Abraham Buys a Burial Ground for Sarah

231 Now Sarah lived e one hundred and twenty-seven e years ; these were the years of the life of Sarah . 2 Sarah died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron ) in the land of Canaan ; and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.

3 Then Abraham rose from before his dead , and spoke to the sons of Heth , saying , 4 "I am a stranger and a sojourner among you; give me a burial site among you that I may bury my dead out of my sight . 5 The sons of Heth answered Abraham , saying to him, 6 "Hear us, my lord , you are a mighty prince among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our graves ; none e of us will refuse you his grave for burying your dead ." 7 So Abraham rose and bowed to the people of the land , the sons of Heth . 8 And he spoke with them, saying , "If it is your wish for me to bury my dead out of my sight , hear me, and approach Ephron the son of Zohar for me, 9 that he may give me the cave of Machpelah which he owns, which is at the end of his field ; for the full price let him give it to me in your presence for a burial site ." 10 Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth ; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the sons of Heth ; even of all who went in at the gate of his city , saying , 11 "No , my lord , hear me; I give you the field , and I give you the cave that is in it. In the presence of the sons of my people I give it to you; bury your dead ." 12 And Abraham bowed before the people of the land . 13 He spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land , saying , "If you will only please listen to me; I will give the price of the field , accept it from me that I may bury my dead there ." 14 Then Ephron answered Abraham , saying to him 15 "My lord , listen to me; a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver , what is that between me and you? So bury your dead ."

16 Abraham listened to Ephron ; and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth , four hundred shekels of silver , commercial standard . 17 So Ephron's field , which was in Machpelah , which faced Mamre , the field and cave which was in it, and all the trees which were in the field , that were within all the confines of its border , were deeded over 18 to Abraham for a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth , before all who went in at the gate of his city . 19 After this , Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field at Machpelah facing Mamre (that is, Hebron ) in the land of Canaan 20 So the field and the cave that is in it, were deeded over to Abraham for a burial site by the sons of Heth .

A Wife Obtained for Isaac

241 Now Abraham was old , advanced in age ; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in every way . 2 Abraham said to his servant , the oldest of his household , who had charge of all that he owned, " Please place your hand under my thigh , 3 and I will make you swear by the Lord , the God of heaven and the God of earth , that you shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites , among whom I live , 4 but you will go to my country and to my relatives , and take a wife for my son Isaac ." 5 The servant said to him, "Suppose the woman is not willing to follow e me to this land ; should I take your son back to the land from where e you came ?" 6 Then Abraham said to him, " Beware that you do not take my son back there ! 7 " The Lord , the God of heaven , who took me from my father's house and from the land of my birth , and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying , ' To your descendants I will give this land ,' He will send His angel before you, and you will take a wife for my son from there . 8 "But if the woman is not willing to follow e you, then you will be free from this my oath ; only do not take my son back there ." 9 So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master , and swore to him concerning this matter .

10 Then the servant took ten camels from the camels of his master , and set out with a variety of good things of his master's in his hand ; and he arose and went to Mesopotamia , to the city of Nahor . 11 He made the camels kneel down outside e the city by the well of water at evening time , the time when women go out to draw water . 12 He said , " O Lord , the God of my master Abraham , please grant me success today , and show lovingkindness to my master Abraham . 13 "Behold , I am standing by the spring , and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water ; 14 now may it be that the girl to whom I say , 'Please let down your jar so that I may drink ,' and who answers , 'Drink , and I will water your camels also '-may she be the one whom You have appointed for Your servant Isaac ; and by this I will know that You have shown lovingkindness to my master ." 15 Before he had finished speaking , behold , Rebekah who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah , the wife of Abraham's brother Nahor , came out with her jar on her shoulder . 16 The girl was very beautiful , a virgin , and no man had had relations with her; and she went down to the spring and filled her jar and came up. 17 Then the servant ran to meet her, and said , " Please let me drink a little water from your jar ." 18 She said , "Drink , my lord "; and she quickly lowered her jar to her hand , and gave him a drink . 19 Now when she had finished giving him a drink , she said , "I will draw also for your camels until e they have finished drinking ." 20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough , and ran back to the well to draw , and she drew for all his camels . 21 Meanwhile, the man was gazing at her in silence , to know whether the Lord had made his journey successful or not. 22 When the camels had finished drinking , the man took a gold ring weighing a half-shekel and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels in gold , 23 and said , "Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room for us to lodge in your father's house ?" 24 She said to him, " I am the daughter of Bethuel , the son of Milcah , whom she bore to Nahor ." 25 Again she said to him, "We have plenty of both straw and feed , and room to lodge in." 26 Then the man bowed low and worshiped the Lord . 27 He said , " Blessed be the Lord , the God of my master Abraham , who has not forsaken His lovingkindness and His truth toward e my master ; as for me, the Lord has guided me in the way to the house of my master's brothers ." 28 Then the girl ran and told her mother's household about these things .

