Old/New Testament
The Death of Sarah
23 Sarah lived 127 years.[a] 2 Then she[b] died in Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.[c]
3 Then Abraham got up from mourning his dead wife[d] and said to the sons of Heth,[e] 4 “I am a foreign resident, a temporary settler,[f] among you. Grant[g] me ownership[h] of a burial site among you so that I may[i] bury my dead.”[j]
5 The sons of Heth answered Abraham,[k] 6 “Listen, sir,[l] you are a mighty prince[m] among us! You may bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb to prevent you[n] from burying your dead.”
7 Abraham got up and bowed down to the local people,[o] the sons of Heth. 8 Then he said to them, “If you agree[p] that I may bury my dead,[q] then hear me out.[r] Ask[s] Ephron the son of Zohar 9 if he will sell[t] me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him; it is at the end of his field. Let him sell it to me publicly[u] for the full price,[v] so that I may own it as a burial site.”
10 (Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth.) Ephron the Hittite[w] replied to Abraham in the hearing[x] of the sons of Heth—before all who entered the gate[y] of his city— 11 “No, my lord! Hear me out. I sell[z] you both the field and the cave that is in it.[aa] In the presence of my people[ab] I sell it to you. Bury your dead.”
12 Abraham bowed before the local people 13 and said to Ephron in their hearing, “Hear me, if you will. I pay[ac] to you the price[ad] of the field. Take it from me so that I may[ae] bury my dead there.”
14 Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, 15 “Hear me, my lord. The land is worth[af] 400 pieces of silver,[ag] but what is that between me and you? So bury your dead.”
16 So Abraham agreed to Ephron’s price[ah] and weighed out[ai] for him[aj] the price[ak] that Ephron had quoted[al] in the hearing of the sons of Heth—400 pieces of silver, according to the standard measurement at the time.[am]
17 So Abraham secured[an] Ephron’s field in Machpelah, next to Mamre, including the field, the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were in the field and all around its border, 18 as his property in the presence of the sons of Heth before all who entered the gate of Ephron’s city.[ao]
19 After this Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah next to Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20 So Abraham secured the field and the cave that was in it as a burial site[ap] from the sons of Heth.
The Wife for Isaac
24 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years,[aq] and the Lord had blessed him[ar] in everything. 2 Abraham said to his servant, the senior one[as] in his household who was in charge of everything he had, “Put your hand under my thigh[at] 3 so that I may make you solemnly promise[au] by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth: You must not acquire[av] a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living. 4 You must go instead to my country and to my relatives[aw] to find[ax] a wife for my son Isaac.”
5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is not willing to come back with me[ay] to this land? Must I then[az] take your son back to the land from which you came?”
6 “Be careful[ba] never to take my son back there!” Abraham told him.[bb] 7 “The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and the land of my relatives,[bc] promised me with a solemn oath,[bd] ‘To your descendants I will give this land.’ He will send his angel[be] before you so that you may find[bf] a wife for my son from there. 8 But if the woman is not willing to come back with you,[bg] you will be free[bh] from this oath of mine. But you must not take my son back there!” 9 So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and gave his solemn promise he would carry out his wishes.[bi]
10 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed with all kinds of gifts from his master at his disposal.[bj] He journeyed[bk] to the region of Aram Naharaim[bl] and the city of Nahor. 11 He made the camels kneel down by the well[bm] outside the city. It was evening,[bn] the time when the women would go out to draw water. 12 He prayed, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, guide me today.[bo] Be faithful[bp] to my master Abraham. 13 Here I am, standing by the spring,[bq] and the daughters of the people[br] who live in the town are coming out to draw water. 14 I will say to a young woman, ‘Please lower your jar so I may drink.’ May the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac reply, ‘Drink, and I’ll give your camels water too.’[bs] In this way I will know that you have been faithful to my master.”[bt]
15 Before he had finished praying, there came Rebekah[bu] with her water jug on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah (Milcah was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor).[bv] 16 Now the young woman was very beautiful. She was a virgin; no man had ever been physically intimate with her.[bw] She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came back up. 17 Abraham’s servant[bx] ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a sip of water from your jug.” 18 “Drink, my lord,” she replied, and quickly lowering[by] her jug to her hands, she gave him a drink. 19 When she had done so,[bz] she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have drunk as much as they want.” 20 She quickly emptied[ca] her jug into the watering trough and ran back to the well to draw more water until she had drawn enough for all his camels. 21 Silently the man watched her with interest to determine[cb] if the Lord had made his journey successful[cc] or not.
