Luke 20:1-26; Genesis 35; Genesis 36; Psalms 27

Luke 20:1-26

1 One day as He was teaching the people in the temple complex and proclaiming the good news, the chief priests and the scribes, with the elders, came up

2 and said to Him: "Tell us, by what authority are You doing these things? Who is it who gave You this authority?"

3 He answered them, "I will also ask you a question. Tell Me,

4 was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?"

5 They discussed it among themselves: "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why didn't you believe him?'

6 But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us, because they are convinced that John was a prophet."

7 So they answered that they did not know its origin.

8 And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

9 Then He began to tell the people this parable: "A man planted a vineyard, leased it to tenant farmers, and went away for a long time.

10 At harvest time he sent a slave to the farmers so that they might give him some fruit from the vineyard. But the farmers beat him and sent him away empty-handed.

11 He sent yet another slave, but they beat that one too, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.

12 And he sent yet a third, but they wounded this one too and threw him out.

13 "Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What should I do? I will send my beloved son. Perhaps they will respect him.'

14 "But when the tenant farmers saw him, they discussed it among themselves and said, 'This is the heir. Let's kill him, so the inheritance will be ours!'

15 So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. "Therefore, what will the owner of the vineyard do to them?

16 He will come and destroy those farmers and give the vineyard to others." But when they heard this they said, "No-never!"

17 But He looked at them and said, "Then what is the meaning of this Scripture: The stone that the builders rejected- this has become the cornerstone ?

18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and if it falls on anyone, it will grind him to powder!"

19 Then the scribes and the chief priests looked for a way to get their hands on Him that very hour, because they knew He had told this parable against them, but they feared the people.

20 They watched closely and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, so they could catch Him in what He said, to hand Him over to the governor's rule and authority.

21 They questioned Him, "Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly, and You don't show partiality, but teach truthfully the way of God.

22 Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"

23 But detecting their craftiness, He said to them,

24 "Show Me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?" "Caesar's," they said.

25 "Well then," He told them, "give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's."

26 They were not able to catch Him in what He said in public, and being amazed at His answer, they became silent.

Genesis 35

1 God said to Jacob, "Get up! Go to Bethel and settle there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau."

2 So Jacob said to his family and all who were with him, "Get rid of the foreign gods that are among you. Purify yourselves and change your clothes.

3 We must get up and go to Bethel. I will build an altar there to the God who answered me in my day of distress. He has been with me everywhere I have gone."

4 Then they gave Jacob all their foreign gods and their earrings, and Jacob hid them under the oak near Shechem.

5 When they set out, a terror from God came over the cities around them, and they did not pursue Jacob's sons.

6 So Jacob and all who were with him came to Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan.

7 Jacob built an altar there and called the place God of Bethel because it was there that God had revealed Himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother.

8 Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died and was buried under the oak south of Bethel. So Jacob named it Oak of Weeping.

9 God appeared to Jacob again after he returned from Paddan-aram, and He blessed him.

10 God said to him: Your name is Jacob; you will no longer be named Jacob, but Israel will be your name. So He named him Israel.

11 God also said to him: I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation, indeed an assembly of nations, will come from you, and kings will descend from you.

12 The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you. And I will give the land to your descendants after you.

13 Then God withdrew from him at the place where He had spoken to him.

14 Jacob set up a marker at the place where He had spoken to him-a stone marker. He poured a drink offering on it and anointed it with oil.

15 Jacob named the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.

16 They set out from Bethel. When they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth, and her labor was difficult.

17 During her difficult labor, the midwife said to her, "Don't be afraid, for this is another son for you."

18 With her last breath-for she was dying-she named him Ben-oni, but his father called him Benjamin.

19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).

20 Jacob set up a marker on her grave; it is the marker at Rachel's grave to this day.

21 Israel set out again and pitched his tent beyond the tower at Eder.

22 While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father's concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard about it. Jacob had 12 sons:

23 Leah's sons were Reuben (Jacob's firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.

24 Rachel's sons were Joseph and Benjamin.

25 The sons of Rachel's slave Bilhah were Dan and Naphtali.

26 The sons of Leah's slave Zilpah were Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan-aram.

27 Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed.

28 Isaac lived 180 years.

29 He took his last breath and died, and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

Genesis 36

1 These are the family records of Esau (that is, Edom).

2 Esau took his wives from the Canaanite women: Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite;

3 and Basemath daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.

