39 But truly, I answered my lord, ‘What if the woman is not willing to come with me?’
40 ‘The Lord,’ he said, ‘in whose sight I walk, will send his Angel with you, and he will direct your way. And you shall take a wife for my son from my own kindred and from my father’s house.
41 But you will be innocent of my curse, if, when you will arrive at my close relatives, they will not grant this to you.’
42 And so, today I arrived at the well of water, and I said: ‘O Lord, the God of my lord Abraham, if you have directed my way, in which I now walk,
43 behold, I stand next to the well of water, and the virgin, who will go forth to draw water, will hear from me, “Give me a little water to drink from your pitcher.”
44 And she will say to me, “You drink, and I will also draw for your camels.” Let the same be the woman, whom the Lord has prepared for the son of my lord.’
45 And while I thought over these things silently within myself, Rebekah appeared, arriving with a pitcher, which she carried on her shoulder. And she descended to the spring and drew water. And I said to her, ‘Give me a little to drink.’
46 And she quickly let down the pitcher from her arm, and said to me, ‘You drink, and to your camels I will also distribute drinking water.’ I drank, and she watered the camels.
47 And I questioned her, saying, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ And she responded, ‘I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to him.’ And so, I hung the earrings on her, to adorn her face, and I put the bracelets on her hands.
48 And falling prostrate, I adored the Lord, blessing the Lord, the God of my lord Abraham, who has led me along the straight path so as to take the daughter of my lord’s brother to his son.
49 For this reason, if you would act according to mercy and truth with my lord, tell me so. But if it pleases you otherwise, say that to me also, so that I may go either to the right, or to the left.”
50 And Laban and Bethuel responded: “A word has proceeded from the Lord. We are not able to speak anything else to you, beyond what pleases him.
51 Lo, Rebekah is in your sight. Take her and continue on, and let her be the wife of the son of your lord, just as the Lord has spoken.”
52 When Abraham’s servant had heard this, falling down to the ground, he adored the Lord.
53 And bringing forth vessels of silver and gold, as well as garments, he gave them to Rebekah as a tribute. Likewise, he offered gifts to her brothers and her mother.
54 And a banquet began, and they feasted and drank together, and they lodged there. And rising up in the morning, the servant said, “Release me, so that I may go to my lord.”
55 And her brothers and mother responded, “Let the girl remain for at least ten days with us, and after that, she will continue on.”
56 Do not be willing, he said, “to delay me, for the Lord has directed my way. Release me, so that I may journey to my lord.”
57 And they said, “Let us call the girl, and ask her will.”
58 And when, having been called, she arrived, they wanted to know, “Will you go with this man?” And she said, “I will go.”
59 Therefore, they released her and her nurse, and the servant of Abraham and his companions,
60 wishing prosperity for their sister, by saying: “You are our sister. May you increase to thousands of thousands. And may your offspring possess the gates of their enemies.”
61 And so, Rebekah and her maids, riding upon camels, followed the man, who quickly returned to his lord.
62 Then, at the same time, Isaac was walking along the way that leads to the well, whose name is: ‘of the One who lives and who sees.’ For he dwelt in the southern land.
63 And he had gone out to meditate in the field, as daylight was now declining. And when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw camels advancing from afar.
64 Likewise, Rebekah, having seen Isaac, descended from the camel.
65 And she said to the servant, “Who is that man who advances to meet us through the field?” And he said to her, “That is my lord.” And so, quickly taking up her cloak, she covered herself.
66 Then the servant explained to Isaac all that he had done.
67 And he led her into the tent of Sarah his mother, and he accepted her as wife. And he loved her so very much, that it tempered the sorrow which befell him at his mother’s death.
1 In truth, Abraham took another wife, named Keturah.
2 And she bore to him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.
3 Likewise, Jokshan conceived Sheba and Dedan. The sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim.
4 And truly, from Midian was born Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the sons of Keturah.
5 And Abraham gave everything that he possessed to Isaac.
6 But to the sons of the concubines he gave generous gifts, and he separated them from his son Isaac, while he still lived, toward the eastern region.
7 Now the days of Abraham’s life were one hundred and seventy-five years.
8 And declining, he died in a good old age, and at an advanced stage of life, and full of days. And he was gathered to his people.
9 And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the double cave, which was situated in the field of Ephron, of the son of Zohar the Hittite, across from the region of Mamre,
10 which he had bought from the sons of Heth. There he was buried, with his wife Sarah.
