Dinah and the Shechemites

34 Now Dinah,^(A) the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land. ² When Shechem^(B) son of Hamor^(C) the Hivite,^(D) the ruler of that area, saw her, he took her and raped her.^{(E) 3} His heart was drawn to Dinah^(F) daughter of Jacob;^(G) he loved^(H) the young woman and spoke tenderly^(I) to her. ⁴ And Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Get me this girl as my wife.”^(J)

⁵ When Jacob heard that his daughter Dinah had been defiled,^(K) his sons were in the fields with his livestock; so he did nothing about it until they came home.

⁶ Then Shechem’s father Hamor went out to talk with Jacob.^{(L) 7} Meanwhile, Jacob’s sons had come in from the fields as soon as they heard what had happened. They were shocked^(M) and furious,^(N) because Shechem had done an outrageous thing in^[a] Israel^(O) by sleeping with Jacob’s daughter—a thing that should not be done.^(P)

⁸ But Hamor said to them, “My son Shechem has his heart set on your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife.^{(Q) 9} Intermarry with us; give us your daughters and take our daughters for yourselves.^{(R) 10} You can settle among us;^(S) the land is open to you.^(T) Live in it, trade^[b] in it,^(U) and acquire property in it.^(V)”

¹¹ Then Shechem said to Dinah’s father and brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes,^(W) and I will give you whatever you ask. ¹² Make the price for the bride^(X) and the gift I am to bring as great as you like, and I’ll pay whatever you ask me. Only give me the young woman as my wife.”

¹³ Because their sister Dinah had been defiled,^(Y) Jacob’s sons replied deceitfully^(Z) as they spoke to Shechem and his father Hamor. ¹⁴ They said to them, “We can’t do such a thing; we can’t give our sister to a man who is not circumcised.^(AA) That would be a disgrace to us. ¹⁵ We will enter into an agreement with you on one condition^(AB) only: that you become like us by circumcising all your males.^{(AC) 16} Then we will give you our daughters and take your daughters for ourselves.^(AD) We’ll settle among you and become one people with you.^{(AE) 17} But if you will not agree to be circumcised, we’ll take our sister and go.”

¹⁸ Their proposal seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem. ¹⁹ The young man, who was the most honored^(AF) of all his father’s family, lost no time in doing what they said, because he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter.^{(AG) 20} So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city^(AH) to speak to the men of their city. ²¹ “These men are friendly toward us,” they said. “Let them live in our land and trade in it;^(AI) the land has plenty of room for them. We can marry their daughters and they can marry ours.^{(AJ) 22} But the men will agree to live with us as one people only on the condition that our males be circumcised,^(AK) as they themselves are. ²³ Won’t their livestock, their property and all their other animals become ours?^(AL) So let us agree to their terms, and they will settle among us.^(AM)”

²⁴ All the men who went out of the city gate^(AN) agreed with Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male in the city was circumcised.

²⁵ Three days later, while all of them were still in pain,^(AO) two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon^(AP) and Levi,^(AQ) Dinah’s brothers, took their swords^(AR) and attacked the unsuspecting city,^(AS) killing every male.^{(AT) 26} They put Hamor and his son Shechem to the sword^(AU) and took Dinah^(AV) from Shechem’s house and left. ²⁷ The sons of Jacob came upon the dead bodies and looted the city^(AW) where^[c] their sister had been defiled.^{(AX) 28} They seized their flocks and herds and donkeys^(AY) and everything else of theirs in the city and out in the fields.^{(AZ) 29} They carried off all their wealth and all their women and children,^(BA) taking as plunder^(BB) everything in the houses.^(BC)

³⁰ Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble^(BD) on me by making me obnoxious^(BE) to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land.^(BF) We are few in number,^(BG) and if they join forces against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.”

