One Year Pray for America Bible - Flipbook - Page 66
January 15
the place Jegar-
sahadutha (which
means “witness pile” in Aramaic),
and Jacob called it Galeed (which
means “witness pile” in Hebrew).
48 Then Laban declared, “This pile
of stones will stand as a witness to
remind us of the covenant we have
made today.” This explains why it was
called Galeed—“Witness Pile.” 49 But it
was also called Mizpah (which means
“watchtower”), for Laban said, “May
the Lord keep watch between us to
make sure that we keep this covenant
when we are out of each other’s sight.
50 If you mistreat my daughters or if
you marry other wives, God will see it
even if no one else does. He is a witness to this covenant between us.
51 “See this pile of stones,” La
ban
continued, “and see this monument I
have set between us. 52 They stand between us as witnesses of our vows. I will
never pass this pile of stones to harm
you, and you must never pass these
stones or this monument to harm me.
53 I call on the God of our ancestors—
the God of your grandfather Abraham
and the God of my grandfather Nahor—
to serve as a judge between us.”
So Jacob took an oath before the
fearsome God of his father, Isaac,*
to respect the boundary line. 54 Then
Jacob offered a sacrifice to God there on
the mountain and invited everyone to
a covenant feast. After they had eaten,
they spent the night on the mountain.
55* Laban got up early the next morning, and he kissed his grandchildren
and his daughters and blessed them.
Then he left and returned home.
32:1* As
Jacob started on his way again,
angels of God came to meet him.
2 When Jacob saw them, he exclaimed,
“This is God’s camp!” So he named
the place Mahanaim.*
3 Then Jacob sent messengers ahead
to his brother, Esau, who was living in
the region of Seir in the land of Edom.
4 He told them, “Give this message to
my master Esau: ‘Humble greetings
from your servant Jacob. Until now I
have been living with Uncle Laban,
5 and now I own cattle, donkeys,
56
flocks of sheep and goats, and many
servants, both men and women. I have
sent these messengers to inform my
lord of my coming, hoping that you
will be friendly to me.’”
6 After delivering the message, the
messengers returned to Jacob and reported, “We met your brother, Esau,
and he is already on his way to meet
you—
with an army of 400 men!”
7 Jacob was terrified at the news. He
divided his household, along with the
flocks and herds and camels, into two
groups. 8 He thought, “If Esau meets
one group and attacks it, perhaps the
other group can escape.”
9 Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my
grandfather Abraham, and God of my
father, Isaac—O Lord, you told me,
‘Return to your own land and to your
relatives.’ And you promised me, ‘I
will treat you kindly.’ 10 I am not worthy of all the unfailing love and faithfulness you have shown to me, your
servant. When I left home and crossed
the Jordan River, I owned nothing except a walking stick. Now my household fills two large camps! 11 O Lord,
please rescue me from the hand of my
brother, Esau. I am afraid that he is
coming to attack me, along with my
wives and children. 12 But you promised me, ‘I will surely treat you kindly,
and I will multiply your descendants
until they become as numerous as the
sands along the s eashore—too many
to count.’”
31:21 Hebrew the river.
31:42 Or and the Fear
of Isaac.
31:53 Or the Fear of his father, Isaac.
31:55 Verse 31:55 is numbered 32:1 in Hebrew text.
32:1 Verses 32:132 are numbered 32:233 in Hebrew
text.
32:2 Mahanaim means “two camps.”
MATTHEW 10:24–11:6
“Students* are not greater than their
teacher, and slaves are not greater
than their master. 25 Students are to be
like their teacher, and slaves are to
be like their master. And since I, the
master of the household, have been
called the prince of demons,* the members of my household will be called by
even worse names!
26 “But don’t be afraid of those who
threaten you. For the time is coming
