Shabbat, 12 Kislev 5994 / November 25, 2023
Day 329 Readings
PARASHA VAYETZEI (And He Left)
Torah: Vayeitzei, 7th Portion Bereshit (Genesis) 31:43-32:3
Genesis 31
The Covenant of Mizpah
43 Then Laban replied to Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, the [a]children are my [b]grandchildren, the flocks are my flocks, and everything that you see is mine. But what can I do this day to these daughters of mine or to their children to whom they have given birth? 44 So now come, let’s make a covenant, [c]you and I, and it shall be a witness between [d]you and me.” 45 Then Jacob took a stone and set it up as a memorial stone. 46 Jacob said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” So they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there by the heap. 47 Now Laban called it [e]Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob called it [f]Galeed. 48 Laban said, “This heap is a witness between [g]you and me this day.” Therefore it was named Galeed, 49 and [h]Mizpah, for he said, “May the Lord keep watch between [i]you and me when we are [j]absent one from the other. 50 If you mistreat my daughters, or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no one is with us, see, God is witness between [k]you and me.” 51 Laban also said to Jacob, “Behold this heap and behold the memorial stone which I have set between [l]you and me. 52 This heap is a witness, and the memorial stone is a witness, that I will not pass by this heap to you for harm, and you will not pass by this heap and this memorial stone to me, for harm. 53 The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” So Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac. 54 Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his relatives to [m]the meal; and they ate [n]the meal and spent the night on the mountain. 55 [o]Then early in the morning Laban got up, and kissed his [p]grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned to his place.
Genesis 32
Jacob’s Fear of Esau
1 Now as Jacob went on his way, the angels of God met him. 2 And when he saw them, Jacob said, “This is God’s [q]camp.” So he named that place [r]Mahanaim.
3 Then Jacob sent messengers ahead of himself to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the [s]country of Edom.
Haftarah Vayetze: Hoshea (Hosea) 12:13(12)–14:10(9) (A); 11:7–12:12(11) (S)
Hosea 12
New American Standard Bible
12 Now Jacob fled to the [a]land of Aram,And Israel worked for a wife,And for a wife he kept sheep.13 But by a prophet the Lord brought Israel up from Egypt,And by a prophet he was protected.14 Ephraim has provoked God to bitter anger;So his Lord will leave his guilt for bloodshed on himAnd bring his disgrace back to him.
Hosea 13
Ephraim’s Idolatry
1 When Ephraim [b]spoke, there was trembling.He exalted himself in Israel,But through Baal he incurred guilt and died.2 And now they sin more and more,And make for themselves cast metal images,Idols [c]skillfully made from their silver,All of them the work of craftsmen.They say of them, “Let the [d]people who sacrifice kiss the calves!”3 Therefore they will be like the morning cloudAnd like dew which [e]soon disappears,Like chaff which is blown away from the threshing floor,And like smoke from a chimney.
4 Yet I have been the Lord your God Since the land of Egypt;And you were not to know any god except Me,For there is no savior besides Me. 5 I [f]cared for you in the wilderness,In the land of drought. 6 As they had their pasture, they became satisfied,And as they became satisfied, their heart became proud;Therefore they forgot Me. 7 So I will be like a lion to them;Like a leopard I will [g]lie in wait by the wayside. 8 I will confront them like a bear deprived of her cubs,And I will tear open [h]their chests;I will also devour them there like a lioness,As a wild animal would tear them to pieces.
9 [i]It is to your own destruction, Israel,That you are against Me, against your help. 10 Where then is your king, That he might save you in all your cities;And your judges, to whom you said,“Give me a king and princes”? 11 I gave you a king in My anger,And took him away in My wrath.
12 The guilt of Ephraim is wrapped up;His sin is stored up. 13 The pains of childbirth come on him;He is not a wise son,For [j]it is not the time that he should delay at the opening of the womb. 14 Shall I ransom them from the [k]power of Sheol? Shall I redeem them from death? Death, where are your [l]thorns?Sheol, where is your sting?Compassion will be hidden from My sight.
15 Though he flourishes among the [m]reeds,An east wind will come,The wind of the Lord coming up from the wilderness;And his fountain will become dryAnd his spring will dry up;It will plunder his treasury of every precious article.16 [n]Samaria will pay the penalty for her guilt,Because she has rebelled against her God.They will fall by the sword,Their children will be [o]slaughtered,And their pregnant women will be ripped open.