22 After the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka[cd] and two gold wrist bracelets weighing ten shekels[ce] and gave them to her.[cf] 23 “Whose daughter are you?” he asked.[cg] “Tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”
24 She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom Milcah bore to Nahor.[ch] 25 We have plenty of straw and feed,” she added,[ci] “and room for you[cj] to spend the night.”
26 The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord, 27 saying, “Praised be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his faithful love[ck] for my master! The Lord has led me[cl] to the house[cm] of my master’s relatives!”[cn]
28 The young woman ran and told her mother’s household all about[co] these things. 29 (Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban.)[cp] Laban rushed out to meet the man at the spring. 30 When he saw the bracelets on his sister’s wrists and the nose ring[cq] and heard his sister Rebekah say,[cr] “This is what the man said to me,” he went out to meet the man. There he was, standing[cs] by the camels near the spring. 31 Laban said to him,[ct] “Come, you who are blessed by the Lord![cu] Why are you standing out here when I have prepared[cv] the house and a place for the camels?”
32 So Abraham’s servant[cw] went to the house and unloaded[cx] the camels. Straw and feed were given[cy] to the camels, and water was provided so that he and the men who were with him could wash their feet.[cz] 33 When food was served,[da] he said, “I will not eat until I have said what I want to say.”[db] “Tell us,” Laban said.[dc]
34 “I am the servant of Abraham,” he began. 35 “The Lord has richly blessed my master and he has become very wealthy.[dd] The Lord[de] has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys. 36 My master’s wife Sarah bore a son to him[df] when she was old,[dg] and my master[dh] has given him everything he owns. 37 My master made me swear an oath. He said, ‘You must not acquire a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, 38 but you must go to the family of my father and to my relatives to find[di] a wife for my son.’ 39 But I said to my master, ‘What if the woman does not want to go[dj] with me?’[dk] 40 He answered, ‘The Lord, before whom I have walked,[dl] will send his angel with you. He will make your journey a success and you will find a wife for my son from among my relatives, from my father’s family. 41 You will be free from your oath[dm] if you go to my relatives and they will not give her to you. Then you will be free from your oath.’ 42 When I came to the spring today, I prayed, ‘O Lord, God of my master Abraham, if you have decided to make my journey successful,[dn] may events unfold as follows:[do] 43 Here I am, standing by the spring.[dp] When[dq] the young woman goes out to draw water, I’ll say, “Please give me a little water to drink from your jug.” 44 Then she will reply to me, “Drink, and I’ll draw water for your camels too.” May that woman be the one whom the Lord has chosen for my master’s son.’
