And God said to Jacob, "Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there, and make an altar to the God who appeared to you when you fled from before Esau your brother." Then Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Get rid of the foreign gods that are in your midst and purify yourselves and change your garments. Then let us make ready and let us go up to Bethel, so that I can make an altar there to the God who answered me in the day of my trouble, and who has been with me on the way that I have gone." So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their hands, and the ornamental rings that were in their ears. And Jacob buried them under the oak which was near Shechem. Then they set out on their journey, and the terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them, so that they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob. And Jacob came to Luz which was in the land of Canaan (that is Bethel), he and all the people that were with him. And he built an altar there and called the place El-Bethel, for there God had appeared to him when he fled before his brother. And Deborah, the nurse of Rebekah, died. And she was buried below Bethel, under the oak. And its name was called Allon-Bacuth. And God appeared to Jacob again when he came from Paddan-Aram, and he blessed him. And God said to him, "Your name is Jacob. Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name." Then his name was called Israel. And God said to him, "I am El-Shaddai. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and an assemblage of nations shall be from you, and kings shall go out from your loins. And as for the land that I gave to Abraham and to Isaac, I will give it to you. And to your descendants after you I will give the land. And God went up from him at the place where he spoke with him. And Jacob set up a pillar at the place where God had spoken with him, a pillar of stone. And he poured out a drink offering upon it, and poured oil on it. And Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.

Then they journeyed from Bethel. And when they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor. And she had hard labor. And when her labor was the most difficult the midwife said to her, "Do not be afraid for you have another son." And it happened that when her life was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-Oni. But his father called him Benjamin. And Rachel died and she was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). And Jacob erected a pillar at her burial site. That is the pillar of the burial site of Rachel unto this day. And Israel journeyed on and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder. And while Israel was living in that land Reuben went and had sexual relations with Bilhah, his father’s concubine. And Israel heard about it.

Now the sons of Jacob were twelve. The sons of Leah: The firstborn of Jacob was Reuben. Then Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. The sons of Bilhah, the female servant of Rachel: Dan and Naphtali. The sons of Zilpah, the female servant of Leah: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-Aram.

And Jacob came to Isaac his father at Mamre, or Kiriath-Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac dwelled as aliens. Now the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years. And Isaac passed away and died, and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

Now these are the descendants of Esau (that is, Edom). Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan: Adah, daughter of Elon, the Hittite, and Oholibamah, daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon, the Hivite, and Basemath, the daughter of Ishmael, the sister of Nebaioth. And Adah bore to Esau Eliphaz; and Basemath bore Reuel; and Oholibamah bore Jeush and Jalam, and Korah. These are the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan. And Esau took his wives and his sons and his daughters, and all the persons of his household, and his sheep and goats, and all his cattle, and all the goods that he had acquired in the land of Canaan, and went to a land away from his brother Jacob. For their possessions were too many to live together, so that the land of their sojourning was not able to support them on account of their livestock. So Esau dwelled in the hill country of Seir (Esau, that is Edom).

Now these are the descendants of Esau, the father of Edom, in the hill country of Seir. These are the names of the sons of Esau: Eliphaz, the son of Adah, the wife of Esau; Reuel, the son of Basemath, the wife of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz. (Now Timnah was the concubine of Eliphaz, the son of Esau. And she bore Amalek to Eliphaz.) These are the sons of Adah, the wife of Esau. Now these are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These are the sons of Basemath, the wife of Esau. Now these are the sons of Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah, daughter of Zibeon, the wife of Esau: She bore to Esau Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the chiefs of the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz, the firstborn of Esau: the chiefs of Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, Korah, Gatam, and Amalek. These are the chiefs of Eliphaz in the land of Edom. These are the sons of Adah. Now these are the sons Reuel, the son of Esau: the chiefs Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These are the chiefs of Reuel in the land of Edom. These are the sons of Basemath, the wife of Esau. Now these are the sons of Oholibamah, the wife of Esau: the chiefs Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the chiefs born of Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah, the wife of Esau. These are the sons of Esau, and these are their chiefs (that is, Edom). These are the sons of Seir, the Horite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These are the chiefs of the Horites, the sons of Seir in the land of Edom. And the sons of Lotan were Hori and Hemam. And Lotan’s sister was Timna. Now these are the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. Now these are the sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah—he is Anah who found the hot springs in the desert while he pastured the donkeys of Zibeon his father. Now these are the sons of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah. Now these are the sons of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Keran. These are the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan. These are the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran. These are the chiefs of the Horites: the chiefs Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These are the chiefs of the Horites, according to their chiefs in the land of Seir.

