Matthew 7:1-14
[1]
“Judge not, that you be not judged. [2] For with the judgment you
pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be
measured to you. [3] Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s
eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? [4] Or how can
you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when
there is the log in your own eye? [5] You hypocrite, first take the log
out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out
of your brother’s eye.
[6]
“Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before
pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.
[7]
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and
it will be opened to you. [8] For everyone who asks receives, and the
one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. [9] Or
which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?
[10] Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? [11] If you
then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how
much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those
who ask him!
[12] “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
[13]
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy
that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. [14] For
the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who
find it are few.
Acts 10:1-23
[1]
At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was
known as the Italian Cohort, [2] a devout man who feared God with all
his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed
continually to God. [3] About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly
in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” [4] And
he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to
him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before
God. [5] And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called
Peter. [6] He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the
sea.” [7] When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two
of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him,
[8] and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.
[9]
The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city,
Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. [10] And he
became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing
it, he fell into a trance [11] and saw the heavens opened and something
like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon
the earth. [12] In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds
of the air. [13] And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and
eat.” [14] But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten
anything that is common or unclean.” [15] And the voice came to him
again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” [16]
This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to
heaven.
[17]
Now while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision that he
had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having
made inquiry for Simon’s house, stood at the gate [18] and called out to
ask whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there. [19] And
while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold,
three men are looking for you. [20] Rise and go down and accompany them
without hesitation, for I have sent them.” [21] And Peter went down to
the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason
for your coming?” [22] And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an
upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish
nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his
house and to hear what you have to say.” [23] So he invited them in to
be his guests.
The next day he rose and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him.
Psalm 17
A Prayer of David.
[1] Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry!
Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!
[2] From your presence let my vindication come!
Let your eyes behold the right!
[3] You have tried my heart, you have visited me by night,
you have tested me, and you will find nothing;
I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.
[4] With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips
I have avoided the ways of the violent.
[5] My steps have held fast to your paths;
my feet have not slipped.
[6] I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
incline your ear to me; hear my words.
[7] Wondrously show your steadfast love,
O Savior of those who seek refuge
from their adversaries at your right hand.
[8] Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings,
[9] from the wicked who do me violence,
my deadly enemies who surround me.
[10] They close their hearts to pity;
with their mouths they speak arrogantly.
[11] They have now surrounded our steps;
they set their eyes to cast us to the ground.
[12] He is like a lion eager to tear,
as a young lion lurking in ambush.
[13] Arise, O LORD! Confront him, subdue him!
Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,
[14] from men by your hand, O LORD,
from men of the world whose portion is in this life.
You fill their womb with treasure;
they are satisfied with children,
and they leave their abundance to their infants.
[15] As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness;
when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.
Genesis 37
[1] Jacob lived in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan.
[2] These are the generations of Jacob.
Joseph,
being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers.
He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. And
Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. [3] Now Israel
loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of
his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors. [4] But when his
brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers,
they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.
[5]
Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated
him even more. [6] He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have
dreamed: [7] Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold,
my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered
around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” [8] His brothers said to him,
“Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So
they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.
[9]
Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said,
“Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and
eleven stars were bowing down to me.” [10] But when he told it to his
father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him,
“What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and
your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?”
[11] And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the
saying in mind.
[12]
Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near Shechem.
[13] And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the
flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” And he said to him,
“Here I am.” [14] So he said to him, “Go now, see if it is well with
your brothers and with the flock, and bring me word.” So he sent him
from the Valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. [15] And a man found
him wandering in the fields. And the man asked him, “What are you
seeking?” [16] “I am seeking my brothers,” he said. “Tell me, please,
where they are pasturing the flock.” [17] And the man said, “They have
gone away, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went
after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
[18]
They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired
against him to kill him. [19] They said to one another, “Here comes this
dreamer. [20] Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the
pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we
will see what will become of his dreams.” [21] But when Reuben heard it,
he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.”
