Isaac Blesses Jacob

1 When Isaac was old and ^zhis eyes were dim so that he could not see, he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son”; and he answered, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Behold, I am old; I do not know the day of my death. 3 ^aNow then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me, 4 and prepare for me delicious food, such as I love, and bring it to me so that I may eat, that my soul ^bmay bless you before I die.”

5 Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game and bring it, 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “I heard your father speak to your brother Esau, 7 ‘Bring me game and prepare for me delicious food, that I may eat it and bless you before the Lord before I die.’ 8 Now therefore, my son, ^cobey my voice as I command you. 9 Go to the flock and bring me two good young goats, so that I may prepare from them delicious food for your father, such as he loves. 10 And you shall bring it to your father to eat, ^dso that he may bless you before he dies.” 11 But Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Behold, ^emy brother Esau is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. 12 Perhaps my father ^fwill feel me, and I shall seem to be mocking him and bring ^ga curse upon myself and not a blessing.” 13 His mother said to him, ^h“Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, bring them to me.”

14 So he went and took them and brought them to his mother, and his mother prepared delicious food, such as his father loved. 15 Then Rebekah took the ⁱbest garments of Esau her older son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. 16 And the skins of the young goats she put on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. 17 And she put the delicious food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

18 So he went in to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” 19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me; now sit up and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.” 20 But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” He answered, “Because the Lord your God granted me success.” 21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I ^jmay feel you, my son, to know whether you are really my son Esau or not.” 22 So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, who felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23 And he did not recognize him, because ^khis hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands. ^lSo he blessed him. 24 He said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He answered, “I am.” 25 Then he said, “Bring it near to me, ^mthat I may eat of my son’s game and bless you.” So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank.

26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near and kiss me, my son.” 27 So he came near and kissed him. And Isaac smelled the smell of his garments ^land blessed him and said,

30 As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, when Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, Esau his brother came in from his hunting. 31 He also prepared delicious food and brought it to his father. And he said to his father, “Let my father arise and eat of his son’s game, that you may bless me.” 32 His father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?” He answered, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.” 33 Then Isaac trembled very violently and said, “Who was it then that hunted game and brought it to me, and I ate it all before you came, and I have blessed him? Yes, and he shall be blessed.” 34 As soon as Esau heard the words of his father, ^the cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me, even me also, O my father!” 35 But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully, and he has taken away your blessing.” 36 Esau said, ^u“Is he not rightly named Jacob?¹ For he has cheated me these two times. ^vHe took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” Then he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” 37 Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Behold, ^wI have made him lord over you, and all his brothers I have given to him for servants, and ^xwith grain and wine I have sustained him. What then can I do for you, my son?” 38 Esau said to his father, “Have you but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father.” And ^tEsau lifted up his voice and wept.

39 Then Isaac his father answered and said to him:

41 Now Esau ^bhated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him, and Esau said to himself, ^c“The days of mourning for my father are approaching; ^dthen I will kill my brother Jacob.” 42 But the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So 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 and stay with him a while, until your brother’s fury turns away— 45 until your brother’s anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send and bring you from there. Why should I be bereft of you both in one day?”

46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, ^e“I loathe my life because of the Hittite women.^{4 f}If Jacob marries one of the Hittite women like these, one of the women of the land, what good will my life be to me?”

The Plot to Kill Jesus

1 When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, 2 ^m“You know that after two days ⁿthe Passover is coming, and ^othe Son of Man ^pwill be delivered up to be crucified.”

3 ^qThen the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in ^rthe palace of the high priest, whose name was ^sCaiaphas, 4 ^tand plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. 5 But they said, “Not during the feast, ^ulest there be an uproar among the people.”

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

6 ^vNow when Jesus was at ^wBethany in the house of Simon the leper,¹ 7 a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. 8 And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this could have been sold for a large sum and ^xgiven to the poor.” 10 But ^yJesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 For ^zyou always have the poor with you, but ^ayou will not always have me. 12 In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it ^bto prepare me for burial. 13 Truly, I say to you, wherever ^cthis gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told ^din memory of her.”

Judas to Betray Jesus

14 ^eThen one of the twelve, whose name was ^fJudas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they ^gpaid him ^hthirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that moment he sought an opportunity ⁱto betray him.

The Passover with the Disciples

17 ^jNow on ^kthe first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 18 He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ^l‘The Teacher says, ^mMy time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.

20 ⁿWhen it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve.² 21 And as they were eating, ^ohe said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” 23 He answered, ^p“He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man goes ^qas it is written of him, but ^rwoe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! ^sIt would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” 25 Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, ^tRabbi?” He said to him, ^u“You have said so.”

Institution of the Lord’s Supper

26 ^vNow as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and ^wafter blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; ^xthis is my body.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he ^yhad given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for ^xthis is my ^zblood of the³ covenant, which is poured out for ^amany ^bfor the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you ^cin my Father’s kingdom.”

