Genesis 31; Genesis 32; Matthew 9:18-38

Genesis 31

1 Jacob heard that Laban's sons were saying, "Jacob has taken everything that belonged to our father. He got all his wealth from what our father owned."

2 He also saw that Laban was no longer as friendly as he had been earlier.

3 Then the Lord said to him, "Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives. I will be with you."

4 So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah to meet him in the field where his flocks were.

5 He said to them, "I have noticed that your father is not as friendly toward me as he used to be; but my father's God has been with me.

6 You both know that I have worked for your father with all my strength.

7 Yet he has cheated me and changed my wages ten times. But God did not let him harm me.

8 Whenever Laban said, "The speckled goats shall be your wages,' all the flocks produced speckled young. When he said, "The striped goats shall be your wages,' all the flocks produced striped young.

9 God has taken flocks away from your father and given them to me.

10 "During the breeding season I had a dream, and I saw that the male goats that were mating were striped, spotted, and speckled.

11 The angel of God spoke to me in the dream and said, "Jacob!' "Yes,' I answered.

12 "Look,' he continued, "all the male goats that are mating are striped, spotted, and speckled. I am making this happen because I have seen all that Laban is doing to you.

13 I am the God who appeared to you at Bethel, where you dedicated a stone as a memorial by pouring olive oil on it and where you made a vow to me. Now get ready and go back to the land where you were born.' "

14 Rachel and Leah answered Jacob, "There is nothing left for us to inherit from our father.

15 He treats us like foreigners. He sold us, and now he has spent all the money he was paid for us.

16 All this wealth which God has taken from our father belongs to us and to our children. Do whatever God has told you."

17 So Jacob got ready to go back to his father in the land of Canaan. He put his children and his wives on the camels, and drove all his flocks ahead of him, with everything that he had gotten in Mesopotamia.

19 Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and during his absence Rachel stole the household gods that belonged to her father.

20 Jacob deceived Laban by not letting him know that he was leaving.

21 He took everything he owned and left in a hurry. He crossed the Euphrates River and started for the hill country of Gilead.

22 Three days later Laban was told that Jacob had fled.

23 He took his men with him and pursued Jacob for seven days until he caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead.

24 In a dream that night God came to Laban and said to him, "Be careful not to threaten Jacob in any way."

25 Jacob had set up his camp on a mountain, and Laban set up his camp with his relatives in the hill country of Gilead.

26 Laban said to Jacob, "Why did you deceive me and carry off my daughters like women captured in war?

27 Why did you deceive me and slip away without telling me? If you had told me, I would have sent you on your way with rejoicing and singing to the music of tambourines and harps.

28 You did not even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters good-bye. That was a foolish thing to do!

29 I have the power to do you harm, but last night the God of your father warned me not to threaten you in any way.

30 I know that you left because you were so anxious to get back home, but why did you steal my household gods?"

31 Jacob answered, "I was afraid, because I thought that you might take your daughters away from me.

32 But if you find that anyone here has your gods, he will be put to death. Here, with our men as witnesses, look for anything that belongs to you and take what is yours." Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen Laban's gods.

33 Laban went and searched Jacob's tent; then he went into Leah's tent, and the tent of the two slave women, but he did not find his gods. Then he went into Rachel's tent.

34 Rachel had taken the household gods and put them in a camel's saddlebag and was sitting on them. Laban searched through the whole tent, but did not find them.

35 Rachel said to her father, "Do not be angry with me, sir, but I am not able to stand up in your presence; I am having my monthly period." Laban searched but did not find his household gods.

36 Then Jacob lost his temper. "What crime have I committed?" he asked angrily. "What law have I broken that gives you the right to hunt me down?

37 Now that you have searched through all my belongings, what household article have you found that belongs to you? Put it out here where your men and mine can see it, and let them decide which one of us is right.

38 I have been with you now for twenty years; your sheep and your goats have not failed to reproduce, and I have not eaten any rams from your flocks.

39 Whenever a sheep was killed by wild animals, I always bore the loss myself. I didn't take it to you to show that it was not my fault. You demanded that I make good anything that was stolen during the day or during the night.

40 Many times I suffered from the heat during the day and from the cold at night. I was not able to sleep.

41 It was like that for the whole twenty years I was with you. For fourteen years I worked to win your two daughters - and six years for your flocks. And even then, you changed my wages ten times.

42 If the God of my fathers, the God of Abraham and Isaac, had not been with me, you would have already sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my trouble and the work I have done, and last night he gave his judgment."

43 Laban answered Jacob, "These young women are my daughters; their children belong to me, and these flocks are mine. In fact, everything you see here belongs to me. But since I can do nothing to keep my daughters and their children,

44 I am ready to make an agreement with you. Let us make a pile of stones to remind us of our agreement."

45 So Jacob got a stone and set it up as a memorial.

46 He told his men to gather some rocks and pile them up. Then they ate a meal beside the pile of rocks.

47 Laban named it Jegar Sahadutha, while Jacob named it Galeed.

48 Laban said to Jacob, "This pile of rocks will be a reminder for both of us." That is why that place was named Galeed.

49 Laban also said, "May the Lord keep an eye on us while we are separated from each other." So the place was also named Mizpah.

50 Laban went on, "If you mistreat my daughters or if you marry other women, even though I don't know about it, remember that God is watching us.

51 Here are the rocks that I have piled up between us, and here is the memorial stone.

52 Both this pile and this memorial stone are reminders. I will never go beyond this pile to attack you, and you must never go beyond it or beyond this memorial stone to attack me.

53 The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor will judge between us." Then, in the name of the God whom his father Isaac worshiped, Jacob solemnly vowed to keep this promise.

