Crossing the Read Sea

1 Peter 1:13-25

Prepare for Action

13 So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. 14 So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. 15 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. 16 For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”

17 And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time here as “temporary residents.” 18 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. 19 It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. 20 God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake.

21 Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory.

22 You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart.

23 For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. 24 As the Scriptures say,

“People are like grass;

    their beauty is like a flower in the field.

The grass withers and the flower fades.

25 
    But the word of the Lord remains forever.”

And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 18

1 God appeared to Abraham in Elonim, the plains of Mamre. Abraham was sitting at the entrance to the tent, looking out for travelers to host, but God had made the heat of the day unnaturally intense.

2 Abraham looked up and behold, three men were standing before him. He took note that they hesitated to approach him. Therefore, he ran towards them from the entrance to the tent and prostrated himself on the ground.

3 He first said to all three, “My masters!” and only then addressed the leader: “If I have found favor in your eyes, please do not pass me, your servant, by.

4 Let a little water be brought, wash your feet, and recline under the tree.

5 I will bring a piece of bread so that you can gather strength, and only then will you continue on your way. After all, you have paid me, your servant, a visit, and it would dishonor me if you would take your leave before I have served you a meal.” The angels replied, “Yes, do as you said.”

6 Abraham hastened to the tent, to Sarah, and said, “Hurry! Take three se’ah of flour and sift it; use some of the coarse flour to scrape the scum off the pot and use the fine flour to bake. Knead the fine flour and make three loaves of bread.”

7 Abraham then ran to the cattle, took one tender and choice calf for each guest, and gave them to his son, Ishmael, the youth. Ishmael hurried to prepare it.

8 Abraham first brought some cream and milk, and when the calf that Ishmael had prepared for each guest was ready, he placed it before them. He stood over them under the tree, attending to their needs, and they ate.

9 All three angels then asked him, “Where is Sarah, your wife?” Abraham replied, “Here, in the tent.”

10 One of the angels said: “I will surely return to you at this exact time next year, and as sure as you are now alive and well, so will you be alive and well then, but Sarah, your wife, will have a son that day.” Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, behind him.

11 Now Abraham and Sarah were already old; they deeply internalized their experiences. Sarah had ceased having a woman’s cycle.

12 She laughed at herself, saying, “Now that I am withered, will my skin become smooth?! Besides, my husband is too old to sire a child!”

13 God said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really give birth, though I am old?’”

14 The angel continued, “Is anything too wondrous for God? At the exact time that I designated, I will return to you, and as sure as you are now alive and well, so will you be alive and well then, but Sarah will have a son that day.”

2 Kings 24:18-25:9

Zedekiah Rules in Judah

18 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah from Libnah. 19 But Zedekiah did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, just as Jehoiakim had done. 20 These things happened because of the Lord’s anger against the people of Jerusalem and Judah, until he finally banished them from his presence and sent them into exile.

The Fall of Jerusalem

Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

25 So on January 15, during the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon led his entire army against Jerusalem. They surrounded the city and built siege ramps against its walls. 2 Jerusalem was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah’s reign.

3 By July 18 in the eleventh year of Zedekiah’s reign, the famine in the city had become very severe, and the last of the food was entirely gone. 4 Then a section of the city wall was broken down. Since the city was surrounded by the Babylonians, the soldiers waited for nightfall and escaped through the gate between the two walls behind the king’s garden. Then they headed toward the Jordan Valley.

5 But the Babylonian troops chased the king and overtook him on the plains of Jericho, for his men had all deserted him and scattered. 6 They captured the king and took him to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where they pronounced judgment upon Zedekiah. 7 They made Zedekiah watch as they slaughtered his sons. Then they gouged out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him in bronze chains, and led him away to Babylon.

The Temple Destroyed

8 On August 14 of that year, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard and an official of the Babylonian king, arrived in Jerusalem. 9 He burned down the Temple of the Lord, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem. He destroyed all the important buildings in the city.

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 18

15 Hearing God’s accusation, Sarah denied it and said, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid, but He said to her, “No, you did laugh.”

