Jan 8th

So Sarai said to Abram, “Now behold, Yahweh has shut my womb from bearing children. Please go in to my servant-woman; perhaps I will obtain children through her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

And after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Abram’s wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant-woman, and gave her to her husband Abram as his wife.

So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. Then she saw that she had conceived, so her mistress became contemptible in her sight.

And Sarai said to Abram, “May the violence done to me be upon you. I gave my servant-woman into your embrace, but she saw that she had conceived, so I became contemptible in her sight. May Yahweh judge between you and me.”

But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your servant-woman is in your hand; do to her what is good in your sight.” So Sarai afflicted her, and she fled from her presence.

Now the angel of Yahweh found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur.

And he said, “Hagar, Sarai’s servant-woman, where have you come from and where are you going?” And she said, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.”

Then the angel of Yahweh said to her, “Return to your mistress and humble yourself under her hands.”

Moreover, the angel of Yahweh said to her, “I will greatly multiply your seed so that they will be too many to be counted.”

And the angel of Yahweh said to her further,

Then she called the name of Yahweh who spoke to her, “You are a God who sees”; for she said, “Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?”

Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.

Now Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to him.

Now it happened that when Abram was ninety-nine years old, Yahweh appeared to Abram and said to him,

Then Abram fell on his face, and God spoke with him, saying,

And I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will go forth from you.

And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your seed after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your seed after you.

And I will give to you and to your seed after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”

God said further to Abraham, “Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your seed after you throughout their generations.

This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your seed after you: every male among you shall be circumcised.

And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you.

And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, one who is born in the house or one who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your seed.

A servant who is born in your house or who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised; thus shall My covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.

And I will bless her, and indeed I will give you a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”

Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said in his heart, “Will a son be born to a man one hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a son?”

And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before You!”

But God said, “No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his seed after him.

As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.

But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this season next year.”

So He finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.

Then Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s household, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the very same day, as God had spoken with him.

Now Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

In the very same day Abraham was circumcised, and Ishmael his son.

Now all the men of his household, who were born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

Then Yahweh appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day.

And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing nearby; he saw, and he ran from the tent door to meet them, and he bowed himself to the earth,

and he said, “My Lord, if now I have found favor in Your sight, please do not pass Your servant by.

Please let a little water be brought and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree;

and let me bring a piece of bread, that you may refresh your hearts; after that you may pass on, since in such a manner you have passed by your servant.” And they said, “So you shall do, as you have said.”

So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “Hurry, prepare three seahs of fine flour, knead it, and make bread cakes.”

Abraham also ran to the herd and took a tender and choice calf and gave it to his young man, and he hurried to prepare it.

Then he took curds and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and placed it before them; and he was standing by them under the tree, and they ate.

Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “There, in the tent.”

And He said, “I will surely return to you at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door which was behind him.

Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing.

And Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?”

And Yahweh said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I indeed bear a son, when I am so old?’

Is anything too difficult for Yahweh? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

Then Sarah denied it however, saying, “I did not laugh”; for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

And behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.”

And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man blasphemes.”

And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts?

For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?

But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then He *said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your bed and go home.”

And he got up and went home.

But when the crowds saw this, they were afraid, and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

And as Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew, sitting in the tax office; and He *said to him, “Follow Me!” And he stood up and followed Him.

Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples.

And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?”

But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.

Then the disciples of John *came to Him, asking, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?”

And Jesus said to them, “Can the attendants of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.

But no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results.

While He was saying these things to them, behold, a synagogue official came and was bowing down before Him, and said, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will live.”

And Jesus got up and began to follow him, and so did His disciples.

And behold, a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years, came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His garment;

for she was saying to herself, “If I only touch His garment, I will be saved from this.”

But Jesus turning and seeing her said, “Daughter, take courage; your faith has saved you.” At once the woman was saved from her hemorrhage.

And when Jesus came into the official’s house, and saw the flute-players and the crowd in noisy disorder,

He was saying, “Leave; for the girl has not died, but is asleep.” And they began laughing at Him.

But when the crowd had been sent out, coming in, He took her by the hand, and the girl got up.

And this news spread throughout all that land.