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Ephesians 4:1-13
Live Worthy of Your Calling
4 I, therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,
2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
3 making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace:
4 there is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling,
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
7 But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
8 Therefore it is said,
“When he ascended on high, he made captivity itself a captive;
he gave gifts to his people.”9 (When it says, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth?
10 He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.)
11 He himself granted that some are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers
12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
13 until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.
Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 23
1 And the life of Sarah was one hundred years and twenty years and seven years; [these were] the years of the life of Sarah.
2 And Sarah died in Kiriath arba, which is Hebron, in the land of Canaan, and Abraham came to eulogize Sarah and to bewail her.
3 And Abraham arose from before his dead, and he spoke to the sons of Heth, saying,
4 "I am a stranger and an inhabitant with you. Give me burial property with you, so that I may bury my dead from before me."
5 And the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him,
6 ”Listen to us, my lord; you are a prince of God in our midst; in the choicest of our graves bury your dead. None of us will withhold his grave from you to bury your dead."
7 And Abraham arose and prostrated himself to the people of the land, to the sons of Heth.
8 And he spoke with them, saying, "If it is your will that I bury my dead from before me, listen to me and entreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar.
9 That he may give me the Machpelah (double) Cave, which belongs to him, which is at the end of his field; for a full price let him give it to me in your midst for burial property."
10 Now Ephron was sitting in the midst of the sons of Heth, and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the sons of Heth, of all those who had come into the gate of his city, saying,
11 "No, my lord, listen to me. I have given you the field, and the cave that is in it, I have given it to you. Before the eyes of the sons of my people, I have given it to you; bury your dead."
12 And Abraham prostrated himself before the people of the land.
13 And he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, "But, if only you would listen to me. I am giving the money for the field; take [it] from me, and I will bury my dead there."
14 And Ephron replied to Abraham, saying to him,
15 "My lord, listen to me; a [piece of] land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is it between me and you? Bury your dead."
16 And Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed out to Ephron the silver that he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, accepted by the merchant.
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1 Samuel 3:8-20
Speak, for Your Servant Is Listening
8 The Lord called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 11 Then the Lord said to Samuel, “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle. 12 On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 For I have told him that I am about to punish his house forever for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. 14 Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be expiated by sacrifice or offering forever.”
15 Samuel lay there until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. 16 But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” He said, “Here I am.” 17 Eli said, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also, if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.” 18 So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. Then he said, “It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him.”
19 As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the Lord.
Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 23
17 And so the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, facing Mamre, was established (as Abraham's possession). [This included] the field and the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, which were within its entire border around.
18 [It was] to Abraham as a possession before the eyes of the sons of Heth, in the presence of all who had come within the gate of his city.
19 And afterwards, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, facing Mamre, which is Hebron, in the land of Canaan.
20 And the field and the cave within it were established to Abraham as burial property, [purchased] from the sons of Heth.
Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 2
1 And Abraham was old, advanced in days, and the Lord had blessed Abraham with everything.
2 And Abraham said to his servant, the elder of his house, who ruled over all that was his, "Please place your hand under my thigh.
3 And I will adjure you by the Lord, the God of the heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose midst I dwell.
4 But you shall go to my land and to my birthplace, and you shall take a wife for my son, for Isaac."
5 And the servant said to him, "Perhaps the woman will not wish to go after me to this land. Shall I return your son to the land from which you came?"
6 And Abraham said to him, "Beware, lest you return my son back there.
7 The Lord, God of the heavens, Who took me from my father's house and from the land of my birth, and Who spoke about me, and Who swore to me, saying, 'To your seed will I give this land' He will send His angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.
8 And if the woman will not wish to go after you, you will be absolved of this, my oath; only do not return my son back there."
9 And the servant placed his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and he swore to him concerning this matter.
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Rev. 21:1-4, 19-27
Bask in God’s Eternal Glory
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
“See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them and be their God;4
he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.”19 The foundations of the wall of the city are adorned with every jewel; the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald,
20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.
21 And the twelve gates are twelve pearls, each of the gates is a single pearl, and the street of the city is pure gold, transparent as glass.
22 I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.
23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb.
24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.
25 Its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.
26 People will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations.
27 But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 24
10 And the servant took ten camels of his master's camels, and he went, and all the best of his master was in his hand; and he arose, and he went to Aram naharaim, to the city of Nahor.
11 And he made the camels kneel outside the city beside the well of water, at eventide, at the time the maidens go out to draw water.
12 And he said, "O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, please cause to happen to me today, and perform loving kindness with my master, Abraham.
13 Behold, I am standing by the water fountain, and the daughters of the people of the city are coming out to draw water.