16 The “men” rose from there and looked out over Sodom. Abraham walked with them to escort them.

17 God said, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do,

18 seeing that I love Abraham so much that I have promised him that he will surely become a great and mighty nation, and through him all the nations of the world will be blessed?

19 I have promised him these blessings for I cherish him, and I cherish him because he instructs his children and his household after him to keep God’s ways by acting with righteousness and justice so that they will earn My blessings. In fact, when he instructs them to follow My teachings, he adds explicitly, ‘so God will be able to bring about for Abraham everything He said concerning him.’”

20 So God said to Abraham, “Because the outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah has become great, and their sin is very grave,

21 I will descend and see: if their deeds have matched the outcry that has come before Me, I will annihilate them. If not, then I will know what less-severe punishment to impose on them.”

22 The men whom Abraham was escorting turned from there and headed toward Sodom, while Abraham was still standing before God.

23 Abraham figuratively came forward and said to God, “Would You obliterate the righteous along with the wicked?!

24 What if there were 50 righteous people in the city of Sodom and its four neighboring cities? Would You still obliterate the place and not spare it for the sake of the 50 righteous people who are within it?

25 Furthermore, it would be sacrilegious for You to do such a thing—to bring death upon the righteous along with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked fare alike. It would be sacrilegious to You! Should the Judge of the whole world not judge fairly?!”

26 God said, “If I find in Sodom and its four neighbors 50 righteous people with the cities, I will spare the entire area for their sake.”

27 Abraham responded and said, “I have begun to speak to God because I would have been reduced to dust by the alliance of kings and to ashes by Nimrod were it not for You!

28 What if there were five missing from the 50 righteous people? Would You destroy the entire city and its four neighboring cities because of the lack of five people?” He replied, “I will not destroy the region if I find 45 righteous people living there.”

29 Abraham spoke to Him again and said, “What if 40 were to be found there, 10 in each of the four cities? You could spare four and destroy only one.” He said, “I will not take action against the four cities, for the sake of the 40 righteous people living therein.”

30 Then Abraham said, “Let not God be angry, but let me speak. What if 30 were to be found there? You could spare three cities.” He said, “I will not act against the three cities if I find 30 righteous people there.”

31 Abraham said, “I would like to speak further to God on their behalf! What if 20 were to be found there? You could spare two cities.” He said, “I will not destroy the two cities, for the sake of the 20 righteous people living in them.”

32 Abraham then said, “Let not God be angry, but I will speak just this one last time. What if 10 were to be found there? You could spare one city.” He said, “I will not destroy it, for the sake of the 10.”

33 Seeing that the “defending attorney” had finished his plea, God, the “judge,” figuratively departed from the “courtroom” when He had finished speaking to Abraham. Abraham returned to his home.

1 Peter 3:8-17

With Righteousness Comes Suffering

8 Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. 9 Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing. 10 For the Scriptures say,

“If you want to enjoy life

    and see many happy days,

keep your tongue from speaking evil

    and your lips from telling lies.

11 
Turn away from evil and do good.

    Search for peace, and work to maintain it.

12 
The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right,

    and his ears are open to their prayers.

But the Lord turns his face

    against those who do evil.”

Suffering for Doing Good

13 Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. 15 Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. 16 But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. 17 Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 19

1 The two angels arrived in Sodom only at nightfall. Lot was sitting at the gate of Sodom. Lot saw them and rose to greet them, and prostrated himself on the ground.

2 He said, “Now, my lords, please turn aside and take a circuitous route to your servant’s house so no one will notice you entering it. Spend the night, bathe your feet, and then wake up early and continue on your way.” They replied, “No, we will spend the night in the city square instead.”

3 He pleaded with them strongly, so they turned his way and entered his house. He made a feast for them and because it was Passover he baked matzos for them, and they ate.

4 They had not yet gone to bed when the townspeople, the wicked men of Sodom, surrounded the house—young and old, all the people from every quarter.

5 They called out to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that the men among us may know them carnally!”

6 Lot went out to them, to the entrance, and closed the door behind him.

7 He said, “I beg you, my brothers, do not commit such a wrong!

8 Here, I have two daughters who have never known a man carnally. I will bring them out to you, and do with them as you please; but do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof and I am therefore responsible for their safety.”

