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 Feeds the Four Thousand^(A)(B)(C)

8 During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ² “I have compassion for these people;^(D) they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. ³ If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.”

⁴ His disciples answered, “But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?”

⁵ “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.

“Seven,” they replied.

⁶ He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people, and they did so. ⁷ They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them.^{(E) 8} The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.^{(F) 9} About four thousand were present. After he had sent them away, ¹⁰ he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha.

¹¹ The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven.^{(G) 12} He sighed deeply^(H) and said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to it.” ¹³ Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side.

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod

¹⁴ The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. ¹⁵ “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast^(I) of the Pharisees^(J) and that of Herod.”^(K)

¹⁶ They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.”

¹⁷ Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened?^{(L) 18} Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? ¹⁹ When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”

“Twelve,”^(M) they replied.

²⁰ “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”

They answered, “Seven.”^(N)

²¹ He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”^(O)

Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida

²² They came to Bethsaida,^(P) and some people brought a blind man^(Q) and begged Jesus to touch him. ²³ He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit^(R) on the man’s eyes and put his hands on^(S) him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”

²⁴ He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”

²⁵ Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. ²⁶ Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into^[a] the village.”

Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah^(T)

²⁷ Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

²⁸ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist;^(U) others say Elijah;^(V) and still others, one of the prophets.”

²⁹ “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”^(W)

³⁰ Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.^(X)

Jesus Predicts His Death^(Y)

³¹ He then began to teach them that the Son of Man^(Z) must suffer many things^(AA) and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law,^(AB) and that he must be killed^(AC) and after three days^(AD) rise again.^{(AE) 32} He spoke plainly^(AF) about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

³³ But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!”^(AG) he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

The Way of the Cross

³⁴ Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.^{(AH) 35} For whoever wants to save their life^[b] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.^{(AI) 36} What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? ³⁷ Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? ³⁸ If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man^(AJ) will be ashamed of them^(AK) when he comes^(AL) in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”