4 Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath bore Reuel,

5 and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These were Esau's sons, who were born to him in the land of Canaan.

6 Esau took his wives, sons, daughters, and all the people of his household, as well as his herds, all his livestock, and all the property he had acquired in Canaan; he went to a land away from his brother Jacob.

7 For their possessions were too many [for them] to live together, and because of their herds, the land where they stayed could not support them.

8 So Esau (that is, Edom) lived in the mountains of Seir.

9 These are the family records of Esau, father of the Edomites in the mountains of Seir.

10 These are the names of Esau's sons: Eliphaz son of Esau's wife Adah, and Reuel son of Esau's wife Basemath.

11 The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.

12 Timna, a concubine of Esau's son Eliphaz, bore Amalek to Eliphaz. These were the sons of Esau's wife Adah.

13 These are Reuel's sons: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the sons of Esau's wife Basemath.

14 These are the sons of Esau's wife Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon: She bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah to Edom.

15 These are the chiefs of Esau's sons: the sons of Eliphaz, Esau's firstborn: Chiefs Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz,

16 Korah, Gatam, and Amalek. These are the chiefs of Eliphaz in the land of Edom. These are the sons of Adah.

17 These are the sons of Reuel, Esau's son: Chiefs Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These are the chiefs of Reuel in the land of Edom. These are the sons of Esau's wife Basemath.

18 These are the sons of Esau's wife Oholibamah: Chiefs Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the chiefs of Esau's wife Oholibamah daughter of Anah.

19 These are the sons of Esau (that is, Edom), and these are their chiefs.

20 These are the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,

21 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These are the chiefs of the Horites, the sons of Seir, in the land of Edom.

22 The sons of Lotan were Hori and Heman. Timna was Lotan's sister.

23 These are Shobal's sons: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.

24 These are Zibeon's sons: Aiah and Anah. This was the Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness while he was pasturing the donkeys of his father Zibeon.

25 These are the children of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah daughter of Anah.

26 These are Dishon's sons: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.

27 These are Ezer's sons: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.

28 These are Dishan's sons: Uz and Aran.

29 These are the chiefs of the Horites: Chiefs Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,

30 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These are the chiefs of the Horites, according to their divisions, in the land of Seir.

31 These are the kings who ruled in the land of Edom before any king ruled over the Israelites:

32 Bela son of Beor ruled in Edom; the name of his city was Dinhabah.

33 When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah ruled in his place.

34 When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites ruled in his place.

35 When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad ruled in his place. He defeated Midian in the field of Moab; the name of his city was Avith.

36 When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah ruled in his place.

37 When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth-on-the-River ruled in his place.

38 When Shaul died, Baal-hanan son of Achbor ruled in his place.

39 When Baal-hanan son of Achbor died, Hadar ruled in his place. His city was Pau, and his wife's name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred daughter of Me-zahab.

40 These are the names of Esau's chiefs, according to their families and their localities, by their names: Chiefs Timna, Alvah, Jetheth,

41 Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon,

42 Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar,

43 Magdiel, and Iram. These are Edom's chiefs, according to their settlements in the land they possessed. Esau was father of the Edomites.

Psalms 27

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation- whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life- of whom should I be afraid?

2 When evildoers came against me to devour my flesh, my foes and my enemies stumbled and fell.

3 Though an army deploy against me, my heart is not afraid; though war break out against me, still I am confident.

4 I have asked one thing from the Lord; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the Lord and seeking [Him] in His temple.

5 For He will conceal me in His shelter in the day of adversity; He will hide me under the cover of His tent; He will set me high on a rock.

6 Then my head will be high above my enemies around me; I will offer sacrifices in His tent with shouts of joy. I will sing and make music to the Lord.

7 Lord, hear my voice when I call; be gracious to me and answer me.

8 In Your behalf my heart says, "Seek My face." Lord, I will seek Your face.

9 Do not hide Your face from me; do not turn Your servant away in anger. You have been my help; do not leave me or abandon me, God of my salvation.

10 Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord cares for me.

11 Because of my adversaries, show me Your way, Lord, and lead me on a level path.

12 Do not give me over to the will of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing violence.

13 I am certain that I will see the Lord's goodness in the land of the living.

14 Wait for the Lord; be courageous and let your heart be strong. Wait for the Lord.