9 But they said to Lot, “Get out of the way!” Then they said to each other, “This one came here as a sojourner, and he already dares to reprove us?!” They turned to him and said, “Now we will deal with you worse than with them!” They pressed hard against the man, against Lot, and moved forward to break down the door.

10 So the men inside stretched out their hands and pulled Lot towards themselves into the house, and closed the door.

11 They miraculously struck the people who were at the entrance to the house with blindness, young and old, so the people tried in vain to find the entrance.

12 The men inside said to Lot, “Whom else do you have here besides your wife and two daughters? A son-in-law, or your grandsons and granddaughters, or anyone you may have in the city—get them out of here,

13 because we are about to destroy this place, for the people’s outcry before God has grown great, and God has sent us to destroy it.”

14 Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law and his daughters’ fiancés, and said, “Get up and leave this place, for God is about to destroy the city!” but in the eyes of his sons-in-law and daughters’ fiancés he appeared to be joking.

15 As dawn was breaking, the angels urged Lot on, saying, “Arise! Take your wife and two daughters who are here, lest you be obliterated along with everyone else on account of the city’s sinfulness!”

16 Yet he lingered. So, out of God’s compassion for him, the men grasped him and his wife and two daughters by the hand; they led them out, and left them on the outskirts of the city.

17 When they had led them out, the angel said, “Run for your life! Do not look back nor stop anywhere in the plain. Flee to the hills, lest you be obliterated along with everyone else!”

18 Lot said to them, “Please, God, no!

19 Your servant has found favor in your eyes, and in the abounding kindness you have shown me you have saved my life. But I cannot escape to the mountain where Abraham lives, lest an evil stigma cling to me and I be judged worthy to die.

20 Please, there is this town called Bela, which was founded more recently than the other four cities. It is therefore a fitting place to flee to, for it is less entrenched in sin than the other four cities and does not yet deserve to be destroyed. Please let me escape there; in any case, it is smaller [mitz’ar] than the other cities, so you shouldn’t mind sparing it so I can survive in it.”

1 Peter 3:18-22

Christ Exalted through Suffering

18 Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.

19 So he went and preached to the spirits in prison— 20 those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood. 21 And that water is a picture of baptism, which now saves you, not by removing dirt from your body, but as a response to God from a clean conscience. It is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

22 Now Christ has gone to heaven. He is seated in the place of honor next to God, and all the angels and authorities and powers accept his authority.

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 19

21 The angel replied to him, “In this matter, too, I have showed you favor: I will not overturn the town of which you spoke.

22 But hurry! Escape there, for I can do nothing until you arrive there.” The town of Bela was therefore called Tzo’ar [“small”] from then on.

23 The sun had already risen over the earth when Lot reached Tzo’ar.

24 God made sulfur and fire rain down on Sodom and Gomorrah from God, out of the sky.

25 God overturned those four cities and the entire plain, together with all the inhabitants of the cities and the vegetation of the ground.

26 Lot’s wife turned around, looked behind him at the destruction, and she became a pillar of salt.

27 Abraham woke up early in the morning and went to the place where he had stood before God.

28 He gazed upon Sodom and Gomorrah and over the whole area of the plain, and he saw a column of smoke rising from the earth, like the column of smoke that rises from a limekiln.

29 When God destroyed the cities of the plain, God was mindful of how Lot had protected Abraham in Egypt by going along with his pretense that Sarah was his sister, and in recompense, He sent forth Lot from the midst of the upheaval when He overturned the towns in which Lot had been living.

30 Lot went up from Tzo’ar and settled on the nearby deserted mountain together with his two daughters, since he was afraid to remain in Tzo’ar, and he and his two daughters lived in a cave.

31 The older daughter said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man in the world to marry us in the usual manner.

32 Come, let us give our father wine to drink, and lie carnally with him, and thus produce offspring from our father.”

33 That night, they gave their father wine to drink. The older daughter went and lay carnally with her father, but he was so drunk that he was not aware that it was she when she lay next to him. But when she arose, he was sober enough to realize that it was she.

