Old Testament

Genesis 27

^27:1It happened, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his elder son, and said to him, "My son?"

He said to him, "Here I am."

^27:2He said, "See now, I am old. I don't know the day of my death. ^27:3Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field, and take me venison. ^27:4Make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat, and that my soul may bless you before I die.

^27:5Rebekah heard when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it. ^27:6Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, "Behold, I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying, ^27:7'Bring me venison, and make me savory food, that I may eat, and bless you before Yahweh before my death.' ^27:8Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command you. ^27:9Go now to the flock, and get me from there two good kids of the goats. I will make them savory food for your father, such as he loves. ^27:10You shall bring it to your father, that he may eat, so that he may bless you before his death."

^27:11Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, "Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. ^27:12What if my father touches me? I will seem to him as a deceiver, and I would bring a curse on myself, and not a blessing."

^27:13His mother said to him, "Let your curse be on me, my son. Only obey my voice, and go get them for me."

^27:14He went, and got them, and brought them to his mother. His mother made savory food, such as his father loved. ^27:15Rebekah took the good clothes of Esau, her elder son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob, her younger son. ^27:16She put the skins of the kids of the goats on his hands, and on the smooth of his neck. ^27:17She gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

^27:18He came to his father, and said, "My father?"

He said, "Here I am. Who are you, my son?"

^27:19Jacob said to his father, "I am Esau your firstborn. I have done what you asked me to do. Please arise, sit and eat of my venison, that your soul may bless me."

^27:20Isaac said to his son, "How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?"

He said, "Because Yahweh your God gave me success."

^27:21Isaac said to Jacob, "Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not."

^27:22Jacob went near to Isaac his father. He felt him, and said, "The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau." ^27:23He didn't recognize him, because his hands were hairy, like his brother, Esau's hands. So he blessed him. ^27:24He said, "Are you really my son Esau?"

He said, "I am."

^27:25He said, "Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless you."

He brought it near to him, and he ate. He brought him wine, and he drank. ^27:26His father Isaac said to him, "Come near now, and kiss me, my son." ^27:27He came near, and kissed him. He smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him, and said,

 "Behold, the smell of my son

 Is as the smell of a field which Yahweh has blessed.

 ^27:28God give you of the dew of the sky,

 of the fatness of the earth,

 and plenty of grain and new wine.

 ^27:29Let peoples serve you,

 Nations bow down to you.

 Be lord over your brothers,

 Let your mother's sons bow down to you.

 Cursed be everyone who curses you,

 Blessed be everyone who blesses you."

^27:30It happened, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob had just gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. ^27:31He also made savory food, and brought it to his father. He said to his father, "Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison, that your soul may bless me."

^27:32Isaac his father said to him, "Who are you?"

He said, "I am your son, your firstborn, Esau."

^27:33Isaac trembled violently, and said, "Who, then, is he who has taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before you came, and have blessed him? Yes, he will be blessed."

^27:34When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceeding great and bitter cry, and said to his father, "Bless me, even me also, my father."

^27:35He said, "Your brother came with deceit, and has taken away your blessing."

^27:36He said, "Isn't he rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright. See, now he has taken away my blessing." He said, "Haven't you reserved a blessing for me?"

^27:37Isaac answered Esau, "Behold, I have made him your lord, and all his brothers have I given to him for servants. With grain and new wine have I sustained him. What then will I do for you, my son?"

^27:38Esau said to his father, "Have you but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, my father." Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.

^27:39Isaac his father answered him,

 "Behold, of the fatness of the earth will be your dwelling,

 and of the dew of the sky from above.

 ^27:40By your sword will you live, and you will serve your brother.

 It will happen, when you will break loose,

 That you shall shake his yoke from off your neck."

^27:41Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him. Esau said in his heart, "The days of mourning for my father are at hand. Then I will kill my brother Jacob."

^27:42The words of Esau, her elder son, were told to Rebekah. She sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said to him, "Behold, your brother Esau comforts himself about you by planning to kill you. ^27:43Now therefore, my son, obey my voice. Arise, flee to Laban, my brother, in Haran. ^27:44Stay with him a few days, until your brother's fury turns away; ^27:45until your brother's anger turn away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send, and get you from there. Why should I be bereaved of you both in one day?"