45 “Before I finished praying in my heart,[dr] along came Rebekah[ds] with her water jug on her shoulder! She went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ 46 She quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I’ll give your camels water too.’ So I drank, and she also gave the camels water. 47 Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She replied, ‘The daughter of Bethuel the son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to Nahor.’[dt] I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her wrists. 48 Then I bowed down and worshiped the Lord. I praised the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me on the right path to find the granddaughter[du] of my master’s brother for his son. 49 Now, if you will show faithful love to my master, tell me. But if not, tell me as well, so that I may go on my way.”[dv]
50 Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “This is the Lord’s doing.[dw] Our wishes are of no concern.[dx] 51 Rebekah stands here before you. Take her and go so that she may become[dy] the wife of your master’s son, just as the Lord has decided.”[dz]
52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord. 53 Then he[ea] brought out gold, silver jewelry, and clothing and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave valuable gifts to her brother and to her mother. 54 After this, he and the men who were with him ate a meal and stayed there overnight.[eb]
When they got up in the morning, he said, “Let me leave now so I can return to my master.”[ec] 55 But Rebekah’s[ed] brother and her mother replied, “Let the girl stay with us a few more days, perhaps ten. Then she can go.” 56 But he said to them, “Don’t detain me—the Lord[ee] has granted me success on my journey. Let me leave now so I may return[ef] to my master.” 57 Then they said, “We’ll call the girl and find out what she wants to do.”[eg] 58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Do you want[eh] to go with this man?” She replied, “I want to go.”
59 So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, accompanied by her female attendant, with Abraham’s servant and his men. 60 They blessed Rebekah with these words:[ei]
“Our sister, may you become the mother[ej] of thousands of ten thousands!
May your descendants possess the strongholds[ek] of their enemies.”
61 Then Rebekah and her female servants mounted the camels and rode away with[el] the man. So Abraham’s servant[em] took Rebekah and left.
62 Now[en] Isaac came from[eo] Beer Lahai Roi,[ep] for[eq] he was living in the Negev.[er] 63 He[es] went out to relax[et] in the field in the early evening.[eu] Then he looked up[ev] and saw that[ew] there were camels approaching. 64 Rebekah looked up[ex] and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel 65 and asked[ey] Abraham’s servant,[ez] “Who is that man walking in the field toward us?” “That is my master,” the servant replied.[fa] So she took her veil and covered herself.
66 The servant told Isaac everything that had happened. 67 Then Isaac brought Rebekah[fb] into his mother Sarah’s tent. He took her[fc] as his wife and loved her.[fd] So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.[fe]
Do Not Judge
7 “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.[a] 2 For by the standard you judge you will be judged, and the measure you use will be the measure you receive.[b] 3 Why[c] do you see the speck[d] in your brother’s eye, but fail to see[e] the beam of wood[f] in your own? 4 Or how can you say[g] to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye,’ while there is a beam in your own? 5 You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. 6 Do not give what is holy to dogs or throw your pearls before pigs; otherwise they will trample them under their feet and turn around and tear you to pieces.[h]
Ask, Seek, Knock
7 “Ask[i] and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door[j] will be opened for you. 8 For everyone who asks[k] receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 Is[l] there anyone among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?[m] 11 If you then, although you are evil,[n] know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts[o] to those who ask him! 12 In[p] everything, treat others as you would want them[q] to treat you,[r] for this fulfills[s] the law and the prophets.
The Narrow Gate
13 “Enter[t] through the narrow gate, because the gate is wide and the way is spacious that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 How[u] narrow is the gate and difficult the way that leads to life,[v] and there are few who find it!
A Tree and Its Fruit
15 “Watch out for false prophets,[w] who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are voracious wolves.[x] 16 You will recognize them by their fruit. Grapes are not gathered[y] from thorns or figs from thistles, are they?[z] 17 In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad[aa] tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree is not able to bear bad fruit, nor a bad tree to bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then, you will recognize them by their fruit.
Judgment of Pretenders
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’[ab] will enter into the kingdom of heaven—only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. 22 On that day, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many powerful deeds in your name?’[ac] 23 Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Go away from me, you lawbreakers!’[ad]
Hearing and Doing
24 “Everyone[ae] who hears these words of mine and does them is like[af] a wise man[ag] who built his house on rock. 25 The rain fell, the flood[ah] came, and the winds beat against that house, but it did not collapse because its foundation had been laid on rock. 26 Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, and it collapsed—it was utterly destroyed!”[ai]
28 When[aj] Jesus finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed by his teaching, 29 because he taught them like one who had authority,[ak] not like their experts in the law.[al]
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