11 And after his passing, God blessed his son Isaac, who lived near the well named ‘of the One who lives and who sees.’
12 These are the generations of Ishmael, the son of Abraham, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s servant, bore to him.
13 And these are the names of his sons according to their language and generations. The firstborn of Ishmael was Nebaioth, then Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,
14 likewise Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa,
15 Hadad, and Tema, and Jetur, and Naphish, and Kedemah.
16 These are the sons of Ishmael. And these are their names throughout their fortresses and towns: the twelve princes of their tribes.
17 And the years of the life of Ishmael that passed were one hundred and thirty-seven. And declining, he died and was placed with his people.
18 Now he had lived from Havilah as far as Shur, which overlooks Egypt as it approaches the Assyrians. He passed away in the sight of all his brothers.
19 Likewise, these are the generations of Isaac, the son of Abraham. Abraham conceived Isaac,
20 who, when he was forty years old, took Rebekah, the sister of Laban, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian from Mesopotamia, as a wife.
21 And Isaac beseeched the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. And he heard him, and he gave conception to Rebekah.
22 But the little ones struggled in her womb. So she said, “If it was to be so with me, what need was there to conceive?” And she went to consult the Lord.
23 And responding, he said, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples will be divided out of your womb, and one people will overcome the other people, and the elder will serve the younger.”
24 Now the time had arrived to give birth, and behold, twins were discovered in her womb.
25 He who departed first was red, and entirely hairy like a pelt; and his name was called Esau. At once the other departed and he held his brother’s foot in his hand; and because of this he was called Jacob.
26 Isaac was sixty years old when the little ones were born to him.
27 And as adults, Esau became a knowledgeable hunter and a man of agriculture, but Jacob, a simple man, dwelt in tents.
28 Isaac was fond of Esau, because he was fed from his hunting; and Rebekah loved Jacob.
29 Then Jacob boiled a small meal. Esau, when he had arrived weary from the field,
30 said to him, “Give me this red stew, for I am very tired.” For this reason, his name was called Edom.
31 Jacob said to him, “Sell me your right of the firstborn.”
32 He answered, “Lo, I am dying, what will the right of the firstborn provide for me?”
33 Jacob said, “So then, swear to me.” Esau swore to him, and he sold his right of the firstborn.
34 And so, taking bread and the food of lentils, he ate, and he drank, and he went away, giving little weight to having sold the right of the firstborn.
&
1 The burden of Babylon which Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saw.
2 Over the foggy mountain lift up a sign! Raise the voice, lift up the hand, and let the rulers enter through the gates!
3 In my wrath, I commanded my sanctified ones, and I called my strong ones, those who exult in my glory.
4 On the mountains, there is the voice of a multitude, as if of a numerous people, a voice with the sound of kings, of nations gathered together. For the Lord of hosts has given orders to soldiers of war,
5 to those who are arriving from a far off land, from the heights of the heavens. It is the Lord and the instruments of his fury, so that he may bring ruin to all the earth.
6 Wail aloud! For the day of the Lord draws near! It will arrive like a devastation from the Lord.
7 Because of it, every hand will fail, and every heart of man will waste away and be crushed.
8 Writhing and pain will seize them. They will be in pain, like a woman in labor. Each one will appear stupefied to his neighbor. Their countenances will be like faces which have been burned up.
9 Behold, the day of the Lord approaches: a cruel day, full of indignation and wrath and fury, which will place the earth in solitude and crush the sinners from it.
10 For the stars of the heavens, in their splendor, will not display their light. The sun will be obscured at its rising, and the moon will not shine in her brightness.
11 And I will act against the evils of the world, and against the impious for their iniquity. And I will cause the pride of the unfaithful to cease, and I will bring down the arrogance of the strong.
12 A man will be more precious than gold, and mankind will become like pure refined gold.
13 For this purpose, I will stir up heaven, and the earth will be moved from its place, because of the indignation of the Lord of hosts, because of the day of his furious wrath.
14 And they will be like a doe fleeing away, or like sheep; and there will be no one who may gather them together. Each one will turn to his own people, and every one will flee to his own land.
15 All who are found will be killed, and all who are caught unaware will fall by the sword.
16 Their infants will be thrown down violently before their eyes. Their houses will be plundered, and their wives will be violated.
17 Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them. They will not seek silver, nor desire gold.
18 Instead, with their arrows, they will put the little children to death, and they will take no pity on breastfeeding women, and their eye will not spare their children.