Jesus Foretells Peter’s Denial

30 ^dAnd when they had sung a hymn, ^ethey went out to ^fthe Mount of Olives. 31 Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will ^gstrike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32 But after I am raised up, ^hI will go before you to Galilee.” 33 ⁱPeter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” 34 ^jJesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, ^kbefore the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” 35 ^lPeter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same.

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

36 ^mThen Jesus went with them ^eto a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” 37 And taking with him ⁿPeter and ^othe two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, ^p“My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and ^qwatch⁴ with me.” 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face ^rand prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let ^sthis cup pass from me; ^tnevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” 40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 ^qWatch and ^upray that you ^vmay not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, ^wyour will be done.” 43 And again he came and found them sleeping, for ^xtheir eyes were heavy. 44 So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for ^ythe third time, saying the same words again. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on.⁵ See, ^zthe hour is at hand, and ^athe Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”

Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

47 ^bWhile he was still speaking, ^cJudas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” 49 And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, ^dRabbi!” And he kissed him. 50 Jesus said to him, ^e“Friend, ^fdo what you came to do.”⁶ Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. 51 And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his ^gsword and struck the servant⁷ of the high priest and cut off his ear. 52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For ^hall who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 ⁱDo you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me ^jmore than twelve ^klegions of angels? 54 ^lBut how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” 55 At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day ^mI sat in the temple ⁿteaching, and you did not seize me. 56 But ^lall this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” ^oThen all the disciples left him and fled.

Jesus Before Caiaphas and the Council

57 ^pThen ^qthose who had seized Jesus led him to ^rCaiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. 58 And ^sPeter was following him at a distance, as far as ^rthe courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with ^tthe guards to see the end. 59 Now the chief priests and the whole council^{8 u}were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, 60 but they found none, ^vthough many false witnesses came forward. At last ^wtwo came forward 61 and said, “This man said, ^x‘I am able to ^ydestroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’” 62 And the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?”⁹ 63 ^zBut Jesus remained silent. ^aAnd the high priest said to him, ^b“I adjure you by ^cthe living God, ^dtell us if you are ^ethe Christ, ^fthe Son of God.” 64 Jesus said to him, ^g“You have said so. But I tell you, from now on ^hyou will see the Son of Man ⁱseated at the right hand of Power and ^hcoming on the clouds of heaven.” 65 Then the high priest ^jtore his robes and said, ^k“He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. 66 What is your judgment?” They answered, ^l“He deserves death.” 67 Then ^mthey spit in his face ⁿand ^ostruck him. And some slapped him, 68 saying, “Prophesy to us, you ^pChrist! Who is it that struck you?”

Peter Denies Jesus

69 ^qNow Peter was sitting outside ^rin the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.” 71 And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus ^sof Nazareth.” 72 And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.” 73 After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for ^tyour accent betrays you.” 74 Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. 75 And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, ^u“Before the rooster crows, you will ^vdeny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

Haman Plots Against the Jews

1 After these things King Ahasuerus ^qpromoted Haman ^rthe Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, ^sand advanced him and set his throne above all the officials who were with him. 2 And all the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, for the king had so commanded concerning him. ^tBut Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage. 3 Then the king’s servants who were ^uat the king’s gate said to Mordecai, “Why do you transgress ^vthe king’s command?” 4 And when they spoke to him day after day and he would not listen to them, they told Haman, in order to see whether Mordecai’s words would stand, for he had told them that he was a Jew. 5 And when Haman saw that ^tMordecai did not bow down or pay homage to him, Haman was ^wfilled with fury. 6 But he disdained¹ to lay hands on Mordecai alone. So, as they had made known to him the people of Mordecai, Haman sought to destroy² all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.

7 In the first month, which is the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, ^xthey cast Pur (that is, they cast lots) before Haman day after day; and they cast it month after month till the twelfth month, which is ^ythe month of Adar. 8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom. ^zTheir laws are different from those of every other people, and they do not keep the king’s laws, so that it is not to the king’s profit to tolerate them. 9 If it please the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed, and I will pay 10,000 talents³ of silver into the hands of those who have charge of the king’s business, that they may put it into the king’s treasuries.” 10 ^aSo the king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman ^bthe Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, ^cthe enemy of the Jews. 11 And the king said to Haman, “The money is given to you, the people also, to do with them as it seems good to you.”

12 ^dThen the king’s scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and an edict, according to all that Haman commanded, was written to the king’s ^esatraps and to the governors over all the provinces and to the officials of all the peoples, ^fto every province in its own script and every people in its own language. It was written ^gin the name of King Ahasuerus ^hand sealed with the king’s signet ring. 13 Letters were sent ⁱby couriers to all the king’s provinces with instruction ^jto destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children, ^kin one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, ^land to plunder their goods. 14 ^mA copy of the document was to be issued as a decree in every province by proclamation to all the peoples to be ready for that day. 15 ⁱThe couriers went out hurriedly by order of the king, and the decree was issued in Susa the citadel. And the king and Haman sat down to drink, ⁿbut the city of Susa was thrown into confusion.