NLT One Year Bible - Flipbook - Page 48
J A N U A R Y
1 2
Esau replied, “It’s your son, your firstborn son, Esau.”
33Isaac began to tremble uncontrollably and said, “Then who just served me
wild game? I have already eaten it, and I
blessed him just before you came. And
yes, that blessing must stand!”
34When Esau heard his father’s words,
he let out a loud and bitter cry. “Oh my father, what about me? Bless me, too!” he
begged.
35 But Isaac said, “Your brother was
here, and he tricked me. He has taken
away your blessing.”
36 Esau exclaimed, “No wonder his
name is Jacob, for now he has cheated
me twice.* First he took my rights as the
firstborn, and now he has stolen my
blessing. Oh, haven’t you saved even one
blessing for me?”
37 Isaac said to Esau, “I have made Jacob your master and have declared that
all his brothers will be his servants. I
have guaranteed him an abundance of
grain and wine—what is left for me to
give you, my son?”
38Esau pleaded, “But do you have only
one blessing? Oh my father, bless me,
too!” Then Esau broke down and wept.
39 Finally, his father, Isaac, said to
him,
“You will live away from the richness
of the earth,
and away from the dew of the
heaven above.
40 You will live by your sword,
and you will serve your brother.
But when you decide to break free,
you will shake his yoke from
your neck.”
41From that time on, Esau hated Jacob because their father had given Jacob the blessing. And Esau began to
scheme: “I will soon be mourning my father’s death. Then I will kill my brother,
Jacob.”
42But Rebekah heard about Esau’s
plans. So she sent for Jacob and told
him, “Listen, Esau is consoling himself
by plotting to kill you. 43 So listen carefully, my son. Get ready and flee to my
44
brother, Laban, in Haran. 44Stay there
with him until your brother cools off.
45 When he calms down and forgets
what you have done to him, I will send
for you to come back. Why should I lose
both of you in one day?”
46Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I’m
sick and tired of these local Hittite
women! I would rather die than see
Jacob marry one of them.”
27:36 Jacob sounds like the Hebrew words for “heel”
and “deceiver.”
MATTHEW 9:1-17
Jesus climbed into a boat and went
back across the lake to his own town.
2 Some people brought to him a paralyzed man on a mat. Seeing their faith,
Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Be encouraged, my child! Your sins are forgiven.”
3But some of the teachers of religious
law said to themselves, “That’s blasphemy! Does he think he’s God?”
4 Jesus knew* what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you have
such evil thoughts in your hearts? 5 Is it
easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or
‘Stand up and walk’? 6So I will prove to
you that the Son of Man* has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then
Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and
said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go
home!”
7And the man jumped up and went
home! 8Fear swept through the crowd
as they saw this happen. And they
praised God for giving humans such authority.
9As Jesus was walking along, he saw a
man named Matthew sitting at his tax
collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my
disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew
got up and followed him.
10Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his
disciples to his home as dinner guests,
along with many tax collectors and other
disreputable sinners. 11But when the
Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with
such scum?*”
12 When Jesus heard this, he said,
