Old Testament

Genesis 22-23

^22:1It happened after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!"

He said, "Here I am."

^22:2He said, "Now take your son, your only son, whom you love, even Isaac, and go into the land of Moriah. Offer him there for a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will tell you of."

^22:3Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son. He split the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went to the place of which God had told him. ^22:4On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place far off. ^22:5Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go yonder. We will worship, and come back to you. ^22:6Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. He took in his hand the fire and the knife. They both went together. ^22:7Isaac spoke to Abraham his father, and said, "My father?"

He said, "Here I am, my son."

He said, "Here is the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?"

^22:8Abraham said, "God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." So they both went together. ^22:9They came to the place which God had told him of. Abraham built the altar there, and laid the wood in order, bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, on the wood. ^22:10Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to kill his son.

^22:11The angel of Yahweh called to him out of the sky, and said, "Abraham, Abraham!"

He said, "Here I am."

^22:12He said, "Don't lay your hand on the boy, neither do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me."

^22:13Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and saw that behind him was a ram caught in the thicket by his horns. Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering instead of his son. ^22:14Abraham called the name of that place Yahweh-jireh. As it is said to this day, "In Yahweh's mountain it will be provided.

^22:15The angel of Yahweh called to Abraham a second time out of the sky, ^22:16and said, "I have sworn by myself, says Yahweh, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, ^22:17that in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is on the seashore. Your seed will possess the gate of his enemies. ^22:18In your seed will all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice."

^22:19So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba. Abraham lived at Beersheba.

^22:20It happened after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, "Behold, Milcah, she also has borne children to your brother Nahor: ^22:21Uz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram, ^22:22Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel." ^22:23Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham's brother. ^22:24His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bare Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.

^23:1Sarah lived one hundred twenty-seven years. These were the years of Sarah's life. ^23:2Sarah died in Kiriath Arba (the same is Hebron), in the land of Canaan. Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her. ^23:3Abraham rose up from before his dead, and spoke to the children of Heth, saying, ^23:4"I am a stranger and a sojourner with you. Give me a possession of a burying-place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight."

^23:5The children of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him, ^23:6"Hear us, my lord. You are a prince of God among us. In the choice of our tombs bury your dead. None of us will withhold from you his tomb, but that you may bury your dead."

^23:7Abraham rose up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth. ^23:8He talked with them, saying, "If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and entreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar, ^23:9that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he has, which is in the end of his field. For the full price let him give it to me in the midst of you for a possession of a burying-place."

^23:10Now Ephron was sitting in the midst of the children of Heth. Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the children of Heth, even of all who went in at the gate of his city, saying, ^23:11"No, my lord, hear me. I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the presence of the children of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead."

^23:12Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land. ^23:13He spoke to Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, "But if you will, please hear me. I will give the price of the field. Take it from me, and I will bury my dead there."

^23:14Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, ^23:15"My lord, listen to me. What is a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver between me and you? Therefore bury your dead."

^23:16Abraham listened to Ephron. Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver which he had named in the audience of the children of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, according to the current merchants' standard.

^23:17So the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the border of it round about, were made sure ^23:18to Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city. ^23:19After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre (the same is Hebron), in the land of Canaan. ^23:20The field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure to Abraham for a possession of a burying place by the children of Heth.

New Testament

Matthew 13

^13:1On that day Jesus went out of the house, and sat by the seaside. ^13:2Great multitudes gathered to him, so that he entered into a boat, and sat, and all the multitude stood on the beach. ^13:3He spoke to them many things in parables, saying, "Behold, a farmer went out to sow. ^13:4As he sowed, some seeds fell by the roadside, and the birds came and devoured them. ^13:5Others fell on rocky ground, where they didn't have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of earth. ^13:6When the sun had risen, they were scorched. Because they had no root, they withered away. ^13:7Others fell among thorns. The thorns grew up and choked them: ^13:8and others fell on good soil, and yielded fruit: some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty. ^13:9He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

^13:10The disciples came, and said to him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?"

^13:11He answered them, "To you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it is not given to them. ^13:12For whoever has, to him will be given, and he will have abundance, but whoever doesn't have, from him will be taken away even that which he has. ^13:13Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they don't see, and hearing, they don't hear, neither do they understand. ^13:14In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says,

 'By hearing you will hear,
      And will in no way understand;

 Seeing you will see,
      And will in no way perceive:

 ^13:15For this people's heart has grown callous,
      Their ears are dull of hearing,
      They have closed their eyes;

 Or else perhaps they might perceive with their eyes,
      Hear with their ears,
      Understand with their heart,

 And should turn again;
      And I would heal them.'

^13:16"But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear. ^13:17For most assuredly I tell you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things which you see, and didn't see them; and to hear the things which you hear, and didn't hear them.

^13:18"Hear, then, the parable of the farmer. ^13:19When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and doesn't understand it, the evil one comes, and snatches away that which has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown by the roadside. ^13:20What was sown on the rocky places, this is he who hears the word, and immediately with joy receives it; ^13:21yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while. When oppression or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. ^13:22What was sown among the thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. ^13:23What was sown on the good ground, this is he who hears the word, and understands it, who most assuredly bears fruit, and brings forth, some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty."

^13:24He set another parable before them, saying, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field, ^13:25but while people slept, his enemy came and sowed darnel also among the wheat, and went away. ^13:26But when the blade sprang up and brought forth fruit, then the darnel appeared also. ^13:27The servants of the householder came and said to him, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where did this darnel come from?'

^13:28"He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.'

"The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and gather them up?'

^13:29"But he said, 'No, lest perhaps while you gather up the darnel, you root up the wheat with them. ^13:30Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the harvest time I will tell the reapers, "First, gather up the darnel, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn."'"

^13:31He set another parable before them, saying, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field; ^13:32which indeed is smaller than all seeds. But when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches."

^13:33He spoke another parable to them. "The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, until it was all leavened."

^13:34Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the multitudes; and without a parable, he didn't speak to them, ^13:35that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying,

 "I will open my mouth in parables;
      I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world."

^13:36Then Jesus sent the multitudes away, and went into the house. His disciples came to him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the darnel of the field."

^13:37He answered them, "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, ^13:38the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the darnel are the sons of the evil one. ^13:39The enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. ^13:40As therefore the darnel is gathered up and burned with fire; so will it be at the end of this age. ^13:41The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and those who do iniquity, ^13:42and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and the gnashing of teeth. ^13:43Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

^13:44"Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found, and hid. In his joy, he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.

^13:45"Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who is a merchant seeking fine pearls, ^13:46who having found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

^13:47"Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a dragnet, that was cast into the sea, and gathered some fish of every kind, ^13:48which, when it was filled, they drew up on the beach. They sat down, and gathered the good into containers, but the bad they threw away. ^13:49So will it be in the end of the world. The angels will come forth, and separate the wicked from among the righteous, ^13:50and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth." ^13:51Jesus said to them, "Have you understood all these things?"

They answered him, "Yes, Lord."

^13:52He said to them, "Therefore, every scribe who has been made a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who is a householder, who brings out of his treasure new and old things."

^13:53It happened that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed from there. ^13:54Coming into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom, and these mighty works? ^13:55Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother called Mary, and his brothers, James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? ^13:56Aren't all of his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all of these things?" ^13:57They were offended by him.

But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and in his own house." ^13:58He didn't do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.