^27:46Rebekah said to Isaac, "I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these, of the daughters of the land, what good will my life do me?"

New Testament

Matthew 16-17

^16:1The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing him, asked him to show them a sign from heaven. ^16:2But he answered them, "When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.' ^16:3In the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Hypocrites! You know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but you can't discern the signs of the times! ^16:4An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and there will be no sign given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah."

He left them, and departed. ^16:5The disciples came to the other side and had forgotten to take bread. ^16:6Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

^16:7They reasoned among themselves, saying, "We brought no bread."

^16:8Jesus, perceiving it, said, "Why do you reason among yourselves, you of little faith, 'because you have brought no bread?' ^16:9Don't you yet perceive, neither remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you took up? ^16:10Nor the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you took up? ^16:11How is it that you don't perceive that I didn't speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

^16:12Then they understood that he didn't tell them to beware of the yeast of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. ^16:13Now when Jesus came into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"

^16:14They said, "Some say John the Baptizer, some, Elijah, and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets."

^16:15He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"

^16:16Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

^16:17Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. ^16:18I also tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my assembly, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. ^16:19I will give to you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." ^16:20Then he charged the disciples that they should tell no one that he is Jesus the Christ. ^16:21From that time, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up.

^16:22Peter took him aside, and began to rebuke him, saying, "Far be it from you, Lord! This will never be done to you."

^16:23But he turned, and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling-block to me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of men." ^16:24Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. ^16:25For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it. ^16:26For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life? ^16:27For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will render to everyone according to his deeds. ^16:28Most assuredly I tell you, there are some standing here who will in no way taste of death, until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

^17:1After six days, Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them up into a high mountain by themselves. ^17:2He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his garments became as white as the light. ^17:3Behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them talking with him.

^17:4Peter answered, and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you want, let's make three tents here: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

^17:5While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. Behold, a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him."

^17:6When the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces, and were very afraid. ^17:7Jesus came and touched them and said, "Get up, and don't be afraid." ^17:8Lifting up their eyes, they saw no one, except Jesus alone. ^17:9As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Don't tell anyone what you saw, until the Son of Man has risen from the dead."

^17:10His disciples asked him, saying, "Then why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?

^17:11Jesus answered them, "Elijah indeed comes first, and will restore all things, ^17:12but I tell you that Elijah has come already, and they didn't recognize him, but did to him whatever they wanted to. Even so the Son of Man will also suffer by them." ^17:13Then the disciples understood that he spoke to them of John the Baptizer.

^17:14When they came to the multitude, a man came to him, kneeling down to him, saying, ^17:15"Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is epileptic, and suffers grievously; for he often falls into the fire, and often into the water. ^17:16So I brought him to your disciples, and they could not cure him."

^17:17Jesus answered, "Faithless and perverse generation! How long will I be with you? How long will I bear with you? Bring him here to me." ^17:18Jesus rebuked him, the demon went out of him, and the boy was cured from that hour.

^17:19Then the disciples came to Jesus privately, and said, "Why weren't we able to cast it out?"

^17:20He said to them, "Because of your unbelief. For most assuredly I tell you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. ^17:21But this kind doesn't go out except by prayer and fasting."

^17:22While they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is about to be delivered up into the hands of men, ^17:23and they will kill him, and the third day he will be raised up."

They were exceedingly sorry. ^17:24When they had come to Capernaum, those who collected the didrachmas came to Peter, and said, "Doesn't your teacher pay the didrachma?" ^17:25He said, "Yes."

When he came into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth receive toll or tribute? From their sons, or from strangers?"

^17:26Peter said to him, "From strangers."

Jesus said to him, "Therefore the sons are exempt. ^17:27But, lest we cause them to stumble, go to the sea, and cast a hook, and take up the first fish that comes up. When you have opened its mouth, you will find a stater. Take that, and give it to them for me and you."