Daily Readings for January 15

Daily Readings for January 15
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Genesis 27

1.It happened, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his elder son, and said to him, "My son?"

He said to him, "Here I am."

2.He said, "See now, I am old. I don't know the day of my death. 3.Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field, and take me venison. 4.Make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat, and that my soul may bless you before I die."

5.Rebekah heard when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it. 6.Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, "Behold, I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying, 7.'Bring me venison, and make me savory food, that I may eat, and bless you before Yahweh before my death.' 8.Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command you. 9.Go now to the flock, and get me from there two good young goats. I will make them savory food for your father, such as he loves. 10.You shall bring it to your father, that he may eat, so that he may bless you before his death."

11.Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, "Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. 12.What if my father touches me? I will seem to him as a deceiver, and I would bring a curse on myself, and not a blessing."

13.His mother said to him, "Let your curse be on me, my son. Only obey my voice, and go get them for me."

14.He went, and got them, and brought them to his mother. His mother made savory food, such as his father loved. 15.Rebekah took the good clothes of Esau, her elder son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob, her younger son. 16.She put the skins of the young goats on his hands, and on the smooth of his neck. 17.She gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

18.He came to his father, and said, "My father?"

He said, "Here I am. Who are you, my son?"

19.Jacob said to his father, "I am Esau your firstborn. I have done what you asked me to do. Please arise, sit and eat of my venison, that your soul may bless me."

20.Isaac said to his son, "How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?"

He said, "Because Yahweh your God gave me success."

21.Isaac said to Jacob, "Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not."

22.Jacob went near to Isaac his father. He felt him, and said, "The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau." 23.He didn't recognize him, because his hands were hairy, like his brother, Esau's hands. So he blessed him. 24.He said, "Are you really my son Esau?"

He said, "I am."

25.He said, "Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless you."

He brought it near to him, and he ate. He brought him wine, and he drank. 26.His father Isaac said to him, "Come near now, and kiss me, my son." 27.He came near, and kissed him. He smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him, and said, "Behold, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which Yahweh has blessed. 28.God give you of the dew of the sky, of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and new wine. 29.Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers. Let your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you. Blessed be everyone who blesses you."

30.It happened, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob had just gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. 31.He also made savory food, and brought it to his father. He said to his father, "Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison, that your soul may bless me."

32.Isaac his father said to him, "Who are you?"

He said, "I am your son, your firstborn, Esau."

33.Isaac trembled violently, and said, "Who, then, is he who has taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before you came, and have blessed him? Yes, he will be blessed."

34.When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceeding great and bitter cry, and said to his father, "Bless me, even me also, my father."

35.He said, "Your brother came with deceit, and has taken away your blessing."

36.He said, "Isn't he rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright. See, now he has taken away my blessing." He said, "Haven't you reserved a blessing for me?"

37.Isaac answered Esau, "Behold, I have made him your lord, and all his brothers have I given to him for servants. With grain and new wine have I sustained him. What then will I do for you, my son?"

38.Esau said to his father, "Have you but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, my father." Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.

39.Isaac his father answered him, "Behold, of the fatness of the earth will be your dwelling, and of the dew of the sky from above. 40.By your sword will you live, and you will serve your brother. It will happen, when you will break loose, that you shall shake his yoke from off your neck."

41.Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him. Esau said in his heart, "The days of mourning for my father are at hand. Then I will kill my brother Jacob."

42.The words of Esau, her elder son, were told to Rebekah. She sent and called Jacob, her younger son, and said to him, "Behold, your brother Esau comforts himself about you by planning to kill you. 43.Now therefore, my son, obey my voice. Arise, flee to Laban, my brother, in Haran. 44.Stay with him a few days, until your brother's fury turns away; 45.until your brother's anger turn away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send, and get you from there. Why should I be bereaved of you both in one day?"

46.Rebekah said to Isaac, "I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these, of the daughters of the land, what good will my life do me?"

Psalm 32

1.Blessed is he whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2.Blessed is the man to whom Yahweh doesn't impute iniquity, in whose spirit there is no deceit. 3.When I kept silence, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4.For day and night your hand was heavy on me. My strength was sapped in the heat of summer. Selah. 5.I acknowledged my sin to you. I didn't hide my iniquity. I said, I will confess my transgressions to Yahweh, and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah. 6.For this, let everyone who is godly pray to you in a time when you may be found. Surely when the great waters overflow, they shall not reach to him. 7.You are my hiding place. You will preserve me from trouble. You will surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah. 8.I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go. I will counsel you with my eye on you. 9.Don't be like the horse, or like the mule, which have no understanding, who are controlled by bit and bridle, or else they will not come near to you. 10.Many sorrows come to the wicked, but loving kindness shall surround him who trusts in Yahweh. 11.Be glad in Yahweh, and rejoice, you righteous! Shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart!

Matthew 17

1.After six days, Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them up into a high mountain by themselves. 2.He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his garments became as white as the light. 3.Behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them talking with him.

4.Peter answered, and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you want, let's make three tents here: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

5.While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. Behold, a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him."

6.When the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces, and were very afraid. 7.Jesus came and touched them and said, "Get up, and don't be afraid." 8.Lifting up their eyes, they saw no one, except Jesus alone. 9.As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Don't tell anyone what you saw, until the Son of Man has risen from the dead."

10.His disciples asked him, saying, "Then why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"

11.Jesus answered them, "Elijah indeed comes first, and will restore all things, 12.but I tell you that Elijah has come already, and they didn't recognize him, but did to him whatever they wanted to. Even so the Son of Man will also suffer by them." 13.Then the disciples understood that he spoke to them of John the Baptizer.

14.When they came to the multitude, a man came to him, kneeling down to him, saying, 15."Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is epileptic, and suffers grievously; for he often falls into the fire, and often into the water. 16.So I brought him to your disciples, and they could not cure him."

17.Jesus answered, "Faithless and perverse generation! How long will I be with you? How long will I bear with you? Bring him here to me." 18.Jesus rebuked him, the demon went out of him, and the boy was cured from that hour.

19.Then the disciples came to Jesus privately, and said, "Why weren't we able to cast it out?"

20.He said to them, "Because of your unbelief. For most certainly I tell you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 21.But this kind doesn't go out except by prayer and fasting."

22.While they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is about to be delivered up into the hands of men, 23.and they will kill him, and the third day he will be raised up."

They were exceedingly sorry. 24.When they had come to Capernaum, those who collected the didrachma coins⁷⁹ came to Peter, and said, "Doesn't your teacher pay the didrachma?" 25.He said, "Yes."

When he came into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth receive toll or tribute? From their children, or from strangers?"

26.Peter said to him, "From strangers."

Jesus said to him, "Therefore the children are exempt. 27.But, lest we cause them to stumble, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take up the first fish that comes up. When you have opened its mouth, you will find a stater coin.⁸⁰ Take that, and give it to them for me and you."