34 The next day, the older daughter said to the younger, “Last night it was I who lay carnally with my father. Tonight, too, let us give him wine to drink, and you go and lie carnally with him, and we will produce offspring through our father.”

35 That night, they again gave their father wine to drink. This time, the younger daughter got up and lay carnally with him, but again, he was so drunk that he was not aware that she had lain down or arisen.

36 Thus, Lot’s two daughters conceived from their father.

37 The older daughter gave birth to a son and named him Moab [“from father”]; he is the ancestor of the people of Moab until the present day.

38 The younger daughter also gave birth to a son and named him Ben-Ami [“son of my kindred”]; he is the ancestor of the people of Ammon until the present day.

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 20

1 Abraham journeyed from there to the Negev and settled between Kadesh and Shur, coming to finally sojourn in the Philistine city of Gerar.

2 Abraham said of Sarah, his wife, “She is my sister.” So Avimelech, king of Gerar, sent messengers and had Sarah brought to him.

3 God came to Avimelech in a nocturnal dream, saying, “You are going to die on account of the woman you took. She is a married woman and you will be guilty of adultery if you have relations with her.”

4 Since Avimelech had not come near her, he said, “God, would You put to death even an innocent nation?

5 Did her husband not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself also said, ‘He is my brother.’ I did this with an innocent heart, with no intent to sin. I am with blameless hands, for I have not touched her.”

6 God said to him in the dream, “I, too, knew that you did this with an innocent heart, but you cannot claim that your hands are blameless, for it was I who spared you from sinning against Me. It is because I knew that you did not intend to do anything wrong that I did not allow you to touch her.

7 Now, return the man’s wife. Do not fear that he will not want to accept her back, for he is a prophet and knows that you did nothing to her. He will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, be assured that you will die—you and all that are yours.”

8 Avimelech got up early in the morning. He called for all his servants and discreetly told them all these things, and the men were terrified.

9 Avimelech summoned Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? What wrong have I done you, that you should bring such great guilt upon me and my kingdom? You have brought upon me things that do not normally happen!”

10 Avimelech then asked Abraham, “What did you see that made you do this thing?”

11 Abraham replied, “It was because I said to myself, ‘There is simply no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me on account of my wife if I disclose her true identity.’

12 In any case, she really is my sister. Because she is the daughter of my father but not of my mother, it was permissible for us to marry, and she became my wife.

13 When God made me wander from my father’s house, and I knew we would pass through lands inhabited by wicked people, I said to her, ‘There is a favor that you can do for me. Wherever we go, say about me: “He is my brother.”’”

14 Avimelech took flocks, cattle, bondmen, and bondwomen, and gave them to Abraham to placate him, so that he would pray for him, and returned Sarah, his wife, to him.

15 Avimelech said, “My land is here before you. You may settle wherever you please.”

16 To Sarah he said, “I have now given your ‘brother’ 1000 pieces of silver. Let this gift serve you figuratively as a cover over the eyes of all those with you who would look askance at you because of this incident, preventing them from doing so. For anyone who may, in the future, cast aspersions on your behavior in this episode, it will serve as proof of your innocence.”

17 Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Avimelech, his wife, and his bondwomen, so that they relieved themselves,

18 for God had blocked every orifice of the members of Avimelech’s household on account of Abraham’s wife Sarah.

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 21

1 God had remembered Sarah as He had said. God did for Sarah as He had spoken to Abraham: she bore a son.

2 Sarah conceived, and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the appointed time of which God had spoken.

3 Abraham named the son who had been born to him—whom Sarah had borne him—Isaac,

4 and Abraham circumcised his son Isaac on the eighth day after his birth, as God had commanded him.

Psalm 34:6-19

God Rescues Us from Our Afflictions

6 
In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened;

    he saved me from all my troubles.

7 
For the angel of the Lord is a guard;

    he surrounds and defends all who fear him.

8 
Taste and see that the Lord is good.

    Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!

9 
Fear the Lord, you his godly people,

    for those who fear him will have all they need.

10 
Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry,

    but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.

11 
Come, my children, and listen to me,

    and I will teach you to fear the Lord.