[22] And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit
here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—that he might
rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father. [23] So when
Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of
many colors that he wore. [24] And they took him and threw him into a
pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.
[25]
Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a caravan of
Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and
myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. [26] Then Judah said to
his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his
blood? [27] Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our
hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his
brothers listened to him. [28] Then Midianite traders passed by. And
they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the
Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt.
[29]
When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit,
he tore his clothes [30] and returned to his brothers and said, “The
boy is gone, and I, where shall I go?” [31] Then they took Joseph’s robe
and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. [32] And they
sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said,
“This we have found; please identify whether it is your son’s robe or
not.” [33] And he identified it and said, “It is my son’s robe. A fierce
animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.” [34]
Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned
for his son many days. [35] All his sons and all his daughters rose up
to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “No, I shall go
down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” Thus his father wept for him. [36]
Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer
of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.
Genesis 38
[1]
It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and
turned aside to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. [2] There
Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua. He
took her and went in to her, [3] and she conceived and bore a son, and
he called his name Er. [4] She conceived again and bore a son, and she
called his name Onan. [5] Yet again she bore a son, and she called his
name Shelah. Judah was in Chezib when she bore him.
[6]
And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. [7]
But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and the
LORD put him to death. [8] Then Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your
brother’s wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and
raise up offspring for your brother.” [9] But Onan knew that the
offspring would not be his. So whenever he went in to his brother’s wife
he would waste the semen on the ground, so as not to give offspring to
his brother. [10] And what he did was wicked in the sight of the LORD,
and he put him to death also. [11] Then Judah said to Tamar his
daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father’s house, till Shelah my
son grows up”—for he feared that he would die, like his brothers. So
Tamar went and remained in her father’s house.
[12]
In the course of time the wife of Judah, Shua’s daughter, died. When
Judah was comforted, he went up to Timnah to his sheepshearers, he and
his friend Hirah the Adullamite. [13] And when Tamar was told, “Your
father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,” [14] she took
off her widow’s garments and covered herself with a veil, wrapping
herself up, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to
Timnah. For she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she had not been given
to him in marriage. [15] When Judah saw her, he thought she was a
prostitute, for she had covered her face. [16] He turned to her at the
roadside and said, “Come, let me come in to you,” for he did not know
that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, “What will you give me, that
you may come in to me?” [17] He answered, “I will send you a young goat
from the flock.” And she said, “If you give me a pledge, until you send
it—” [18] He said, “What pledge shall I give you?” She replied, “Your
signet and your cord and your staff that is in your hand.” So he gave
them to her and went in to her, and she conceived by him. [19] Then she
arose and went away, and taking off her veil she put on the garments of
her widowhood.
[20]
When Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite to take
back the pledge from the woman’s hand, he did not find her. [21] And he
asked the men of the place, “Where is the cult prostitute who was at
Enaim at the roadside?” And they said, “No cult prostitute has been
here.” [22] So he returned to Judah and said, “I have not found her.
Also, the men of the place said, ‘No cult prostitute has been here.’”
[23] And Judah replied, “Let her keep the things as her own, or we shall
be laughed at. You see, I sent this young goat, and you did not find
her.”
[24]
About three months later Judah was told, “Tamar your daughter-in-law
has been immoral. Moreover, she is pregnant by immorality.” And Judah
said, “Bring her out, and let her be burned.” [25] As she was being
brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, “By the man to whom
these belong, I am pregnant.” And she said, “Please identify whose these
are, the signet and the cord and the staff.” [26] Then Judah identified
them and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her
to my son Shelah.” And he did not know her again.
[27]
When the time of her labor came, there were twins in her womb. [28] And
when she was in labor, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and
tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.”
[29] But as he drew back his hand, behold, his brother came out. And she
said, “What a breach you have made for yourself!” Therefore his name
was called Perez. [30] Afterward his brother came out with the scarlet
thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah.
