Genesis 33; Genesis 34; Genesis 35; Matthew 10:1-20

1 Jacob looked up. And there was Esau, coming with his 400 men! So Jacob separated the children. He put them with Leah, Rachel and the two female servants.

2 He put the servants and their children in front. He put Leah and her children next. And he put Rachel and Joseph last.

3 He himself went on ahead. As he came near his brother, he bowed down to the ground seven times.

4 But Esau ran to meet Jacob. He hugged him and threw his arms around his neck. He kissed him, and they cried.

5 Then Esau looked up and saw the women and children. "Who are these people with you?" he asked. Jacob answered, "They are the children God has so kindly given to me."

6 Then the female servants and their children came near and bowed down.

7 Next, Leah and her children came and bowed down. Last of all came Joseph and Rachel. They bowed down too.

8 Esau asked, "Why did you send all of those herds I saw?" "I hoped I could do something to please you," Jacob replied.

9 But Esau said, "I already have plenty, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself."

10 "No, please!" said Jacob. "If I've pleased you, accept this gift from me. Seeing your face is like seeing the face of God. You have welcomed me so kindly.

11 Please accept the present that was brought to you. God has been gracious to me. I have everything I need." Jacob wouldn't give in. So Esau accepted it.

12 Then Esau said, "Let's be on our way. I'll go with you."

13 But Jacob said to him, "You know that the children are young. You also know that I have to take care of the cows and female sheep that are nursing their little ones. If the animals are driven hard for just one day, all of them will die.

14 "So you go on ahead of me. I'll move along only as fast as the herds and the children can go. I'll go slowly until I come to you in Seir."

15 Esau said, "Then let me leave some of my men with you." "Why do that?" Jacob asked. "I just hope I've pleased you."

16 So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir.

17 But Jacob went to Succoth. There he built a place for himself. He also made shelters for his livestock. That's why the place is named Succoth.

18 After Jacob came from Paddan Aram, he arrived safely at the city of Shechem in Canaan. He camped where he could see the city.

19 For 100 pieces of silver he bought a piece of land. He got it from the sons of Hamor. Hamor was the father of Shechem. Jacob set up his tent on that piece of land.

20 He also set up an altar there. He named it El Elohe Israel.

1 Dinah was the daughter Leah had by Jacob. Dinah went out to visit the women of the land.

2 Hamor the Hivite was the ruler of that area. When his son Shechem saw Dinah, he took her and raped her.

3 Then his heart longed for Jacob's daughter Dinah. He fell in love with her and spoke tenderly to her.

4 Shechem said to his father Hamor, "Get me that woman. I want her to be my wife."

5 Jacob heard that his daughter Dinah had been made "unclean." His sons were in the fields with his livestock. So he kept quiet about it until they came home.

6 Then Shechem's father Hamor went out to talk with Jacob.

7 Jacob's sons had come in from the fields. They came as soon as they heard what had happened. They were filled with sadness and anger. Shechem had done a very terrible thing. He had forced Jacob's daughter to have sex with him. He had done something that should never be done in Israel.

8 But Hamor said to them, "My son Shechem wants your daughter. Please give her to him to be his wife.

9 "Let your people and ours get married to each other. Give us your daughters as our wives. You can have our daughters as your wives.

10 You can settle among us. Here is the land. Live in it. Trade in it. Buy property in it."

11 Then Shechem spoke to Dinah's father and brothers. He said, "I want to please you. I'll give you anything you ask.

12 Make the price for the bride as high as you want to. I'll pay anything you ask me. Just give me the woman. I want to get married to her."

13 Their sister Dinah had been made "unclean." So Jacob's sons lied to Shechem and his father Hamor.

14 They said to them, "We can't do it. We can't give our sister to a man who isn't circumcised. That would bring shame on us.

15 We'll agree, but only on one condition. You will have to become like us. You will have to circumcise all of your males.

16 "Then we'll give you our daughters as your wives. And we'll take your daughters as our wives. We'll settle among you and become one people with you.

17 But if you won't agree to it, then we'll take our sister and go."

18 Their offer seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem.

19 The young man was the most honored of all of the men in his father's family. He didn't lose any time in doing what they said, because he was delighted with Jacob's daughter.

20 Hamor and his son Shechem went to the city gate. They spoke to the other men in town.

21 "These men are friendly toward us," they said. "Let them live in our land. Let them trade in it. The land has plenty of room for them. We can get married to their daughters. And they can marry ours.

22 "But they will agree to live with us as one people only on one condition. All of our males must be circumcised, just as they are.

23 "Won't their livestock and their property belong to us? Won't all of their animals become ours? So let's say yes to them. Then they'll settle among us."

24 All of the men who went out through the city gate agreed with Hamor and his son Shechem. So every male in the city was circumcised.

25 Three days later, all of them were still in pain. Then Simeon and Levi took their swords. They were Jacob's sons and Dinah's brothers. They attacked the city when the people didn't expect it. They killed every male.

