hesitate to come to me.
17 For I am ready to honor you, and whatever you would want, I shall give to you. Come and curse this people.”
18 Balaam responded: “Even if Balak were to give to me his own house, filled with silver and gold, I still would not be able to change the word of the Lord my God, neither to say more, nor to say less.
19 I beg you to remain for this night also, so that I may know what the Lord will answer me again.”
20 Therefore, God came to Balaam in the night, and said to him: “If these men have arrived to call you, then rise up and go with them; yet only in so far as you shall do what I will command you.”
21 Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddling his donkey, he set out with them.
22 And God was angry. And an Angel of the Lord stood in the way opposite Balaam, who was sitting on the donkey, and he had two servants with him.
23 The donkey, discerning that the Angel was standing in the way with a drawn sword, turned herself from the road and went through a field. And when Balaam beat her and intended to return her to the path,
24 the Angel stood in a narrow place between the two walls, with which the vineyards were enclosed.
25 And the donkey, seeing this, drew herself close to the wall and scraped the foot of the rider. So he beat her again.
26 And, nevertheless, the Angel passing on to a narrow place, where one would not be able to deviate either to the right or to the left, stood to meet him.
27 And when the donkey had seen the Angel standing there, she fell under the feet of the rider, who, being angry, struck her sides more vehemently with a club.
28 And the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said: “What have I done to you? Why do strike you me, behold now, for the third time?”
29 Balaam responded, “Because you have deserved it, and you have mistreated me. If only I had a sword, so that I might pierce you.”
30 The donkey said: “Am not I your animal, on which you have always been accustomed to sit, even until this present day? Tell me, when did I ever do the same thing to you.” But he said, “Never.”
31 Immediately, the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the Angel standing in the way with a drawn sword, and he reverenced him prone on the ground.
32 And the Angel said to him: “Why did you beat your donkey three times? I have come to be an adversary to you, because your way is perverse and contrary to me.
33 And unless the donkey had turned aside from the way, allowing a place for my opposition, I would have killed you, and she would have lived.”
34 Balaam said: “I have sinned, not knowing that you stood against me. And now, if it displeases you for me to continue on, I will return.”
35 The Angel said, “Go with them, but be careful not to speak anything other than what I shall instruct you.” And so, he went with the leaders.
36 And when Balak had heard it, he went out to meet him in a town of the Moabites, which is situated at the furthest borders of Arnon.
37 And he said to Balaam: “I sent messengers to call you. Why did you not come to me immediately? Was it because I am not able to pay the cost for your arrival?”
38 He answered him: “Behold, here I am. Am I able to speak anything other than what God will put into my mouth?”
39 Therefore, they continued on together, and they arrived at a city, which was at the furthest borders of his kingdom.
40 And after Balak had killed oxen and sheep, he sent the gifts to Balaam, and to the leaders who were with him.
41 Then, when morning arrived, he led him to the heights of Baal, and he gazed upon the most distant portions of the population.
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15 Will you reign because you compare yourself to the cedar? Did your father not eat and drink, and act with judgment and justice, so that it would be well with him?
16 He judged the case of the poor and the indigent for their good. Was this not because he knew me, says the Lord?
17 Yet truly, your eyes and your heart are toward avarice and the shedding of innocent blood, and toward false accusations and the pursuit of evil deeds.
18 Because of this, thus says the Lord toward Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah: They will not mourn for him by saying, ‘Alas,’ to a brother, or, ‘Alas,’ to a sister. They will not make a noise for him and say, ‘Alas,’ to a master, or, ‘Alas,’ to a nobleman.
19 He will be buried with the burial of a donkey, having rotted and been thrown out of the gates of Jerusalem.
20 Ascend to Lebanon and cry out! And utter your voice in Bashan, and cry out to those passing by. For all your lovers have been crushed.
21 I spoke to you in your abundance, and you said, ‘I will not listen.’ This has been your way from your youth, for you have not listened to my voice.