Now these are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king ruled over the Israelites. Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom. And the name of his city was Dinhabah. And Bela died, and Jobab, the son of Zerah from Bozrah, reigned in his place. And Jobab died, and Husham from the land of the Temanites reigned in his place. And Husham died, and Hadad, son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the field of Moab reigned in his place. And the name of his city was Avith. And Hadad died, and Samlah from Masrekah reigned in his place. And Samlah died, and Shaul from Rehoboth on the Euphrates reigned in his place. And Shaul died, and Baal-Hanan, the son of Acbor, reigned in his place. And Baal-Hanan the son of Acbor died, and Hadar reigned in his place. And the name of his city was Pau, and the name of his wife was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, daughter of Mezahab. Now these are the names of the chiefs of Esau according to their families, according to their dwelling places, by their names: the chiefs Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, Magdiel, and Iram. These are the chiefs of Edom (that is, Esau, the father of Edom) according to their settlements in the land of their possession.

And Jacob settled in the land of the sojourning of his father, in the land of Canaan. These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was shepherding the flock with his brothers. Now he was a helper with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, the wives of his father. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, for he was a son of his old age. And he made a robe with long sleeves for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and were not able to speak peaceably to him.

And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers. And they hated him even more. And he said to them, "Listen now to this dream that I dreamed. Now behold, we were binding sheaves in the midst of the field and, behold, my sheaf stood up and it remained standing. Then behold, your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf." Then his brothers said to him, "Will you really rule over us?" And they hated him even more on account of his dream and because of his words. Then he dreamed yet another dream and told it to his brothers. And he said, "Behold, I dreamed a dream again, and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me." And he told it to his father and to his brothers. And his father rebuked him and said to him, "What is this dream that you have dreamed? Will I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the ground to you?" And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

Now his brothers went to pasture the flock of their father in Shechem. And Israel said to Joseph, "Are not your brothers pasturing in Shechem? Come, let me send you to them." And he said, "Here I am." Then he said to him, "Go now, see if it goes well for your brothers and for the flock, then return word to me." And he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he arrived at Shechem. And a man found him, and behold, he was wandering about in a field. And the man asked him, "What do you seek?" And he said, "I am seeking my brothers. Tell me, please, where they are pasturing." And the man said, "They have moved on from here, for I heard them saying, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’" Then Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan. And they saw him from a distance. And before he drew near to them, they conspired against him to kill him. And each said to his brothers, "Look, this master of dreams is coming. Now then, come, let us kill him and throw him in one of the pits. Then we will say a wild animal devoured him. Then we will see what his dreams become." And Reuben heard it and delivered him from their hand and said, "We must not take his life." And Reuben said to them, "You must not shed blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the desert, but do not lay a hand on him"—so that he might rescue him from their hand to return him to his father. And it happened that as Joseph came to his brothers they stripped Joseph of his robe, the robe with long sleeves, that was upon him. And they took him and threw him into the pit (the pit was empty; there was no water in it). Then they sat down to eat some food. And they lifted up their eyes and looked, and behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead. And their camels were carrying aromatic gum and balm and spices on the way to Egypt. Then Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, but our hand shall not be against him, for he is our brother, our own flesh." And his brothers agreed. Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and brought him up from the pit, and they sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they brought Joseph to Egypt. Then Reuben returned to the pit and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit. And he tore his clothes. And he returned to his brothers and said, "The boy is gone! Now I, what can I do?" Then they took the robe of Joseph and slaughtered a goat, and dipped the robe in the blood. Then they sent the robe with long sleeves and they brought it to their father and said, "We found this; please examine it. Is it the robe of your son or not?" And he recognized it and said, "The robe of my son! A wild animal has devoured him! Joseph is surely torn to pieces!" And Jacob tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. And all his sons and daughters tried to console him, but he refused to be consoled. And he said, "No, I shall go down to my son, to Sheol, mourning." And his father wept for him. And the Midianites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, a court official of Pharaoh, a commander of the imperial guard.

For the music director; on the Sheminith. A psalm of David.

Now after two days it was the Passover and the feast of Unleavened Bread, and the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how, after arresting him by stealth, they could kill him. For they said, "Not at the feast, lest there be an uproar by the people."