19 And then Babylon, the glorious one among kingdoms, that famous pride of the Chaldeans, will be destroyed, even as the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
20 It will not be inhabited, even unto the end, and it will not be reestablished, even from generation to generation. The Arab will not pitch his tents there, nor will the shepherds take rest there.
21 Instead, the wild beasts will rest there, and their houses will be filled with serpents, and ostriches will live there, and the hairy ones will leap about there.
22 And the tawny owls will answer one another there, in its buildings, and the Sirens in its shrines of pleasure.
4 For my enemy will be turned back. They will be weakened and perish before your face.
5 For you have accomplished my judgment and my cause. You have sat upon the throne that judges justice.
6 You have rebuked the Gentiles, and the impious one has perished. You have deleted their name in eternity and for all generations.
7 The spears of the enemy have failed in the end, and their cities, you have destroyed. Their memory has perished with a loud noise.
8 But the Lord remains in eternity. He has prepared his throne in judgment.
9 And he will judge the whole world in equity. He will judge the people in justice.
10 And the Lord has become a refuge for the poor, a helper in opportunity, in tribulation.
1 And having called together his twelve disciples, he gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out and to cure every sickness and every infirmity.
2 Now the names of the twelve Apostles are these: the First, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother,
3 James of Zebedee, and John his brother, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector, and James of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus,
4 Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.
5 Jesus sent these twelve, instructing them, saying: “Do not travel by the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter into the city of the Samaritans,
6 but instead go to the sheep who have fallen away from the house of Israel.
7 And going forth, preach, saying: ‘For the kingdom of heaven has drawn near.’
8 Cure the infirm, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You have received freely, so give freely.
9 Do not choose to possess gold, nor silver, nor money in your belts,
10 nor provisions for the journey, nor two tunics, nor shoes, nor a staff. For the laborer deserves his portion.
11 Now, into whatever city or town you will enter, inquire as to who is worthy within it. And stay there until you depart.
12 Then, when you enter into the house, greet it, saying, ‘Peace to this house.’
13 And if, indeed, that house is worthy, your peace will rest upon it. But if it is not worthy, your peace will return to you.
14 And whoever has neither received you, nor listened to your words, departing from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.
15 Amen I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city.
16 Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore, be as prudent as serpents and as simple as doves.
17 But beware of men. For they will hand you over to councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues.
18 And you shall be led before both rulers and kings for my sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.
19 But when they hand you over, do not choose to think about how or what to speak. For what to speak shall be given to you in that hour.
20 For it is not you who will be speaking, but the Spirit of your Father, who will speak in you.
21 And brother will hand over brother to death, and father will hand over son. And children will rise up against parents and bring about their deaths.
22 And you will be hated by all for the sake of my name. But whoever will have persevered, even to the end, the same shall be saved.
23 Now when they persecute you in one city, flee into another. Amen I say to you, you will not have exhausted all the cities of Israel, before the Son of man returns.
24 The disciple is not above the teacher, nor is the servant above his master.
25 It is sufficient for the disciple that he be like his teacher, and the servant, like his master. If they have called the Father of the family, ‘Beelzebub,’ how much more those of his household?
26 Therefore, do not fear them. For nothing is covered that shall not be revealed, nor hidden that shall not be known.
27 What I tell you in darkness, speak in the light. And what you hear whispered in the ear, preach above the rooftops.
28 And do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. But instead fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Hell.
29 Are not two sparrows sold for one small coin? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father.
30 For even the hairs of your head have all been numbered.
31 Therefore, do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.
32 Therefore, everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father, who is in heaven.
33 But whoever will have denied me before men, I also will deny before my Father, who is in heaven.
34 Do not think that I came to send peace upon the earth. I came, not to send peace, but the sword.
35 For I came to divide a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
36 And the enemies of a man will be those of his own household.
37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever loves son or daughter above me is not worthy of me.
38 And whoever does not take up his cross, and follow me is not worthy of me.
39 Whoever finds his life, will lose it. And whoever will have lost his life because of me, shall find it.
40 Whoever receives you, receives me. And whoever receives me, receives him who sent me.
41 Whoever receives a prophet, in the name of a prophet, shall receive the reward of a prophet. And whoever receives the just in the name of the just shall receive the reward of the just.
42 And whoever shall give, even to one of the least of these, a cup of cold water to drink, solely in the name of a disciple: Amen I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”
