14th January

¹ Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah.² And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.³ And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim.⁴ And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abidah, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.⁵ And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac.⁶ But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country.⁷ And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years.⁸ Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.⁹ And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre;¹⁰ The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.¹¹ And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahairoi.¹² Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, bare unto Abraham:¹³ And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,¹⁴ And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa,¹⁵ Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah:¹⁶ These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations.¹⁷ And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people.¹⁸ And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: and he died in the presence of all his brethren.¹⁹ And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham begat Isaac:²⁰ And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian.²¹ And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.²² And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD.²³ And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.²⁴ And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.²⁵ And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.²⁶ And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them.²⁷ And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.²⁸ And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.²⁹ And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:³⁰ And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.³¹ And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.³² And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?³³ And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.³⁴ Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.

¹ And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.² And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:³ Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;⁴ And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;⁵ Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.⁶ And Isaac dwelt in Gerar:⁷ And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon.⁸ And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife.⁹ And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, of a surety she is thy wife; and how saidst thou, She is my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die for her.¹⁰ And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might lightly have lien with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us.¹¹ And Abimelech charged all his people, saying, He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.¹² Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.¹³ And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great:¹⁴ For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.¹⁵ For all the wells which his father's servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth.¹⁶ And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we.¹⁷ And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.¹⁸ And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them.¹⁹ And Isaac's servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water.²⁰ And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac's herdmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him.²¹ And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah.²² And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.²³ And he went up from thence to Beersheba.²⁴ And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake.²⁵ And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac's servants digged a well.²⁶ Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army.²⁷ And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?²⁸ And they said, We saw certainly that the LORD was with thee: and we said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee;²⁹ That thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace: thou art now the blessed of the LORD.³⁰ And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink.³¹ And they rose up betimes in the morning, and sware one to another: and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.³² And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac's servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said unto him, We have found water.³³ And he called it Shebah: therefore the name of the city is Beersheba unto this day.³⁴ And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite:³⁵ Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.

¹ In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.² Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me.³ For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me.⁴ Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou art my strength.⁵ Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.⁶ I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust in the LORD.⁷ I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities;⁸ And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a large room.⁹ Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly.¹⁰ For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed.¹¹ I was a reproach among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbours, and a fear to mine acquaintance: they that did see me without fled from me.¹² I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel.¹³ For I have heard the slander of many: fear was on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life.¹⁴ But I trusted in thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my God.¹⁵ My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.¹⁶ Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies' sake.¹⁷ Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave.¹⁸ Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.¹⁹ Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!²⁰ Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.²¹ Blessed be the LORD: for he hath shewed me his marvellous kindness in a strong city.²² For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes: nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee.²³ O love the LORD, all ye his saints: for the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.²⁴ Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.

¹ The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.² He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.³ And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?⁴ A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.⁵ And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.⁶ Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.⁷ And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread.⁸ Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?⁹ Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?¹⁰ Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?¹¹ How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?¹² Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.¹³ When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?¹⁴ And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.¹⁵ He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?¹⁶ And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.¹⁷ And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.¹⁸ And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.¹⁹ And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.²⁰ Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.²¹ From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.²² Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.²³ But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.²⁴ Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.²⁵ For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.²⁶ For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?²⁷ For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.²⁸ Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.