Israel’s Future Blessing
Hosea 14
1 [p]Return, Israel, to the Lord your God,For you have stumbled [q]because of your wrongdoing.2 Take words with you and return to the Lord.Say to Him, “Take away all guiltAnd [r]receive us graciously,So that we may present [s]the fruit of our lips.3 Assyria will not save us,We will not ride on horses;Nor will we say again, ‘Our god’To the work of our hands;For in You the [t]orphan finds mercy.”
4 I will heal their apostasy,I will love them freely,Because My anger has turned away from them.5 I will be like the dew to Israel;He will blossom like the lily,And he will [u]take root like the cedars of Lebanon.6 His shoots will [v]sprout,His [w]majesty will be like the olive tree,And his fragrance like the cedars of Lebanon.7 Those who live in his shadowWill [x]again raise grain,And they will blossom like the vine.His fame will be like the wine of Lebanon.
8 Ephraim, what more have I to do with idols?It is I who answer and look after [y]you.I am like a luxuriant juniper;From Me [z]comes your fruit.
9 Whoever is wise, let him understand these things;Whoever is discerning, let him know them.For the ways of the Lord are right,And the righteous will walk in them,But wrongdoers will stumble in them.
B’rit Hadashah suggested reading for Parashah Vayetze: Yochanan (John) 1:43–51; John 4:1–26
John 1
43 The next day, having decided to leave for the Galil, Yeshua found Philip and said, “Follow me!” 44 Philip was from Beit-Tzaidah, the town where Andrew and Kefa lived. 45 Philip found Natan’el and told him, “We’ve found the one that Moshe wrote about in the Torah, also the Prophets — it’s Yeshua Ben-Yosef from Natzeret!” 46 Natan’el answered him, “Natzeret? Can anything good come from there?” “Come and see,” Philip said to him. 47 Yeshua saw Natan’el coming toward him and remarked about him, “Here’s a true son of Isra’el — nothing false in him!” 48 Natan’el said to him, “How do you know me?” Yeshua answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Natan’el said, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Isra’el!” 50 Yeshua answered him, “you believe all this just because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than that!” 51 Then he said to him, “Yes indeed! I tell you that you will see heaven opened and the angels of God going up and coming down[a] on the Son of Man!”
John 4
The Woman of Samaria
7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had gone away to the city to buy food. 9 So the Samaritan woman said to Him, “How is it that You, though You are a Jew, are asking me for a drink, though I am a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus replied to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who is saying to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” 11 She said to Him, “[c]Sir, You have no bucket and the well is deep; where then do You get this living water? 12 You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well and drank of it himself, and his sons and his cattle?” 13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again; 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never be thirsty; but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life.”
15 The woman said to Him, “[d]Sir, give me this water so that I will not be thirsty, nor come all the way here to draw water.” 16 He said to her, “Go, call your husband and come here.” 17 The woman answered and said to Him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have correctly said, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this which you have said is true.” 19 The woman said to Him, “[e]Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and yet you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one must worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Believe Me, woman, that [f]a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, because salvation is from the Jews. 23 But [g]a time is coming, and [h]even now has arrived, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be [i]His worshipers. 24 God is [j]spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.” 26 Jesus *said to her, “I am He, the One speaking to you.”
Bible Study Together
Psalm 59
New American Standard Bible
Prayer for Rescue from Enemies.
For the music director; set to [a]Al-tashheth. A [b]Mikhtam of David, [c]when Saul sent men and they watched the house in order to kill him.
59 Rescue me from my enemies, my God;[d]Set me securely on high away from those who rise up against me.2 Rescue me from those who practice injustice,And save me from men of bloodshed.3 For behold, they have [e]set an ambush for my [f]life;[g]Fierce men attack me,Not for my wrongdoing nor for my sin, Lord,4 [h]For no guilt of mine, they run and take their stand against me.Stir Yourself to [i]help me, and see!5 You, Lord God of armies, the God of Israel,Awake to [j]punish all the nations;Do not be gracious to any who deal treacherously in wrongdoing. Selah6 They return at evening, they howl like a dog,And prowl around the city.7 Behold, they gush forth with their mouths;Swords are in their lips,For, they say, “Who hears?”8 But You, Lord, laugh at them;You scoff at all the nations.
