Luke 17; Genesis 29:1-30; Psalms 22

Luke 17

1 He said to His disciples, "Offenses will certainly come, but woe to the one they come through!

2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to stumble.

3 Be on your guard. If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.

4 And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and comes back to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' you must forgive him."

5 The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."

6 "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed," the Lord said, "you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.

7 "Which one of you having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he comes in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'?

8 Instead, will he not tell him, 'Prepare something for me to eat, get ready, and serve me while I eat and drink; later you can eat and drink'?

9 Does he thank that slave because he did what was commanded?

10 In the same way, when you have done all that you were commanded, you should say, 'We are good-for-nothing slaves; we've only done our duty.' "

11 While traveling to Jerusalem, He passed between Samaria and Galilee.

12 As He entered a village, 10 men with serious skin diseases met Him. They stood at a distance

13 and raised their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"

14 When He saw them, He told them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And while they were going, they were healed.

15 But one of them, seeing that he was healed, returned and, with a loud voice, gave glory to God.

16 He fell facedown at His feet, thanking Him. And he was a Samaritan.

17 Then Jesus said, "Were not 10 cleansed? Where are the nine?

18 Didn't any return to give glory to God except this foreigner?"

19 And He told him, "Get up and go on your way. Your faith has made you well."

20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God will come, He answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming with something observable;

21 no one will say, 'Look here!' or 'There!' For you see, the kingdom of God is among you."

22 Then He told the disciples: "The days are coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you won't see it.

23 They will say to you, 'Look there!' or 'Look here!' Don't follow or run after them.

24 For as the lightning flashes from horizon to horizon and lights up the sky, so the Son of Man will be in His day.

25 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

26 "Just as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man:

27 people went on eating, drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the day Noah boarded the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.

28 It will be the same as it was in the days of Lot: people went on eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building.

29 But on the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all.

30 It will be like that on the day the Son of Man is revealed.

31 On that day, a man on the housetop, whose belongings are in the house, must not come down to get them. Likewise the man who is in the field must not turn back.

32 Remember Lot's wife!

33 Whoever tries to make his life secure will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.

34 I tell you, on that night two will be in one bed: one will be taken and the other will be left.

35 Two women will be grinding grain together: one will be taken and the other left. [

36 Two will be in a field: one will be taken, and the other will be left."]

37 "Where, Lord?" they asked Him. He said to them, "Where the corpse is, there also the vultures will be gathered."

Genesis 29:1-30

1 Jacob resumed his journey and went to the eastern country.

2 He looked and saw a well in a field. Three flocks of sheep were lying there beside it because the sheep were watered from this well. A large stone covered the opening of the well.

3 When all the flocks were gathered there, the [shepherds] would roll the stone from the opening of the well and water the sheep. The stone was then placed back on the well's opening.

4 Jacob asked the men at the well, "My brothers! Where are you from?" "We're from Haran," they answered.

5 "Do you know Laban son of Nahor?" Jacob asked them. They answered, "We know [him]."

6 "Is he well?" Jacob asked. "Yes," they said, "and here is his daughter Rachel, coming with his sheep."

7 Then Jacob said, "Look, it is still broad daylight. It's not time for the animals to be gathered. Water the flock, then go out and let them graze."

8 But they replied, "We can't, until all the flocks have been gathered and the stone is rolled from the well's opening. Then we will water the sheep."

9 While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess.

10 As soon as Jacob saw his uncle Laban's daughter Rachel with his sheep, he went up and rolled the stone from the opening and watered his uncle Laban's sheep.

11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and wept loudly.

12 He told Rachel that he was her father's relative, Rebekah's son. She ran and told her father.

13 When Laban heard the news about his sister's son Jacob, he ran to meet him, hugged him, and kissed him. Then he took him to his house, and Jacob told him all that had happened.

14 Laban said to him, "Yes, you are my own flesh and blood." After Jacob had stayed with him a month,

15 Laban said to him, "Just because you're my relative, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be."

16 Now Laban had two daughters: the older was named Leah, and the younger was named Rachel.

17 Leah had delicate eyes, but Rachel was shapely and beautiful.

18 Jacob loved Rachel, so he answered Laban, "I'll work for you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel."

19 Laban replied, "Better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay with me."

20 So Jacob worked seven years for Rachel, and they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.

21 Then Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife, for my time is completed. I want to sleep with her."

22 So Laban invited all the men of the place to a feast.

23 That evening, Laban took his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob, and he slept with her.

24 And Laban gave his slave Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her slave.

25 When morning came, there was Leah! So he said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? Wasn't it for Rachel that I worked for you? Why have you deceived me?"

26 Laban answered, "It is not the custom in this place to give the younger [daughter in marriage] before the firstborn.

27 Complete this week [of wedding celebration], and we will also give you this [younger] one in return for working yet another seven years for me."

28 And Jacob did just that. He finished the week [of celebration], and Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife.

29 And Laban gave his slave Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her slave.

30 Jacob slept with Rachel also, and indeed, he loved Rachel more than Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years.

Psalms 22

1 My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? [Why are You] so far from my deliverance and from my words of groaning?

2 My God, I cry by day, but You do not answer, by night, yet I have no rest.

3 But You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.

4 Our fathers trusted in You; they trusted, and You rescued them.

5 They cried to You and were set free; they trusted in You and were not disgraced.

6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by people.

7 Everyone who sees me mocks me; they sneer and shake their heads:

8 "He relies on the Lord; let Him rescue him; let the Lord deliver him, since He takes pleasure in him."

9 You took me from the womb, making me secure while at my mother's breast.

10 I was given over to You at birth; You have been my God from my mother's womb.

11 Do not be far from me, because distress is near and there is no one to help.

12 Many bulls surround me; strong ones of Bashan encircle me.

13 They open their mouths against me- lions, mauling and roaring.

14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are disjointed; my heart is like wax, melting within me.

15 My strength is dried up like baked clay; my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You put me into the dust of death.

16 For dogs have surrounded me; a gang of evildoers has closed in on me; they pierced my hands and my feet.

17 I can count all my bones; people look and stare at me.

18 They divided my garments among themselves, and they cast lots for my clothing.

19 But You, Lord, don't be far away. My strength, come quickly to help me.

20 Deliver my life from the sword, my very life from the power of the dog.

21 Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen.

22 I will proclaim Your name to my brothers; I will praise You in the congregation.

23 You who fear the Lord, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor Him! All you descendants of Israel, revere Him!

24 For He has not despised or detested the torment of the afflicted. He did not hide His face from him, but listened when he cried to Him for help.

25 I will give praise in the great congregation because of You; I will fulfill my vows before those who fear You.

26 The humble will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord will praise Him. May your hearts live forever!

27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord. All the families of the nations will bow down before You,

28 for kingship belongs to the Lord; He rules over the nations.

29 All who prosper on earth will eat and bow down; all those who go down to the dust will kneel before Him- even the one who cannot preserve his life.

30 Descendants will serve Him; the next generation will be told about the Lord.

31 They will come and tell a people yet to be born about His righteousness- what He has done.