29 Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban ; and Laban ran outside to the man at the spring . 30 When he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister's wrists , and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister , saying , "This is what the man said to me," he went to the man ; and behold , he was standing by the camels at the spring . 31 And he said , " Come in, blessed of the Lord ! Why do you stand outside since I have prepared the house , and a place for the camels ?" 32 So the man entered the house . Then Laban unloaded the camels , and he gave straw and feed to the camels , and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. 33 But when food was set before him to eat , he said , "I will not eat until e I have told my business ." And he said , "Speak on." 34 So he said , "I am Abraham's servant . 35 "The Lord has greatly blessed my master , so that he has become rich ; and He has given him flocks and herds , and silver and gold , and servants and maids , and camels and donkeys . 36 "Now Sarah my master's wife bore a son to my master in her old age , and he has given him all that he has. 37 " My master made me swear , saying , 'You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites , in whose land I live ; 38 but you shall go to my father's house and to my relatives , and take a wife for my son .' 39 " I said to my master , 'Suppose the woman does not follow e me.' 40 "He said to me, ' The Lord , before whom I have walked , will send His angel with you to make your journey successful , and you will take a wife for my son from my relatives and from my father's house ; 41 then you will be free from my oath , when you come to my relatives ; and if they do not give her to you, you will be free from my oath .' 42 "So I came today to the spring , and said , 'O Lord , the God of my master Abraham , if now You will make my journey on which I go successful ; 43 behold , I am standing by the spring , and may it be that the maiden who comes out to draw , and to whom I say , " Please let me drink a little water from your jar "; 44 and she will say to me, "You drink , and I will draw for your camels also "; let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master's son .' 45 "Before I had finished speaking in my heart , behold , Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder , and went down to the spring and drew , and I said to her, 'Please let me drink .' 46 "She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder, and said , ' Drink , and I will water your camels also '; so I drank , and she watered the camels also . 47 " Then I asked her, and said , 'Whose daughter are you?' And she said , 'The daughter of Bethuel , Nahor's son , whom Milcah bore to him'; and I put the ring on her nose , and the bracelets on her wrists . 48 "And I bowed low and worshiped the Lord , and blessed the Lord , the God of my master Abraham , who had guided me in the right way to take the daughter of my master's kinsman for his son . 49 "So now if you are going to deal kindly and truly with my master , tell me; and if not, let me know , that I may turn to the right hand or the left ." 50 Then Laban and Bethuel replied , " The matter comes from the Lord ; so we cannot e speak to you bad or good . 51 "Here is Rebekah before you, take her and go , and let her be the wife of your master's son , as the Lord has spoken ." 52 When Abraham's servant heard their words , he bowed himself to the ground before the Lord . 53 The servant brought out articles of silver and articles of gold , and garments , and gave them to Rebekah ; he also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother .

54 Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night . When they arose in the morning , he said , " Send me away to my master ." 55 But her brother and her mother said , " Let the girl stay with us a few days , say ten ; afterward she may go ." 56 He said to them, "Do not delay me, since the Lord has prospered my way . Send me away that I may go to my master ." 57 And they said , "We will call the girl and consult her wishes ." 58 Then they called Rebekah and said to her, "Will you go with this man ?" And she said , "I will go ." 59 Thus they sent away their sister Rebekah and her nurse with Abraham's servant and his men . 60 They blessed Rebekah and said to her, "May you, our sister , Become thousands of ten thousands , And may your descendants possess The gate of those who hate them." 61 Then Rebekah arose with her maids , and they mounted the camels and followed e the man . So the servant took Rebekah and departed .

62 Now Isaac had come from going to Beer-lahai-roi ; for he was living in the Negev . 63 Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening ; and he lifted up his eyes and looked , and behold , camels were coming . 64 Rebekah lifted up her eyes , and when she saw Isaac she dismounted from the camel . 65 She said to the servant , "Who is that man walking in the field to meet us?" And the servant said , "He is my master ." Then she took her veil and covered herself. 66 The servant told Isaac all the things that he had done . 67 Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent , and he took Rebekah , and she became his wife , and he loved her; thus Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.

Judging Others

71 " Do not judge so that you will not be judged . 2 "For in the way you judge , you will be judged ; and by your standard of measure , it will be measured to you. 3 "Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye , but do not notice the log that is in your own eye ? 4 " Or how can you say to your brother , 'Let me take the speck out of your eye ,' and behold , the log is in your own eye ? 5 "You hypocrite , first take the log out of your own eye , and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye . 6 " Do not give what is holy to dogs , and do not throw your pearls before swine , or they will trample them under their feet , and turn and tear you to pieces .

Ask, Seek, Knock

7 " Ask , and it will be given to you; seek , and you will find ; knock , and it will be opened to you. 8 "For everyone who asks receives , and he who seeks finds , and to him who knocks it will be opened . 9 "Or what man is there among you who , when his son asks for a loaf , will give him a stone ? 10 "Or if he asks for a fish , he will not give him a snake , will he? 11 "If you then , being evil , know how to give good gifts to your children , how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!

12 "In everything , therefore , treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets .

The Narrow Gate

13 " Enter through the narrow gate ; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction , and there are many who enter through it. 14 "For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life , and there are few who find it.

A Tree Is Known by Its Fruit

15 "Beware of the false prophets , who come to you in sheep's clothing , but inwardly are ravenous wolves . 16 "You will know them by their fruits . Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles , are they? 17 "So every good tree bears good fruit , but the bad tree bears bad fruit . 18 "A good tree cannot e produce bad fruit , nor can a bad tree produce good fruit . 19 " Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire . 20 "So then , you will know them by their fruits .

I Never Knew You

21 " Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord , Lord ,' will enter the kingdom of heaven , but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 " Many will say to Me on that day , 'Lord , Lord , did we not prophesy in Your name , and in Your name cast out demons , and in Your name perform many miracles ?' 23 "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS .'

The Two Foundations

24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock . 25 "And the rain fell , and the floods came , and the winds blew and slammed against that house ; and yet it did not fall , for it had been founded on the rock . 26 "Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand . 27 "The rain fell , and the floods came , and the winds blew and slammed against that house ; and it fell -and great was its fall ." 28 When Jesus had finished these words , the crowds were amazed at His teaching ; 29 for He was teaching them as one having authority , and not as their scribes .