9 Because of [k]his strength I will watch for You,For God is my refuge.10 [l]My God in His faithfulness will meet me;God will let me look triumphantly upon my enemies.11 Do not kill them, or my people will forget;[m]Scatter them by Your power and bring them down,Lord, our shield.12 [n]On account of the sin of their mouths and the words of their lips,May they even be caught in their pride,And on account of curses and lies which they tell.13 [o]Destroy them in wrath, [p]destroy them so that they will no longer exist;So that people may know that God [q]rules in Jacob,To the ends of the earth. Selah14 They return at evening, they howl like a dog,And prowl around the city.15 They wander about [r]for foodAnd [s]murmur if they are not satisfied.
16 But as for me, I will sing of Your strength;Yes, I will joyfully sing of Your faithfulness in the morning,For You have been my refugeAnd a place of refuge on the day of my distress.17 My strength, I will sing praises to You;For God is my refuge, the [t]God who shows me favor.
1 Samuel 20:1-23
17 And Jonathan made David vow again because of his love for him, because he loved him as he loved his own life.
1 Timothy 6:11-21
New American Standard Bible
11 But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, [a]perseverance, and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 I direct you in the presence of God, who [b]gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you keep the commandment without [c]fault or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which He will [d]bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of [e]kings and Lord of [f]lords, 16 who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom [g]no one has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.
17 Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. 18 Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good [h]works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.
20 Timothy, protect what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly, empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge”— 21 which some have professed and thereby have gone astray [i]from the faith. Grace be with you.
365 Daily Kingdom Living
God’s Love Comforts You
We are living in a very complicated and corrupt world. We all are imperfect. We will sometimes get hurt by people. The best way of healing your hurt is to go to God who created you and knows you well. His love will comfort and heal you, His provision will satisfy you, and His promises will deliver you from temptation.
Prayer: Father Lord, thank you for your unconditional love and mercy so that we may live. Thank you for always accepting me when I need You and come to you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Scripture
Daniel 1
Daniel 2
1 Peter 4
New American Standard Bible
Keep Fervent in Your Love
1 Therefore, since Christ has [a]suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because the one who has [b]suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human lusts, but for the will of God. 3 For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, [c]having pursued a course of indecent behavior, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties, and wanton idolatries. 4 In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them in the same excesses of [d]debauchery, and they slander you; 5 but they will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For the gospel has for this purpose been [e]preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as people, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God.
7 The end of all things [f]is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of [g]prayer. 8 Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Be hospitable to one another without complaint. 10 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the [h]multifaceted grace of God. 11 Whoever speaks is to do so as one who is speaking actual words of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving [i]by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and [j]dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Share the Sufferings of Christ
12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though something strange were happening to you; 13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that at the revelation of His glory you may also rejoice and be overjoyed. 14 If you are insulted [k]for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory, and of God, rests upon you. 15 Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a [l]troublesome meddler; 16 but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin [m]with the household of God; and if it begins [n]with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, [o]what will become of the godless man and the sinner? 19 Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God are to entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.
Psalms 119:65-80
Teth
65 You have treated Your servant well,Lord, according to Your word. 66 Teach me good [a]discernment and knowledge,For I believe in Your commandments. 67 Before I was afflicted I went astray,But now I keep Your word. 68 You are good and You do good; Teach me Your statutes. 69 The arrogant [b]have forged a lie against me;With all my heart I will comply with Your precepts. 70 Their heart is insensitive, like fat,But I delight in Your Law. 71 It is good for me that I was afflicted,So that I may learn Your statutes. 72 The Law of Your mouth is better to me Than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
Yodh
73 Your hands made me and [c]fashioned me; Give me understanding, so that I may learn Your commandments. 74 May those who [d]fear You see me and be glad,Because I [e]wait for Your word. 75 I know, Lord, that Your judgments are righteous,And that You have afflicted me in faithfulness. 76 May Your favor [f]comfort me,According to Your [g]word to Your servant. 77 May Your compassion come to me so that I may live,For Your Law is my delight. 78 May the arrogant be put to shame, because they lead me astray with a lie;But I shall meditate on Your precepts. 79 May those who [h]fear You turn to me, And those who know Your testimonies. 80 May my heart be [i]blameless in Your statutes,So that I will not be ashamed.
Proverbs 28:12-13
12 When the righteous triumph, there is great glory, But when the wicked rise, people [a]hide themselves.
13 One who conceals his wrongdoings will not prosper, But one who confesses and abandons them will find compassion.