8th January

¹ After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.² And Abram said, LORD God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?³ And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.⁴ And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.⁵ And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.⁶ And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.⁷ And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.⁸ And he said, LORD God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?⁹ And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.¹⁰ And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not.¹¹ And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.¹² And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.¹³ And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not their's, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;¹⁴ And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.¹⁵ And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.¹⁶ But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.¹⁷ And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.¹⁸ In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:¹⁹ The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,²⁰ And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims,²¹ And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.

¹ Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.² And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.³ And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.⁴ And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.⁵ And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee.⁶ But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thine hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.⁷ And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.⁸ And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.⁹ And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.¹⁰ And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.¹¹ And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.¹² And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.¹³ And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?¹⁴ Wherefore the well was called Beerlahairoi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.¹⁵ And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son's name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael.¹⁶ And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.

¹ I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.² The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.³ I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.⁴ The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.⁵ The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.⁶ In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.⁷ Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.⁸ There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.⁹ He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.¹⁰ And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.¹¹ He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.¹² At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.¹³ The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.¹⁴ Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.¹⁵ Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.¹⁶ He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.¹⁷ He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.¹⁸ They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.¹⁹ He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.²⁰ The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.²¹ For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.²² For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me.²³ I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.²⁴ Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.²⁵ With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright;²⁶ With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.²⁷ For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks.²⁸ For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.²⁹ For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.³⁰ As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.³¹ For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?³² It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.³³ He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places.³⁴ He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.³⁵ Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.³⁶ Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.³⁷ I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed.³⁸ I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet.³⁹ For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.⁴⁰ Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me.⁴¹ They cried, but there was none to save them: even unto the LORD, but he answered them not.⁴² Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets.⁴³ Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; and thou hast made me the head of the heathen: a people whom I have not known shall serve me.⁴⁴ As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me.⁴⁵ The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places.⁴⁶ The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.⁴⁷ It is God that avengeth me, and subdueth the people under me.⁴⁸ He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.⁴⁹ Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.⁵⁰ Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.

¹ And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.² Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;³ Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;⁴ Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.⁵ These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:⁶ But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.⁷ And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.⁸ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.⁹ Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,¹⁰ Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.¹¹ And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.¹² And when ye come into an house, salute it.¹³ And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.¹⁴ And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.¹⁵ Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.¹⁶ Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.¹⁷ But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;¹⁸ And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.¹⁹ But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.²⁰ For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.²¹ And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.²² And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.²³ But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.²⁴ The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.²⁵ It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?²⁶ Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.²⁷ What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.²⁸ And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.³⁰ But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.³¹ Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.³² Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.³³ But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.³⁴ Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.³⁵ For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.³⁶ And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.³⁷ He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.³⁸ And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.³⁹ He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.⁴⁰ He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.⁴¹ He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.⁴² And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.