Great Is Your Steadfast Love

^(A)A Prayer of David.

God Protects Hagar and Ishmael

⁸ And the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. ⁹ But Sarah ^(A)saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, ^(B)laughing.^{[a] 10} So she said to Abraham, ^(C)“Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.” ¹¹ And the thing was very displeasing to Abraham on account of his son. ¹² But God said to Abraham, “Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for ^(D)through Isaac shall your offspring be named. ¹³ And I will make ^(E)a nation of the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring.” ¹⁴ So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered in the wilderness of ^(F)Beersheba.

¹⁵ When the water in the skin was gone, she put the child under one of the bushes. ¹⁶ Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot, for she said, “Let me not look on the death of the child.” And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. ¹⁷ And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. ¹⁸ Up! Lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” ¹⁹ Then ^(G)God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. ²⁰ And God was with the boy, and he grew up. He lived in the wilderness ^(H)and became an expert with the bow. ²¹ He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

^24 (A)“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant^[a] above his master. ²⁵ It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. ^(B)If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign^[b] those of his household.

Have No Fear

²⁶ “So have no fear of them, ^(C)for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. ²⁷ What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on ^(D)the housetops. ²⁸ And ^(E)do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him ^(F)who can destroy both soul and body in hell.^{[c] 29} Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?^[d] And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. ³⁰ But ^(G)even the hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ Fear not, therefore; ^(H)you are of more value than many sparrows. ^32 (I)So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, ³³ but ^(J)whoever denies me before men, ^(K)I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

Not Peace, but a Sword

^34 (L)“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. ^(M)I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. ^35 (N)For I have come ^(O)to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. ^36 (P)And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. ^37 (Q)Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ³⁸ And ^(R)whoever does not take his cross and ^(S)follow me is not worthy of me. ^39 (T)Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.