12 
Does anyone want to live a life

    that is long and prosperous?

13 
Then keep your tongue from speaking evil

    and your lips from telling lies!

14 
Turn away from evil and do good.

    Search for peace, and work to maintain it.

15 
The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right;

    his ears are open to their cries for help.

16 
But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil;

    he will erase their memory from the earth.

17 
The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help.

    He rescues them from all their troubles.

18 
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;

    he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

19 
The righteous person faces many troubles,

    but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 21

5 Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born to him.

6 Sarah said, “God has brought me happiness; whoever hears will be happy for me and happy with me.”

7 She said, “Who is He who said to Abraham, ‘Sarah will nurse children’? For I have given birth to a son in his old age!”

8 The child grew up and was weaned, and Abraham held a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.

9 Sarah saw that Ishmael, the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham, had fallen into degenerate behavior, including idol worship, illicit carnal relations, and even murder.

10 She said to Abraham, “Cast out this bondwoman and her son, for the son of this bondwoman will not inherit together with my son, Isaac!”

11 The matter of Ishmael’s wicked behavior greatly distressed Abraham. He was grieved over the idea of sending his son away.

12 God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed about the boy and your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah tells you, heed her voice. She has foreseen correctly, for it is through Isaac that you will have descendants who will be considered yours with respect to receiving the blessings I have promised you.

13 But I will also make the son of the bondwoman into a nation, for he is also your offspring.”

14 Abraham rose early in the morning, took bread and a leather flask of water, and gave them to Hagar. Abraham placed the food on Hagar’s shoulder together with the child, and sent her away. She left and wandered in the desert of Beersheba.

15 When the water from the leather flask was used up, she cast the child under one of the bushes.

16 She then walked away and sat down at a distance, some bowshots away, for she said, “Let me not look on as the child dies.” She sat at a further distance and burst out crying.

17 God heard the boy’s voice. So an angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the boy’s voice, considering only where he is with regard to his own moral merit, not judging him for the deeds of his wicked descendants.

18 Rise, lift up the boy, and grasp him with your hand, for I will make of him a great nation.”

19 God then opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. She went and filled the leather flask with water and gave the boy to drink.

20 God was with the boy and he grew up; he lived in the desert and became an archer, robbing travelers.

21 He settled in the Paran Desert, and his mother took him a wife from among the girls of Egypt.

Matthew 5:3-12

The Beatitudes

3 
“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,

    for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

4 
God blesses those who mourn,

    for they will be comforted.

5 
God blesses those who are humble,

    for they will inherit the whole earth.

6 
God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice,

    for they will be satisfied.

7 
God blesses those who are merciful,

    for they will be shown mercy.

8 
God blesses those whose hearts are pure,

    for they will see God.

9 
God blesses those who work for peace,

    for they will be called the children of God.

10 
God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right,

    for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

11 “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. 12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 21

22 At that time, Avimelech, accompanied by Pichol, chief of his troops, said to Abraham, “God is with you in all that you do.

23 So now, swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my grandson. The same kindness that I have shown you, welcoming you in my land, you will show to me and to the people of the land in which you have sojourned.”

24 Abraham replied, “I will swear.”

25 Abraham then disputed with Avimelech over the well of water that Avimelech’s servants had seized.

26 Avimelech said, “I do not know who did this thing, nor did you tell me, nor did I hear about it until today.”

27 Abraham took flocks and cattle and gave them to Avimelech, and the two of them made a treaty.

28 Abraham then set aside seven ewes of the flock.

29 Avimelech asked Abraham, “What are these seven ewes that you have set aside by themselves?”

30 He replied, “You are to accept these seven ewes from my hand as testimony that I dug this well.”

31 That place was therefore called Beersheba [“Well of the Oath”], for there the two of them made an oath.

32 When they had made this treaty in Beersheba, Avimelech and Pichol, chief of his troops, departed and returned to Philistia.

