Old Testament

Genesis 28-29

^28:1Isaac called Jacob, blessed him, and commanded him, "You shall not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. ^28:2Arise, go to Paddan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother's father. Take a wife from there from the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother. ^28:3May God Almighty bless you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, that you may be a company of peoples, ^28:4and give you the blessing of Abraham, to you, and to your seed with you, that you may inherit the land where you travel, which God gave to Abraham."

^28:5Isaac sent Jacob away. He went to Paddan Aram to Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, Rebekah's brother, Jacob's and Esau's mother.

^28:6Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan Aram, to take him a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, "You shall not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan," ^28:7and that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Paddan Aram. ^28:8Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan didn't please Isaac, his father. ^28:9Esau went to Ishmael, and took, besides the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife.

^28:10Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. ^28:11He came to a certain place, and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. He took one of the stones of the place, and put it under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep. ^28:12He dreamed. Behold, a stairway set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. Behold, the angels of God ascending and descending on it. ^28:13Behold, Yahweh stood above it, and said, "I am Yahweh, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. The land whereon you lie, to you will I give it, and to your seed. ^28:14Your seed will be as the dust of the earth, and you will spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. In you and in your seed will all the families of the earth be blessed. ^28:15Behold, I am with you, and will keep you, wherever you go, and will bring you again into this land. For I will not leave you, until I have done that which I have spoken of to you."

^28:16Jacob awakened out of his sleep, and he said, "Surely Yahweh is in this place, and I didn't know it." ^28:17He was afraid, and said, "How dreadful is this place! This is none other than God's house, and this is the gate of heaven."

^28:18Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil on the top of it. ^28:19He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first. ^28:20Jacob vowed a vow, saying, "If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and clothing to put on, ^28:21so that I come again to my father's house in peace, and Yahweh will be my God, ^28:22then this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, will be God's house. Of all that you will give me I will surely give the tenth to you."

^29:1Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the children of the east. ^29:2He looked, and behold, a well in the field, and, behold, three flocks of sheep lying there by it. For out of that well they watered the flocks. The stone on the well's mouth was great. ^29:3There all the flocks were gathered. They rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again on the well's mouth in its place. ^29:4Jacob said to them, "My relatives, where are you from?"

They said, "We are from Haran."

^29:5He said to them, "Do you know Laban, the son of Nahor?"

They said, "We know him."

^29:6He said to them, "Is it well with him?"

They said, "It is well. See, Rachel, his daughter, is coming with the sheep."

^29:7He said, "Behold, it is still the middle of the day, not time to gather the cattle together. Water the sheep, and go and feed them."

^29:8They said, We can't, until all the flocks are gathered together, and they roll the stone from the well's mouth. Then we water the sheep."

^29:9While he was yet speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she kept them. ^29:10It happened, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban, his mother's brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother. ^29:11Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept. ^29:12Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's brother, and that he was Rebekah's son. She ran and told her father.

^29:13It happened, when Laban heard the news of Jacob, his sister's son, that he ran to meet Jacob, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things. ^29:14Laban said to him, Surely you are my bone and my flesh. He lived with him for a month. ^29:15Laban said to Jacob, "Because you are my brother, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what will your wages be?"

^29:16Laban had two daughters. The name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. ^29:17Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful and well favored. ^29:18Jacob loved Rachel. He said, "I will serve you seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter."

^29:19Laban said, "It is better that I give her to you, than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me."

^29:20Jacob served seven years for Rachel. They seemed to him but a few days, for the love he had for her.

^29:21Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her."

^29:22Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast. ^29:23It happened in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him. He went in to her. ^29:24Laban gave Zilpah his handmaid to his daughter Leah for a handmaid. ^29:25It happened in the morning that, behold, it was Leah. He said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? Didn't I serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?"

^29:26Laban said, "It is not done so in our place, to give the younger before the first born. ^29:27Fulfill the week of this one, and we will give you the other also for the service which you will serve with me yet seven other years."

^29:28Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week. He gave him Rachel his daughter as wife. ^29:29Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah, his handmaid, to be her handmaid. ^29:30He went in also to Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.

^29:31Yahweh saw that Leah was hated, and he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. ^29:32Leah conceived, and bore a son, and she named him Reuben. For she said, "Because Yahweh has looked at my affliction. For now my husband will love me." ^29:33She conceived again, and bare a son, and said, "Because Yahweh has heard that I am hated, he has therefore given me this son also." She named him Simeon. ^29:34She conceived again, and bare a son. Said, "Now this time will my husband be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons." Therefore was his name called Levi. ^29:35She conceived again, and bare a son. She said, "This time will I praise Yahweh." Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing.

New Testament

Matthew 18

^18:1In that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?"

^18:2Jesus called a little child to himself, and set him in the midst of them, ^18:3and said, "Most assuredly I tell you, unless you turn, and become as little children, you will in no way enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. ^18:4Whoever therefore humbles himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. ^18:5Whoever receives one such little child in my name receives me, ^18:6but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him that a huge millstone should be hung around his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depths of the sea.

^18:7"Woe to the world because of occasions of stumbling! For it must be that the occasions come, but woe to that person through whom the occasion comes! ^18:8If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life maimed or crippled, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire. ^18:9If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the Gehenna of fire. ^18:10See that you don't despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. ^18:11For the Son of Man came to save that which was lost.

^18:12"What do you think? If a man has one hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, doesn't he leave the ninety-nine, go to the mountains, and seek that which has gone astray? ^18:13If he finds it, most assuredly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. ^18:14Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

^18:15"If your brother sins against you, go, show him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained back your brother. ^18:16But if he doesn't listen, take one or two more with you, that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. ^18:17If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the assembly. If he refuses to hear the assembly also, let him be to you as a Gentile or a tax collector. ^18:18Most assuredly I tell you, whatever things you will bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever things you will loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. ^18:19Again, assuredly I tell you, that if two of you will agree on earth concerning anything that they will ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven. ^18:20For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them."

^18:21Then Peter came and said to him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Until seven times?"

^18:22Jesus said to him, "I don't tell you until seven times, but, until seventy times seven. ^18:23Therefore the Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who wanted to reconcile accounts with his servants. ^18:24When he had begun to reconcile, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. ^18:25But because he couldn't pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, with his wife, his children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. ^18:26The servant therefore fell down and kneeled before him, saying, 'Lord, have patience with me, and I will repay you all.' ^18:27The lord of that servant, being moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.

^18:28"But that servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, who owed him one hundred denarii, and he grabbed him, and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!'

^18:29"So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will repay you.' ^18:30He would not, but went and cast him into prison, until he should pay back that which was due. ^18:31So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were exceedingly sorry, and came and told to their lord all that was done. ^18:32Then his lord called him in, and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt, because you begged me. ^18:33Shouldn't you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, even as I had mercy on you?' ^18:34His lord was angry, and delivered him to the tormentors, until he should pay all that was due to him. ^18:35So my heavenly Father will also do to you, if you don't each forgive your brother from your hearts for his misdeeds."