Matthew 6:1-15
[1]
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order
to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father
who is in heaven.
[2]
“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the
hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be
praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
[3] But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what
your right hand is doing, [4] so that your giving may be in secret. And
your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
[5]
“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love
to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they
may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their
reward. [6] But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and
pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret
will reward you.
[7]
“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do,
for they think that they will be heard for their many words. [8] Do not
be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
[9] Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
[10] Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
[11] Give us this day our daily bread,
[12] and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
[13] And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
[14] For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father
will also forgive you, [15] but if you do not forgive others their
trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Acts 8:26-40
[26]
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south
to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert
place. [27] And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a
court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge
of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship [28] and was
returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah.
[29] And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.”
[30] So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and
asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” [31] And he said, “How
can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and
sit with him. [32] Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading
was this:
“Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter
and like a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he opens not his mouth.
[33] In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken away from the earth.”
[34] And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the
prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” [35] Then Philip
opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the
good news about Jesus. [36] And as they were going along the road they
came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What
prevents me from being baptized?” [38] And he commanded the chariot to
stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and
he baptized him. [39] And when they came up out of the water, the
Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more,
and went on his way rejoicing. [40] But Philip found himself at Azotus,
and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until
he came to Caesarea.
Psalm 14
To the choirmaster. Of David.
[1] The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;
there is none who does good.
[2] The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man,
to see if there are any who understand,
who seek after God.
[3] They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one.
[4] Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers
who eat up my people as they eat bread
and do not call upon the LORD?
[5] There they are in great terror,
for God is with the generation of the righteous.
[6] You would shame the plans of the poor,
but the LORD is his refuge.
[7] Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people,
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.
Genesis 32
[1]
Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. [2] And when
Jacob saw them he said, “This is God’s camp!” So he called the name of
that place Mahanaim.
[3]
And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother in the land of
Seir, the country of Edom, [4] instructing them, “Thus you shall say to
my lord Esau: Thus says your servant Jacob, ‘I have sojourned with
Laban and stayed until now. [5] I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male
servants, and female servants. I have sent to tell my lord, in order
that I may find favor in your sight.’”
[6]
And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother
Esau, and he is coming to meet you, and there are four hundred men with
him.” [7] Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed. He divided the
people who were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two
camps, [8] thinking, “If Esau comes to the one camp and attacks it, then
the camp that is left will escape.”
[9]
And Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac,
O LORD who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your kindred,
that I may do you good,’ [10] I am not worthy of the least of all the
deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to
your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I
have become two camps. [11] Please deliver me from the hand of my
brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, that he may come and
attack me, the mothers with the children. [12] But you said, ‘I will
surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea,
which cannot be numbered for multitude.’”
[13]
So he stayed there that night, and from what he had with him he took a
present for his brother Esau, [14] two hundred female goats and twenty
male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, [15] thirty milking camels
and their calves, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and
ten male donkeys. [16] These he handed over to his servants, every drove
by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass on ahead of me and put a
space between drove and drove.” [17] He instructed the first, “When Esau
my brother meets you and asks you, ‘To whom do you belong? Where are
you going? And whose are these ahead of you?’ [18] then you shall say,
‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a present sent to my lord
Esau. And moreover, he is behind us.’” [19] He likewise instructed the
second and the third and all who followed the droves, “You shall say the
same thing to Esau when you find him, [20] and you shall say,
‘Moreover, your servant Jacob is behind us.’” For he thought, “I may
appease him with the present that goes ahead of me, and afterward I
shall see his face. Perhaps he will accept me.” [21] So the present
passed on ahead of him, and he himself stayed that night in the camp.
[22]
The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female
servants, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.
[23] He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else
that he had. [24] And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him
until the breaking of the day. [25] When the man saw that he did not
prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was
put out of joint as he wrestled with him. [26] Then he said, “Let me go,
for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless
you bless me.” [27] And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he
said, “Jacob.” [28] Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called
Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have
prevailed.” [29] Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But
he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him.
[30] So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have
seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.” [31] The sun
rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. [32]
Therefore to this day the people of Israel do not eat the sinew of the
thigh that is on the hip socket, because he touched the socket of
Jacob’s hip on the sinew of the thigh.
Genesis 33
[1]
And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, Esau was coming,
and four hundred men with him. So he divided the children among Leah and
Rachel and the two female servants. [2] And he put the servants with
their children in front, then Leah with her children, and Rachel and
Joseph last of all. [3] He himself went on before them, bowing himself
to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.
[4]
But Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and
kissed him, and they wept. [5] And when Esau lifted up his eyes and saw
the women and children, he said, “Who are these with you?” Jacob said,
“The children whom God has graciously given your servant.” [6] Then the
servants drew near, they and their children, and bowed down. [7] Leah
likewise and her children drew near and bowed down. And last Joseph and
Rachel drew near, and they bowed down. [8] Esau said, “What do you mean
by all this company that I met?” Jacob answered, “To find favor in the
sight of my lord.” [9] But Esau said, “I have enough, my brother; keep
what you have for yourself.” [10] Jacob said, “No, please, if I have
found favor in your sight, then accept my present from my hand. For I
have seen your face, which is like seeing the face of God, and you have
accepted me. [11] Please accept my blessing that is brought to you,
because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.”
Thus he urged him, and he took it.
[12]
Then Esau said, “Let us journey on our way, and I will go ahead of
you.” [13] But Jacob said to him, “My lord knows that the children are
frail, and that the nursing flocks and herds are a care to me. If they
are driven hard for one day, all the flocks will die. [14] Let my lord
pass on ahead of his servant, and I will lead on slowly, at the pace of
the livestock that are ahead of me and at the pace of the children,
until I come to my lord in Seir.”
[15]
So Esau said, “Let me leave with you some of the people who are with
me.” But he said, “What need is there? Let me find favor in the sight of
my lord.” [16] So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir. [17] But
Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built himself a house and made booths
for his livestock. Therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.
[18]
And Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of
Canaan, on his way from Paddan-aram, and he camped before the city. [19]
And from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, he bought for a hundred
pieces of money the piece of land on which he had pitched his tent. [20]
There he erected an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel.