33 Abraham opened an inn in Beersheba. There he proclaimed the name of God, God of the Universe.

34 Abraham sojourned in Philistia for one year more than he had lived in Hebron, i.e., for 26 years.

Ezekiel 3:4-11

Speak if People Listen or Not

4 Then he said, “Son of man, go to the people of Israel and give them my messages. 5 I am not sending you to a foreign people whose language you cannot understand. 6 No, I am not sending you to people with strange and difficult speech. If I did, they would listen! 7 But the people of Israel won’t listen to you any more than they listen to me! For the whole lot of them are hard-hearted and stubborn. 8 But look, I have made you as obstinate and hard-hearted as they are. 9 I have made your forehead as hard as the hardest rock! So don’t be afraid of them or fear their angry looks, even though they are rebels.”

10 Then he added, “Son of man, let all my words sink deep into your own heart first. Listen to them carefully for yourself. 11 Then go to your people in exile and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says!’ Do this whether they listen to you or not.”

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 22

1 It was after these words that God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” and he replied devotedly, “Here I am. I am ready to do Your bidding.”

2 He said, “Please pass this ultimate test. Take your son, your only one, the one you love, Isaac. Take him and go away to the land of Moriah. Take him up there and prepare him as an ascent-offering on one of the mountains that I will designate to you.”

3 Abraham got up early in the morning and saddled his donkey himself. He took his two young men, Eliezer and Ishmael, with him, together with his son Isaac. Abraham chopped wood for the offering, and rose and set out for the place that God had told him.

4 On the third day of the journey, Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from afar.

5 Abraham said to his young men, “You stay here with the donkey, while I and Isaac, the young man, go a short distance over there. We will prostrate ourselves in prayer and then return to you.”

6 Abraham took the wood for the ascent-offering and placed it on his son, Isaac. He took the fire and knife in his hand, and the two of them walked on together.

7 Isaac said to Abraham, his father, “My father!” and he replied, “Here I am, my son.” Isaac said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the ascent-offering?”

8 Abraham replied, “God will see to a lamb for an ascent-offering, and if He does not, then you, my son, will be the offering.” The two of them walked on together.

9 When they came to the place that God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood. He then bound Isaac, his son, tying his hands and feet behind him, and placed him on the altar, on top of the wood.

10 Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.

11 An angel of God then called to him from heaven and said affectionately, “Abraham! Abraham!” and he replied, “Here I am.”

12 The angel said, “Do not raise your hand against the young man to slaughter him! Do nothing to him! For now that you have passed this test, I know that you fear God—since you did not withhold your son, your only one, from Me.”

13 Abraham raised his eyes, looking for an animal to sacrifice, and he caught sight of a ram entangled by its horns in a thicket. Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up as an ascent-offering in his son’s stead.

14 Abraham named that site “God will see,” praying, “May God select this place as the site of the Temple, where He will manifest Himself to His people.” Since God indeed had designated this mountain for this purpose, it is said to this day, “On God’s Mountain, Mount Moriah, He can be seen.”

15 The angel of God called to Abraham from heaven a second time,

16 and said, “God declares, ‘By Myself I swear: Because you did this thing, and did not withhold your son, your only one,

17 I will bless you and bless your son, and greatly increase your offspring as the stars of the sky and the grains of sand on the seashore, and your descendants will take possession of their enemies’ cities.

18 All the nations of the world will be blessed through your descendants—because you heeded My voice.’”

19 Abraham returned to his young men, and together they set out and went to Beersheba. Abraham remained for a short time in Beersheba.

20 It was after these words that Abraham was told by God: “Milkah, too, has borne sons to your brother, Nachor:

21 Utz, his firstborn; Buz, his brother; Kemu’el, the father of Aram;

22 Kesed; Chazo; Pildash; Yidlaf; and Bethuel.

23 Bethuel has a daughter, Rebecca. Milkah bore these eight sons to Nachor, Abraham’s brother.

24 And his concubine, whose name was Re’umah, also bore children: Tevach, Gacham, Tachash, and Ma’achah.”

Melachim II (II Kings) Chapter 4

1Now a woman, of the wives of the disciples of the prophets, cried out to Elisha, saying, "Your servant, my husband, has died, and you know that your servant did fear the Lord; and the creditor has come to take my two children for himself as slaves."