22 The wind will feed all your shepherds, and your lovers will go into captivity. And then you will be confounded, and you will be ashamed of all your wickedness.
23 You who sit in Lebanon, and who nest in the cedars, in what way did you mourn when suffering came to you, like the suffering of a woman giving birth?
24 As I live, says the Lord, if Jeconiah, the son of Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, were a ring on my right hand, I would remove him from there.
25 And I will deliver you into the hand of those who seek your life, and into the hand of those whose face you dread, and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans.
26 And I will send you, and your mother who conceived you, into a foreign land, in which you were not born, and there you shall die.
27 And to the land about which they lift up their mind, thinking to return there, they shall not return.
28 Is this man, Jeconiah, a broken earthenware vessel? Is he a vessel which is entirely unpleasing? Why have they been cast out, he and his offspring, cast out even into a land that they have not known?
29 O earth, O earth, O earth! Listen to the word of the Lord!
30 Thus says the Lord: Write: this man is barren; he is a man who will not prosper in his days. For there will not be a man from among his offspring who will sit upon the throne of David, or have authority in Judah, anymore.”
14 Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me, look down, O Lord, to help me.
15 Let them be confounded and ashamed together, that seek after my soul to take it away. Let them be turned backward and be ashamed that desire evils to me.
16 Let them immediately bear their confusion, that say to me: Tis well, tis well.
17 Let all that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: and let such as love thy salvation say always: The Lord be magnified.
18 But I am a beggar and poor: the Lord is careful for me. Thou art my helper and my protector: O my God, be not slack.
1 Now it happened that, when the crowds pressed toward him, so that they might hear the word of God, he was standing beside the lake of Genesaret.
2 And he saw two boats standing beside the lake. But the fishermen had climbed down, and they were washing their nets.
3 And so, climbing into one of the boats, which belonged to Simon, he asked him to draw back a little from the land. And sitting down, he taught the crowds from the boat.
4 Then, when he had ceased speaking, he said to Simon, “Lead us into deep water, and release your nets for a catch.”
5 And in response, Simon said to him: “Teacher, working throughout the night, we caught nothing. But on your word, I will release the net.”
6 And when they had done this, they enclosed such a copious multitude of fish that their net was rupturing.
7 And they signaled to their associates, who were in the other boat, so that they would come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they were nearly submerged.
8 But when Simon Peter had seen this, he fell down at the knees of Jesus, saying, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”
9 For astonishment had enveloped him, and all who were with him, at the catch of fish that they had taken.
10 Now the same was true of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were associates of Simon. And Jesus said to Simon: “Do not be afraid. From now on, you will be catching men.”
11 And having led their boats to land, leaving behind everything, they followed him.
12 And it happened that, while he was in a certain city, behold, there was a man full of leprosy who, upon seeing Jesus and falling to his face, petitioned him, saying: “Lord, if you are willing, you are able to cleanse me.”
13 And extending his hand, he touched him, saying: “I am willing. Be cleansed.” And at once, the leprosy departed from him.
14 And he instructed him that he should tell no one, “But go, show yourself to the priest, and make the offering for your cleansing, just as Moses has commanded, as a testimony for them.”
15 Yet word of him traveled around all the more. And great crowds came together, so that they might listen and be cured by him from their infirmities.
16 And he withdrew into the desert and prayed.
17 And it happened, on a certain day, that he again sat down, teaching. And there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting nearby, who had come from every town of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present, to heal them.
18 And behold, some men were carrying in the bed of a man who was paralyzed. And they sought a way to bring him in, and to place him before him.
19 And not finding a way by which they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they climbed up to the roof, and they let him down through the roof tiles with his bed, into their midst, in front of Jesus.
20 And when he saw his faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”
21 And the scribes and Pharisees began to think, saying: “Who is this, who is speaking blasphemies? Who is able to forgive sins, except God alone?”