And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining for a meal, a woman came holding an alabaster flask of very costly perfumed oil of genuine nard. After breaking the alabaster flask, she poured it out on his head. But some were expressing indignation to one another: "Why has there been this waste of perfumed oil? For this perfumed oil could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor!" And they began to scold her. But Jesus said, "Leave her alone. Why do you cause trouble for her? She has done a good deed to me. For the poor you always have with you, and you can do good for them whenever you want, but you do not always have me. She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. And truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.

And Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. And when they heard this, they were delighted, and promised to give him money. And he began seeking how he could betray him conveniently.

And on the first day of the feast of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, "Where do you want us to go and prepare, so that you can eat the Passover?" And he sent two of his disciples and said to them, "Go into the city and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him, and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, "Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?"’ And he will show you a large upstairs room furnished and ready, and prepare for us there." And the disciples went out and came into the city and found everything just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

And when it was evening, he arrived with the twelve. And while they were reclining at table and eating, Jesus said, "Truly I say to you, that one of you who is eating with me will betray me." They began to be distressed and to say to him one by one, "Surely not I?" But he said to them, "It is one of the twelve—the one who is dipping bread into the bowl with me. For the Son of Man is going just as it is written about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for him if that man had not been born."

And while they were eating, he took bread and, after giving thanks, he broke it and gave it to them and said, "Take it, this is my body." And after taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And he said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many. Truly I say to you that I will never drink of the fruit of the vine any longer until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God." And after they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

And Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away, because it is written,

But after I am raised, I will go ahead of you into Galilee." But Peter said to him, "Even if they all fall away, certainly I will not!" And Jesus said to him, "Truly I say to you that today—this night—before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times!" But he kept saying emphatically, "If it is necessary for me to die with you, I will never deny you!" And they all were saying the same thing also.

And they came to a place named Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." And he took along Peter and James and John with him, and he began to be distressed and troubled. And he said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake." And going forward a little he fell to the ground and began to pray that, if it were possible, the hour would pass from him. And he said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for you! Take away this cup from me! Yet not what I will, but what you will." And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, "Simon, are you sleeping? Were you not able to stay awake one hour? Stay awake and pray that you will not enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak!" And again he went away and prayed, saying the same thing. And again he came and found them sleeping, for they could not keep their eyes open, and they did not know what to reply to him. And he came the third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough! The hour has come. Behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us go! Behold, the one who is betraying me is approaching!"

And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas—one of the twelve—arrived, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. Now the one who was betraying him had given them a sign, saying, "The one whom I kiss—he is the one. Arrest him and lead him away under guard!" And when he arrived, he came up to him immediately and said, "Rabbi," and kissed him. So they laid hands on him and arrested him.

But a certain one of the bystanders, drawing his sword, struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear. And Jesus answered and said to them, "Have you come out with swords and clubs, as against a robber, to arrest me? Every day I was with you in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me! But this has happened in order that the scriptures would be fulfilled. And they all abandoned him and fled.

And a certain young man was following him, clothed only in a linen cloth on his naked body. And they attempted to seize him, but he left behind the linen cloth and fled naked.

And they led Jesus away to the high priest, and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes came together. And Peter followed him from a distance, right inside, into the courtyard of the high priest. And he was sitting with the officers and warming himself by the fire. Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for testimony against Jesus in order to put him to death, and they did not find it. For many gave false testimony against him, and their testimony was not consistent. And some stood up and began to give false testimony against him, saying, "We heard him saying, ‘I will destroy this temple made by hands, and within three days I will build another not made by hands." And their testimony was not even consistent about this. And the high priest stood up in the midst of them and asked Jesus, saying, "Do you not reply anything? What are these people testifying against you?" But he was silent and did not reply anything. Again the high priest asked him and said to him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" And Jesus said, "I am, and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven." And the high priest tore his clothes and said, "What further need do we have of witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think?" And they all condemned him as deserving death. And some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to strike him with their fists, and to say to him "Prophesy!" And the officers received him with slaps in the face.

And while Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the female slaves of the high priest came up And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked intently at him and said, "You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus." But he denied it, saying, "I neither know nor understand what you mean!" And he went out into the gateway, and a rooster crowed. And the female slave, when she saw him, began to say again to the bystanders, "This man is one of them!" But he denied it again. And after a little while, again the bystanders began to say to Peter, "You really are one of them, because you also are a Galilean, and your accent shows it!" And he began to curse and to swear with an oath, "I do not know this man whom you are talking about!" And immediately a rooster crowed for the second time. And Peter remembered the statement, how Jesus had said to him, "Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times," and throwing himself down, he began to weep.