14 And it will be, [that] the maiden to whom I will say, 'Lower your pitcher and I will drink,' and she will say, 'Drink, and I will also water your camels,' her have You designated for Your servant, for Isaac, and through her may I know that You have performed loving kindness with my master."
15 Now he had not yet finished speaking, and behold, Rebecca came out, who had been born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, and her pitcher was on her shoulder.
16 Now the maiden was of very comely appearance, a virgin, and no man had been intimate with her, and she went down to the fountain, and she filled her pitcher and went up.
17 And the servant ran toward her, and he said, "Please let me sip a little water from your pitcher."
18 And she said, "Drink, my lord." And she hastened and lowered her pitcher to her hand, and she gave him to drink.
19 And she finished giving him to drink, and she said, "I will also draw for your camels, until they will have finished drinking."
20 And she hastened, and she emptied her pitcher into the trough, and she ran again to the well to draw water, and she drew for all his camels.
21 And the man was astonished at her, standing silent, [waiting] to know whether the Lord had caused his way to prosper or not.
22 Now it came about, when the camels had finished drinking, [that] the man took a golden nose ring, weighing half [a shekel], and two bracelets for her hands, weighing ten gold [shekels].
23 And he said, "Whose daughter are you? Please tell me. Is there place for us for lodging in your father's house?"
24 And she said to him, "I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor."
25 And she said to him, "Both straw and fodder are plentiful with us; [there is] also a place to lodge."
26 And the man kneeled and prostrated himself to the Lord.
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Ezekiel 10:1-7
The Glory of the Lord
1 Then I looked, and above the dome that was over the heads of the cherubim there appeared above them something like a sapphire, in form resembling a throne.
2 He said to the man clothed in linen, “Go within the wheelwork underneath the cherubim; fill your hands with burning coals from among the cherubim, and scatter them over the city.” He went in as I looked on.
3 Now the cherubim were standing on the south side of the house when the man went in, and a cloud filled the inner court.
4 Then the glory of the Lord rose up from the cherub to the entryway of the temple; the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the glory of the Lord.
5 The sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard as far as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty when he speaks.
6 When he commanded the man clothed in linen, “Take fire from within the wheelwork, from among the cherubim,” he went in and stood beside a wheel.
7 And a cherub stretched out his hand from among the cherubim to the fire that was among the cherubim, took some of it, and put it into the hands of the man clothed in linen, who took it and went out.
Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 24
27 And he said, "Blessed is the Lord, the God of my master, Abraham, Who has not forsaken His loving kindness and His truth from my master. As for me, the Lord led me on the road to the house of my master's kinsmen."
28 And the maiden ran, and she told her mother's house what had happened.
29 Now Rebecca had a brother whose name was Laban, and Laban ran to the man outside, to the fountain.
30 And it came to pass, when he saw the nose ring and the bracelets on his sister's hands, and when he heard the words of his sister Rebecca, saying, "So did the man speak to me, " that he came to the man, and behold, he was standing over the camels at the fountain.
31 And he said, "Come, you who are blessed of the Lord. Why should you stand outside, when I have cleared the house, and a place for the camels?"
32 So the man came to the house and unmuzzled the camels, and he gave straw and fodder to the camels and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.
33 And [food] was set before him to eat, but he said, "I will not eat until I have spoken my words." And he said, "Speak."
34 And he said, "I am Abraham's servant.
35 And the Lord blessed my master exceedingly, and he became great, and He gave him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, man servants and maid servants, camels and donkeys.
36 And Sarah, my master's wife, bore a son to my master after she had become old, and he gave him all that he possesses.
37 And my master adjured me, saying, 'You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell.
38 Instead, you must go to my father's house and to my family, and take a wife for my son.'
39 And I said to my master, 'Perhaps the woman will not follow me?'
40 And he said to me, 'The Lord, before Whom I walked, will send His angel with you and make your way prosper, and you shall take a wife for my son from my family and from my father's house.
41 You will then be absolved from my oath, when you come to my family, and if they do not give [her] to you, you will be absolved from my oath.'
42 So I came today to the fountain, and I said, 'O Lord, God of my master Abraham, if You desire to prosper my way upon which I am going
43 Behold, I am standing by the water fountain. When a maiden comes out to draw [water], I will say to her, 'Please, give me a little water to drink from your pitcher.'
44 And [if] she will say to me, 'You too may drink, and I will also draw water for your camels,' she is the woman whom the Lord has designated for my master's son.'
45 I had not yet finished speaking thus in my heart, and behold, Rebecca came out with her pitcher on her shoulder, and she went down to the fountain and drew water, and I said to her, 'Please give me to drink.'
46 And she hastened and lowered her pitcher from upon her, and she said, 'Drink, and I will also water your camels.' So I drank, and she also watered the camels.