54 He killed an animal, which he offered as a sacrifice on the mountain, and he invited his men to the meal. After they had eaten, they spent the night on the mountain.

55 Early the next morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his daughters good-bye, and left to go back home.

Genesis 32

1 As Jacob went on his way, some angels met him.

2 When he saw them, he said, "This is God's camp"; so he named the place Mahanaim.

3 Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the country of Edom.

4 He instructed them to say: "I, Jacob, your obedient servant, report to my master Esau that I have been staying with Laban and that I have delayed my return until now.

5 I own cattle, donkeys, sheep, goats, and slaves. I am sending you word, sir, in the hope of gaining your favor."

6 When the messengers came back to Jacob, they said, "We went to your brother Esau, and he is already on his way to meet you. He has four hundred men with him."

7 Jacob was frightened and worried. He divided into two groups the people who were with him, and also his sheep, goats, cattle, and camels.

8 He thought, "If Esau comes and attacks the first group, the other may be able to escape."

9 Then Jacob prayed, "God of my grandfather Abraham and God of my father Isaac, hear me! You told me, Lord, to go back to my land and to my relatives, and you would make everything go well for me.

10 I am not worth all the kindness and faithfulness that you have shown me, your servant. I crossed the Jordan with nothing but a walking stick, and now I have come back with these two groups.

11 Save me, I pray, from my brother Esau. I am afraid - afraid that he is coming to attack us and destroy us all, even the women and children.

12 Remember that you promised to make everything go well for me and to give me more descendants than anyone could count, as many as the grains of sand along the seashore."

13 After spending the night there, Jacob chose from his livestock as a present for his brother Esau: 200 female goats and 20 males, 200 female sheep and 20 males, 30 milk camels with their young, 40 cows and 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys and 10 males.

16 He divided them into herds and put one of his servants in charge of each herd. He said to them, "Go ahead of me, and leave a space between each herd and the one behind it."

17 He ordered the first servant, "When my brother Esau meets you and asks, "Who is your master? Where are you going? Who owns these animals in front of you?'

18 you must answer, "They belong to your servant Jacob. He sends them as a present to his master Esau. Jacob himself is right behind us.' "

19 He gave the same order to the second, the third, and to all the others who were in charge of the herds: "This is what you must say to Esau when you meet him.

20 You must say, "Yes, your servant Jacob is right behind us.' " Jacob was thinking, "I will win him over with the gifts, and when I meet him, perhaps he will forgive me."

21 He sent the gifts on ahead of him and spent that night in camp.

22 That same night Jacob got up, took his two wives, his two concubines, and his eleven children, and crossed the Jabbok River.

23 After he had sent them across, he also sent across all that he owned,

24 but he stayed behind, alone. Then a man came and wrestled with him until just before daybreak.

25 When the man saw that he was not winning the struggle, he hit Jacob on the hip, and it was thrown out of joint.

26 The man said, "Let me go; daylight is coming." "I won't, unless you bless me," Jacob answered.

27 "What is your name?" the man asked. "Jacob," he answered.

28 The man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob. You have struggled with God and with men, and you have won; so your name will be Israel."

29 Jacob said, "Now tell me your name." But he answered, "Why do you want to know my name?" Then he blessed Jacob.

30 Jacob said, "I have seen God face-to-face, and I am still alive"; so he named the place Peniel.

31 The sun rose as Jacob was leaving Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip.

32 Even today the descendants of Israel do not eat the muscle which is on the hip joint, because it was on this muscle that Jacob was hit.

Matthew 9:18-38

18 While Jesus was saying this, a Jewish official came to him, knelt down before him, and said, "My daughter has just died; but come and place your hands on her, and she will live."

19 So Jesus got up and followed him, and his disciples went along with him.

20 A woman who had suffered from severe bleeding for twelve years came up behind Jesus and touched the edge of his cloak.

21 She said to herself, "If only I touch his cloak, I will get well."

22 Jesus turned around and saw her, and said, "Courage, my daughter! Your faith has made you well." At that very moment the woman became well.

23 Then Jesus went into the official's house. When he saw the musicians for the funeral and the people all stirred up,

24 he said, "Get out, everybody! The little girl is not dead - she is only sleeping!" Then they all started making fun of him.

25 But as soon as the people had been put out, Jesus went into the girl's room and took hold of her hand, and she got up.

26 The news about this spread all over that part of the country.

27 Jesus left that place, and as he walked along, two blind men started following him. "Have mercy on us, Son of David!" they shouted.

28 When Jesus had gone indoors, the two blind men came to him, and he asked them, "Do you believe that I can heal you?" "Yes, sir!" they answered.

29 Then Jesus touched their eyes and said, "Let it happen, then, just as you believe!" -

30 and their sight was restored. Jesus spoke sternly to them, "Don't tell this to anyone!"

31 But they left and spread the news about Jesus all over that part of the country.

32 As the men were leaving, some people brought to Jesus a man who could not talk because he had a demon.

33 But as soon as the demon was driven out, the man started talking, and everyone was amazed. "We have never seen anything like this in Israel!" they exclaimed.

34 But the Pharisees said, "It is the chief of the demons who gives Jesus the power to drive out demons."

35 Jesus went around visiting all the towns and villages. He taught in the synagogues, preached the Good News about the Kingdom, and healed people with every kind of disease and sickness.

36 As he saw the crowds, his heart was filled with pity for them, because they were worried and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

37 So he said to his disciples, "The harvest is large, but there are few workers to gather it in.

38 Pray to the owner of the harvest that he will send out workers to gather in his harvest."