2And Elisha said to her, "What shall I do for you? Tell me what you have in the house." And she said, "Your maidservant has nothing at all in the house except a jug of oil."

3And he said, "Borrow vessels for yourself from outside, from all your neighbors; do not borrow only a few empty vessels.

4And you shall come and close the door about yourself and about your sons, and you shall pour upon all these vessels; and the full one you shall carry away."

5And she went away from him and closed the door about herself and about her sons; they were bringing [vessels] to her and she was pouring.

6And it was when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, "Bring me another vessel," and he said to her, "There is no other vessel." And the oil stopped.

7And she came and told the man of God: and he said, "Go sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons will live with the remainder."

8And it was that day that Elisha went as far as Shunem, and there was a prominent woman who prevailed upon him to eat a meal; and it was, whenever he would pass, he would stop there to eat a meal.

9And she said to her husband, "Behold now I know that he is a holy man of God, who passes by us regularly.

10Now let us make a small walled upper chamber, and place there for him a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp; and it will be that when he comes to us, he will turn into there.

11And it was one day that he went there, that he turned into the upper chamber and lay down there.

12And he said to Gehazi his servant, "Call this Shunemitess;" and he called her, and she stood before him.

13And he said to him, "Please say to her, 'Behold you have busied yourself on our account with all this trouble. What is there to do for you? Can we speak on your behalf to the king or to the general of the army?' " And she said, "I dwell in the midst of my people."

14And he said, "Now what can we do for her? " And Gehazi said, "Indeed, she has no son, and her husband is old."

15And he said, "Summon her," and he summoned her, and she stood at the doorway.

16And he said, "At this time next year, when you will be alive like now, you will be embracing a son." And she said, "No, my lord, O man of God, do not fail your maidservant."

17And the woman conceived and bore a son, at this time a year later, which Elisha had spoken to her.

18And the child grew up; and it was one day that he went out to his father, to the reapers.

19And he said to his father, "My head! My head!" And he said to the servant, "Carry him to his mother."

20And he carried him and brought him to his mother, and he sat on her knees until noon, and he died.

21And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and she closed about him and left.

22And she called her husband and said, "Please send me one of the servants and one of the she-asses; and I will run up to the man of God and return."

23And he said, "Why are you going to him today; it is neither the New Moon nor the Sabbath." And she said, "It's all right."

24And she saddled the she-ass, and she said to her servant, "Drive and go forward. Don't keep back from riding because of me unless I tell you."

25And she went and came to the man of God, to Mt. Carmel; and it was when the man of God saw her from afar, that he said to Gehazi his servant, "Here is that Shunemmitess.

26Now please run toward her, and say to her, 'Are you well? Is your husband well? Is the child well?' " And she said, "We are well."

27And she came to the man of God to the mountain, and she took hold of his feet; and Gehazi approached to push her away. Now the man of God said, "Let her be, for her soul is bitter to her, and the Lord hid it from me and did not tell me."

28And she said, "Did I ask for a son from my lord? Did I not say, 'Do not mislead me?' "

29And he said to Gehazi, "Gird your loins and take my staff in your hand and go. If you meet anyone, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not answer him: and you shall place my staff on the lad's face."

30And the lad's mother said, "As the Lord lives and by your life, I will not leave you." And he rose and went after her.

31And Gehazi went ahead of them, and he placed the staff on the lad's face, and there was no sound nor any attention; and he returned toward him and told him saying, "The lad has not awakened."

32And Elisha came into the house, and behold the lad was dead, laid out on his bed.

33And he came and closed the door about both of them; and he prayed to the Lord.

34And he went up and lay on the child, and placed his mouth on his mouth and his eyes on his eyes and his palms on his palms, and he prostrated himself upon him: and the child's flesh became warm.

35And he returned and walked in the house once here and once there, and he went up and prostrated himself upon him: and the lad sneezed up to seven times, and the lad opened his eyes.

36And he summoned Gehazi and said, "Call this Shunemmitess." And he called her, and she came to him, and he said, "Pick up your son."

37And she came and fell at his feet and bowed to the ground; and she picked up her son and departed.