47 And I asked her, and I said, 'Whose daughter are you?' And she replied, 'The daughter of Bethuel the son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to him.' And I placed the nose ring on her nose and the bracelets on her hands.
48 And I kneeled and prostrated myself to the Lord, and I blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, Who led me on the true path, to take the daughter of my master's brother for his son.
49 And now, if you will do loving kindness and truth with my master, tell me, and if not, tell me, and I will turn to the right or to the left."
50 And Laban and Bethuel answered and said, "The matter has emanated from the Lord. We cannot speak to you either bad or good.
51 Behold Rebecca is before you, take [her] and go, and let her be a wife for your master's son, as the Lord has spoken."
52 Now it came to pass when Abraham's servant heard their words, that he prostrated himself on the ground to the Lord.
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Ezekiel 10:15-19
God’s Glory Leaves the Temple
15 The cherubim rose up. These were the living creatures that I saw by the River Chebar. 16 When the cherubim moved, the wheels moved beside them, and when the cherubim lifted up their wings to rise up from the earth, the wheels at their side did not veer.
17 When they stopped, the others stopped, and when they rose up, the others rose up with them, for a living spirit was in them.
18 Then the glory of the Lord went out from the entryway of the temple and stopped above the cherubim.
19 The cherubim lifted up their wings and rose up from the earth in my sight as they went out with the wheels beside them. They stopped at the entrance of the east gate of the house of the Lord, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.
Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 24
53 And the servant took out silver articles and golden articles and garments, and he gave [them] to Rebecca, and he gave delicacies to her brother and to her mother.
54 And they ate and drank, he and the men who were with him, and they lodged, and they arose in the morning, and he said, "Send me away to my master."
55 And her brother and her mother said, "Let the maiden stay with us a year or ten [months]; afterwards she will go."
56 But he said to them, "Do not delay me, since the Lord has made my way prosper. Send me away, and I will go to my master."
57 And they said, "Let us call the maiden and ask her."
58 And they summoned Rebecca, and they said to her, "Will you go with this man?" And she said, "I will go."
59 So they sent away Rebecca their sister and her nurse and Abraham's servant and his men.
60 And they blessed Rebecca and said to her, "Our sister, may you become thousands of myriads, and may your seed inherit the cities of their enemies."
61 And Rebecca and her maidens arose and rode on the camels, and they followed the man; and the servant took Rebecca and left.
62 Now Isaac was on his way, coming from Be'er Lachai Ro'i, and he dwelt in the land of the south.
63 And Isaac went forth to pray in the field towards evening, and he lifted his eyes and saw, and behold, camels were approaching.
64 And Rebecca lifted her eyes, and saw Isaac, and she let herself down from the camel.
65 And she said to the servant, "Who is that man walking in the field towards us?" And the servant said, "He is my master." And she took the veil and covered herself.
66 And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done.
67 And Isaac brought her to the tent of Sarah his mother, and he took Rebecca, and she became his wife, and he loved her. And Isaac was comforted for [the loss of] his mother.
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Galatians 6:1-10
We Reap What We Sow
1 My brothers and sisters, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted.
2 Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
3 For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves.
4 All must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbor’s work, will become a cause for pride.
5 For all must carry their own loads.
6 Those who are taught the word must share in all good things with their teacher.
7 Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow.
8 If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh, but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit.
9 So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up.
10 So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all and especially for those of the family of faith.
Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 25
1 And Abraham took another wife and her name was Keturah.
2 And she bore him Zimran and Jokshan and Medan and Midian and Jishbak and Shuah.
3 And Jokshan begot Sheba and Dedan, and the sons of Dedan were Ashurim, Letushim, and Leumim.
4 And the sons of Midian [were] Ephah and Epher and Enoch and Abida and Elda'ah; all these were the sons of Keturah.
5 And Abraham gave all that he possessed to Isaac.
6 And to the sons of Abraham's concubines, Abraham gave gifts, and he sent them away from his son Isaac while he [Abraham] was still alive, eastward to the land of the East.
7 And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life that he lived: one hundred years and seventy years and five years.
8 And Abraham expired and died in a good old age, old and satisfied, and he was gathered to his people.
9 And Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the Cave of Machpelah in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which faces Mamre,
10 The field that Abraham had bought from the sons of Heth there Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried.
11 Now it came to pass after Abraham's death, that God blessed his son Isaac, and Isaac dwelt near Be'er Lachai Ro'i.
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1 Samuel 6:13-18
Rejoice in God’s Glory
13 Now the people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. When they looked up and saw the ark, they went with rejoicing to meet it.
14 The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there. A large stone was there; so they split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord.
15 The Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the box beside it in which were the gold objects and set them on the large stone. Then the people of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and presented sacrifices on that day to the Lord.
