Luke 16; Genesis 27:46; Genesis 28; Psalms 21

Luke 16

1 He also said to the disciples: "There was a rich man who received an accusation that his manager was squandering his possessions.

2 So he called the manager in and asked, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you can no longer be [my] manager.'

3 "Then the manager said to himself, 'What should I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I'm not strong enough to dig; I'm ashamed to beg.

4 I know what I'll do so that when I'm removed from management, people will welcome me into their homes.'

5 "So he summoned each one of his master's debtors. 'How much do you owe my master?' he asked the first one.

6 " 'A hundred measures of oil,' he said. " 'Take your invoice,' he told him, 'sit down quickly, and write 50.'

7 "Next he asked another, 'How much do you owe?' " 'A hundred measures of wheat,' he said. " 'Take your invoice,' he told him, 'and write 80.'

8 "The master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted astutely. For the sons of this age are more astute than the sons of light [in dealing] with their own people.

9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of the unrighteous money so that when it fails, they may welcome you into eternal dwellings.

10 Whoever is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and whoever is unrighteous in very little is also unrighteous in much.

11 So if you have not been faithful with the unrighteous money, who will trust you with what is genuine?

12 And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to someone else, who will give you what is your own?

13 No household slave can be the slave of two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can't be slaves to both God and money."

14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and scoffing at Him.

15 And He told them: "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly admired by people is revolting in God's sight.

16 "The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then, the good news of the kingdom of God has been proclaimed, and everyone is strongly urged to enter it.

17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter in the law to drop out.

18 "Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and everyone who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.

19 "There was a rich man who would dress in purple and fine linen, feasting lavishly every day.

20 But a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, was left at his gate.

21 He longed to be filled with what fell from the rich man's table, but instead the dogs would come and lick his sores.

22 One day the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried.

23 And being in torment in Hades, he looked up and saw Abraham a long way off, with Lazarus at his side.

24 'Father Abraham!' he called out, 'Have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this flame!'

25 " 'Son,' Abraham said, 'remember that during your life you received your good things, just as Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here, while you are in agony.

26 Besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that those who want to pass over from here to you cannot; neither can those from there cross over to us.'

27 " 'Father,' he said, 'then I beg you to send him to my father's house-

28 because I have five brothers-to warn them, so they won't also come to this place of torment.'

29 "But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.'

30 " 'No, father Abraham,' he said. 'But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'

31 "But he told him, 'If they don't listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.' "

Genesis 27:46

46 So Rebekah said to Isaac, "I'm sick of my life because of these Hittite women. If Jacob marries a Hittite woman like one of them, what good is my life?"

Genesis 28

1 Isaac summoned Jacob, blessed him, and commanded him: "Don't take a wife from the Canaanite women.

2 Go at once to Paddan-aram, to the house of Bethuel, your mother's father. Marry one of the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother.

3 May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you so that you become an assembly of peoples.

4 May God give you and your offspring the blessing of Abraham so that you may possess the land where you live as an alien, the land God gave to Abraham."

5 So Isaac sent Jacob to Paddan-aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.

6 Esau noticed that Isaac blessed Jacob and sent him to Paddan-aram to get a wife there. When he blessed him, Isaac commanded Jacob not to marry a Canaanite woman.

7 And Jacob listened to his father and mother and went to Paddan-aram.

8 Esau realized that his father Isaac disapproved of the Canaanite women,

9 so Esau went to Ishmael and married, in addition to his other wives, Mahalath daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son. She was the sister of Nebaioth.

10 Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran.

11 He reached a certain place and spent the night there because the sun had set. He took one of the stones from the place, put it there at his head, and lay down in that place.

12 And he dreamed: A stairway was set on the ground with its top reaching heaven, and God's angels were going up and down on it.

13 The Lord was standing there beside him, saying, "I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your offspring the land that you are now sleeping on.

14 Your offspring will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out toward the west, the east, the north, and the south. All the peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.

15 Look, I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go. I will bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."

16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he said, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it."

17 He was afraid and said, "What an awesome place this is! This is none other than the house of God. This is the gate of heaven."

18 Early in the morning Jacob took the stone that was near his head and set it up as a marker. He poured oil on top of it

19 and named the place Bethel, though previously the city was named Luz.

20 Then Jacob made a vow: "If God will be with me and watch over me on this journey, if He provides me with food to eat and clothing to wear,

21 and if I return safely to my father's house, then the Lord will be my God.

22 This stone that I have set up as a marker will be God's house, and I will give to You a tenth of all that You give me."

Psalms 21

1 Lord, the king finds joy in Your strength. How greatly he rejoices in Your victory!

2 You have given him his heart's desire and have not denied the request of his lips. Selah

3 For You meet him with rich blessings; You place a crown of pure gold on his head.

4 He asked You for life, and You gave it to him- length of days forever and ever.

5 His glory is great through Your victory; You confer majesty and splendor on him.

6 You give him blessings forever; You cheer him with joy in Your presence.

7 For the king relies on the Lord; through the faithful love of the Most High he is not shaken.

8 Your hand will capture all your enemies; your right hand will seize those who hate you.

9 You will make them [burn] like a fiery furnace when you appear; the Lord will engulf them in His wrath, and fire will devour them.

10 You will wipe their descendants from the earth and their offspring from the human race.

11 Though they intend to harm you and devise a wicked plan, they will not prevail.

12 Instead, you will put them to flight when you aim your bow at their faces.

13 Be exalted, Lord, in Your strength; we will sing and praise Your might.