26 They also killed Hamor and his son Shechem with their swords. Then they took Dinah from Shechem's house and left.

27 Jacob's other sons found the dead bodies. They robbed the city where their sister had been made "unclean."

28 They took the flocks and herds and donkeys. They took everything that was in the city and out in the fields.

29 They carried everything away. And they took all of the women and children. They took away everything that was in the houses.

30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You have brought trouble on me. Now I'm like a very bad smell to the Canaanites and Perizzites who live in this land. There aren't many of us. They may join together against me and attack me. Then I and my family will be destroyed."

31 But they replied, "Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?"

1 Then God said to Jacob, "Go up to Bethel and settle there. Build an altar there to honor me. That's where I appeared to you when you were running away from your brother Esau."

2 So Jacob spoke to his family and to everyone who was with him. He said, "Get rid of the strange gods you have with you. Make yourselves pure, and change your clothes.

3 Come, let's go up to Bethel. There I'll build an altar to honor God. He answered me when I was in trouble. He's been with me everywhere I've gone."

4 So they gave Jacob all of the strange gods they had. They also gave him their earrings. Jacob buried them under the oak tree at Shechem.

5 Then Jacob and everyone who was with him started out. The terror of God fell on the towns all around them. So no one chased them.

6 Jacob and all of the people who were with him came to Luz. Luz is also called Bethel. It's in the land of Canaan.

7 Jacob built an altar at Luz. He named the place El Bethel. There God made himself known to Jacob when he was running away from his brother.

8 Rebekah's attendant Deborah died. They buried her body under the oak tree below Bethel. So it was called Allon Bacuth.

9 After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again. And God blessed him.

10 God said to him, "Your name is Jacob. But you will not be called Jacob anymore. Your name will be Israel." So he named him Israel.

11 God said to him, "I am the Mighty God. Have children and increase your numbers. A nation and a community of nations will come from you. Kings will come from your body.

12 I am giving you the land I gave to Abraham and Isaac. I will also give it to your children after you."

13 Then God left him at the place where he had talked with him.

14 Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him. He poured out a drink offering on it. He also poured oil on it.

15 Jacob named the place Bethel. That's where God had talked with him.

16 They moved on from Bethel. Ephrath wasn't very far away when Rachel began to have a baby. She was having a very hard time of it.

17 The woman who helped her saw that she was having problems. So she said to her, "Don't be afraid. You have another son."

18 But Rachel was dying. As she took her last breath, she named her son Ben-Oni. But his father named him Benjamin.

19 So Rachel died. Her body was buried beside the road to Ephrath. Ephrath was also called Bethlehem.

20 Jacob set up a pillar over her tomb. The pillar marks the place of Rachel's tomb to this very day.

21 Israel moved on again. He set up his tent beyond Migdal Eder.

22 While Israel was living in that area, Reuben went in and made love to Bilhah. She was the concubine of Reuben's father. And Israel heard about it. Here are the 12 sons Jacob had.

23 Leah was the mother of Reuben, Jacob's oldest son. Her other sons were Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun.

24 The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.

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

26 The sons of Leah's female servant Zilpah were Gad and Asher. Those were Jacob's sons. They were born in Paddan Aram.

27 Jacob came home to his father Isaac in Mamre. Mamre is near Kiriath Arba, where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. The place is also called Hebron.

28 Isaac lived 180 years.

29 Then he took his last breath and died. He was very old when he joined the members of his family who had already died. His sons Esau and Jacob buried his body.

1 Jesus called for his 12 disciples to come to him. He gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every illness and sickness.

2 Here are the names of the 12 apostles. First are Simon Peter and his brother Andrew. Then come James, son of Zebedee, and his brother John.

3 Next are Philip and Bartholomew, and also Thomas and Matthew the tax collector. Two more are James, son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus.

4 The last are Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot. Judas is the one who was later going to hand Jesus over to his enemies.

5 Jesus sent these 12 out with the following orders. "Do not go among those who aren't Jews," he said. "Do not enter any town of the Samaritans.

6 Instead, go to the people of Israel. They are like sheep that have become lost.

7 As you go, preach this message, 'The kingdom of heaven is near.'

8 Heal those who are sick. Bring those who are dead back to life. Make those who have skin diseases 'clean' again. Drive out demons. You have received freely, so give freely.

9 "Do not take along any gold, silver or copper in your belts.

10 Do not take a bag for the journey. Do not take extra clothes or sandals or walking sticks. A worker should be given what he needs.

11 "When you enter a town or village, look for someone who is willing to welcome you. Stay at that person's house until you leave.

12 As you enter the home, greet those who live there.

13 If that home welcomes you, give it your blessing of peace. If it does not, don't bless it.

14 "Some people may not welcome you or listen to your words. If they don't, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town.

15 What I'm about to tell you is true. On judgment day it will be easier for Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.

16 "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. So be as wise as snakes and as harmless as doves.

17 "Watch out! Men will hand you over to the local courts. They will whip you in their synagogues.

18 You will be brought to governors and kings because of me. You will be witnesses to them and to those who aren't Jews.

19 "But when they arrest you, don't worry about what you will say or how you will say it. At that time you will be given the right words to say.

20 It will not be you speaking. The Spirit of your Father will be speaking through you.