16 When the five lords of the Philistines saw it, they returned that day to Ekron.
17 These are the gold tumors that the Philistines returned as a guilt offering to the Lord: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron;
18 also the gold mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both fortified cities and unwalled villages. The great stone, beside which they set down the ark of the Lord, is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh.
Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 25
12 Now these are the generations of Ishmael the son of Abraham, whom Hagar the Egyptian, the maidservant of Sarah, bore to Abraham.
13 And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael by their names, according to their births: the firstborn of Ishmael was Nebaioth, and Kedar and Adbe'el and Mibsam,
14 And Mishma and Dumah and Massa,
15 Hadad and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedmah.
16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names in their open cities and in their walled cities, twelve princes to their nations.
17 And these are the years of the life of Ishmael: one hundred years and thirty years and seven years; and he expired and died and was gathered to his people.
18 And they dwelt from Havilah to Shur, which borders on Egypt, going towards Asshur; before all his brothers he dwelt.
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Melachim I (I Kings) Chapter 1
1 And king David was old, he came into his old age, and they covered him with clothes, but he was not warmed.
2 And his servants said to him, "Let them seek for my lord the king a young girl, a virgin, and she shall stand before the king, and she shall be to him a warmer, and she shall lie in your lap, and it shall be warm for my lord the king."
3 And they sought a beautiful young girl throughout the borders of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunemitess and brought her to the king.
4 And the young girl was very beautiful, and she was a warmer to the king, and she ministered to him, but the king did not know her.
5 And Adoniahu the son of Haggith exalted himself saying: 'I will be king,' and he made for himself chariots and horsemen and fifty men to run before him.
6 And his father had not angered him all his days saying, "Why have you done so?" And he too was of very handsome appearance, and she bore him after Absalom.
7 And he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest and they helped [by following] after Adoniahu.
8 And Zadok the priest and Benaiahu the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei and Rei, and the mighty men, who were with David, were not with Adoniahu.
9 And Adoniahu slew sheep and oxen and fatlings, by the stone of Zoheleth which is beside En-Rogel, and he called all his brothers, the king's sons, and all the men of Judah, the kings servants.
10 And Nathan the prophet and Benaiahu and the mighty men and his brother, Solomon, he did not call.
11 And Nathan said to Bath-Sheba, Solomon's mother, saying, "You have surely heard that Adoniahu the son of Haggith has reigned, and our lord, David, did not know [it].
12 And now come and I shall council you with advice, and you shall save your life and the life of your son Solomon.
13 Go and come to king David, and you shall say to him, 'Surely, you, my lord the king, did swear to your maid saying that, 'Solomon your son will reign after me and he shall sit upon my throne,' Now why did Adoniahu reign?"
14 Behold, you are talking there with the king, and I shall come in after you and I shall complete your words."
15 And Bath Sheba came in unto the king, into the chamber; and the king was very old; and Abishag the Shunemitess ministered the king.
16 And Bath-Sheba bowed her head, and prostrated herself unto the king, and the king said, "What is your [wish]?"
17 And she said to him, "My lord, you swore by the Lord your God to your maid, that, 'Solomon, your son, shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.'
18 And now, behold Adoniahu has reigned, and now my lord the king, you did not know.
19 And he has slain oxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance and he called all the king's sons and Abiathar the priest and Joab the general of the army, but Solomon, your servant, he did not call.
20 And you, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are upon you, that you should tell them, who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.
21 And [otherwise] when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers, and I and my son Solomon shall be [considered] offenders."
22 And behold, she was still speaking with the king, and Nathan the prophet came.
23 And they told the king saying, "Behold, Nathan the prophet." And he came in before the king and he prostrated himself unto the king upon his face, to the ground.
24 And Nathan said, "My lord the king, did you say 'Adoniahu shall reign after me and he shall sit upon my throne?'"
25 For he has gone down this day and has slain oxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and he called all the King's sons, and the officers of the army, and Abiathar the priest, and behold they eat and drink before him, and they said, "Long live King Adoniahu."
26 And me, [even] me your servant, and Zadok the priest and Benaiahu the son of Yehoiada and Solomon, your servant, he did not call.
27 If this matter stems from my lord the king, [I wonder that] you have not informed your servant who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.
28 And king David answered and said, "Call Bath Sheba to me. And she came before the king and stood before the king.
29 And he swore and said, "[I swear as] God lives who redeemed my soul from all distress.
30 Indeed, as I swore to you by the Lord God of Israel saying, 'Surely Solomon, your son, shall reign after me and he shall sit on my throne in my stead,' surely, so will I do this day."
31 And Bath-Sheba bowed [her] face to the earth, and she prostrated herself to the king and said, "Let my lord King David live forever."