³¹ But they replied, “Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?^(BH)”

Jacob Returns to Bethel

35 Then God said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethel^(BI) and settle there, and build an altar^(BJ) there to God,^(BK) who appeared to you^(BL) when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.”^(BM)

² So Jacob said to his household^(BN) and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods^(BO) you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes.^{(BP) 3} Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God,^(BQ) who answered me in the day of my distress^(BR) and who has been with me wherever I have gone.^(BS)” ⁴ So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears,^(BT) and Jacob buried them under the oak^(BU) at Shechem.^{(BV) 5} Then they set out, and the terror of God^(BW) fell on the towns all around them so that no one pursued them.^(BX)

⁶ Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz^(BY) (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan.^{(BZ) 7} There he built an altar,^(CA) and he called the place El Bethel,^[d](CB) because it was there that God revealed himself to him^(CC) when he was fleeing from his brother.^(CD)

⁸ Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse,^(CE) died and was buried under the oak^(CF) outside Bethel.^(CG) So it was named Allon Bakuth.^[e]

⁹ After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram,^[f](CH) God appeared to him again and blessed him.^{(CI) 10} God said to him, “Your name is Jacob,^[g] but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.^[h]”^(CJ) So he named him Israel.

¹¹ And God said to him, “I am God Almighty^[i];^(CK) be fruitful and increase in number.^(CL) A nation^(CM) and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants.^{(CN) 12} The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.^(CO)”^{(CP) 13} Then God went up from him^(CQ) at the place where he had talked with him.

¹⁴ Jacob set up a stone pillar^(CR) at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering^(CS) on it; he also poured oil on it.^{(CT) 15} Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel.^[j](CU)

The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac^(CV)

¹⁶ Then they moved on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath,^(CW) Rachel^(CX) began to give birth and had great difficulty. ¹⁷ And as she was having great difficulty in childbirth, the midwife^(CY) said to her, “Don’t despair, for you have another son.”^{(CZ) 18} As she breathed her last—for she was dying—she named her son Ben-Oni.^[k](DA) But his father named him Benjamin.^[l](DB)

¹⁹ So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath^(DC) (that is, Bethlehem^(DD)). ²⁰ Over her tomb Jacob set up a pillar, and to this day^(DE) that pillar marks Rachel’s tomb.^(DF)

²¹ Israel moved on again and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder.^{(DG) 22} While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine^(DH) Bilhah,^(DI) and Israel heard of it.

Jacob had twelve sons:

These were the sons of Jacob,^(DU) who were born to him in Paddan Aram.^(DV)

²⁷ Jacob came home to his father Isaac^(DW) in Mamre,^(DX) near Kiriath Arba^(DY) (that is, Hebron),^(DZ) where Abraham and Isaac had stayed.^{(EA) 28} Isaac lived a hundred and eighty years.^{(EB) 29} Then he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people,^(EC) old and full of years.^(ED) And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.^(EE)

Esau’s Descendants^(EF)(EG)

36 This is the account^(EH) of the family line of Esau (that is, Edom).^(EI)

⁹ This is the account^(EY) of the family line of Esau the father of the Edomites^(EZ) in the hill country of Seir.

¹⁵ These were the chiefs^(FK) among Esau’s descendants:

¹⁹ These were the sons of Esau^(FU) (that is, Edom),^(FV) and these were their chiefs.^(FW)

²⁰ These were the sons of Seir the Horite,^(FX) who were living in the region:

The Rulers of Edom^(GH)

³¹ These were the kings who reigned in Edom before any Israelite king^(GI) reigned:

⁴⁰ These were the chiefs^(GO) descended from Esau, by name, according to their clans and regions:

This is the family line of Esau, the father of the Edomites.^(GP)

Jesus at a Pharisee’s House^(A)

14 One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee,^(B) he was being carefully watched.^{(C) 2} There in front of him was a man suffering from abnormal swelling of his body. ³ Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law,^(D) “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?”^{(E) 4} But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him on his way.

⁵ Then he asked them, “If one of you has a child^[a] or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?”^{(F) 6} And they had nothing to say.

⁷ When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table,^(G) he told them this parable: ⁸ “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. ⁹ If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. ¹⁰ But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. ¹¹ For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”^(H)

¹² Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. ¹³ But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,^{(I) 14} and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”^(J)

The Parable of the Great Banquet^(K)

¹⁵ When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast^(L) in the kingdom of God.”^(M)

¹⁶ Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. ¹⁷ At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’

¹⁸ “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’

¹⁹ “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’

²⁰ “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’

²¹ “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’^(N)

²² “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’

²³ “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. ²⁴ I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”^(O)

The Cost of Being a Disciple

²⁵ Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: ²⁶ “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.^{(P) 27} And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.^(Q)

²⁸ “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? ²⁹ For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, ³⁰ saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

³¹ “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? ³² If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. ³³ In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.^(R)

³⁴ “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?^{(S) 35} It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.^(T)

“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”^(U)