The Daily Audio Bible

¹⁷ So Jacob put his children and wives on his camels. ¹⁸ He put together all his animals and everything that he had received in Paddan Aram. He took them with him to go to the land of Canaan. He left to go back to his father Isaac. ¹⁹ Before they left, Laban had gone to cut the wool from his sheep. While he was away from the house, Rachel took the idols that Laban worshipped in his house.^[a]

²⁰ Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean. He did not tell Laban that he was going away. ²¹ Jacob went away quickly and he took all his things. He went across the Euphrates river. He went towards the hill country of Gilead.

²² After three days, someone told Laban that Jacob had gone away. ²³ So Laban took his relatives with him and he followed Jacob. After seven days, he found him in the hill country of Gilead. ²⁴ Then God appeared to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night. God warned him, ‘Be careful what you say to Jacob. Do not say anything good or bad to him.’

²⁵ Jacob had put up his tent in the hill country of Gilead. That is where Laban found him. So Laban and his relatives also put up their tents in that place. ²⁶ Laban said to Jacob, ‘Why did you do that? You have deceived me. You have taken my daughters away as if you had caught them in a war. ²⁷ Why did you go away secretly? Yes, you have deceived me. You should have told me that you were leaving. Then I would have prepared a big meal. We would have been happy together, with songs and music. ²⁸ But you did not even let me say “goodbye” to my daughters or my grandchildren. What you have done is not right. ²⁹ I have the power to hurt you. But last night the God of your father appeared to me. He told me, “Be careful what you say to Jacob. Do not say anything good or bad against him.” ³⁰ I know that you want very much to return to your father's house. That is why you have left my home. But why did you take my idols?’

³¹ Jacob replied, ‘I left secretly because I was afraid. I thought that you might fight me to take your daughters away from me. ³² But if you find your idols with anyone here, that person must die. While our relatives watch, you may look for anything that belongs to you. If you find anything then take it.’

Jacob did not know that Rachel had taken her father's idols.

³³ So Laban went into Jacob's tent. Then he went into Leah's tent. He also went into the female servants' tent. But he did not find the idols. When he left Leah's tent, he went into Rachel's tent. ³⁴ Rachel had taken the idols and she had put them inside her camel's seat. Now she was sitting on them. Laban looked everywhere in Rachel's tent but he did not find the idols. ³⁵ Rachel said to him, ‘Do not be angry with me, sir. I cannot stand up in front of you. It is the time of my monthly blood loss.’^[b] So Laban looked everywhere for the idols, but he did not find them.

³⁶ Then Jacob became angry and he quarrelled with Laban. He asked Laban, ‘What have I done wrong? What sin have I done against you so that you had to catch me? ³⁷ Now you have looked through everything that I have. Did you find anything that belongs to you? If you have found anything, put it here. Then your relatives and my relatives can see it. Our relatives can decide which of us is right, you or me!’

³⁸ Jacob continued to say to Laban, ‘I have worked for you for 20 years. Your female sheep and goats have all safely given birth to young ones. I have not taken any of your male animals as food for myself. ³⁹ If wild animals attacked your sheep or goats, I did not show them to you. I myself paid you for them. If any animal was lost, in the day or at night, you said that I must pay you for it. ⁴⁰ This is what it was like to work for you: I worked in the strong heat of the sun in the day. I had pain from the cold at night. I could not always sleep. ⁴¹ It was like this for 20 years as I worked like a slave for you. I worked for 14 years to pay you for your two daughters. Then I worked for six years for your sheep and goats. You changed what you paid me at least ten times! ⁴² The God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac was with me.^[c] If he had not helped me, then you would have sent me away with nothing. But God has seen what you have done to hurt me. He has seen how hard I have worked for you. So last night he told you that you had done wrong.’

⁴³ Laban replied to Jacob, ‘These women are my daughters. Their children are my grandchildren. The animals are my animals. Everything that you have with you here belongs to me. But there is nothing that I can do today about my daughters or about their children. ⁴⁴ So we should be friends. Let us make an agreement together. It will show that we have agreed to be friends.’

⁴⁵ So Jacob took a large stone and made it stand up in the ground. ⁴⁶ He said to his relatives, ‘Go and get some stones.’ So they brought some stones and they put them together on the ground. Then they all ate a meal together, near the heap of stones.^[d]

⁴⁷ Laban called that place Jegar Sahadutha. Jacob called it Galeed.^[e]

⁴⁸ Laban said, ‘These stones show that we have made an agreement today.’ That is why the place was called Galeed. ⁴⁹ The place was also called Mizpah. That was because Laban said, ‘May the Lord watch you and me when we are away from each other. ⁵⁰ Remember that God is watching you. If you do wrong to my daughters, God will see it. And if you marry any other women, remember this. God is watching you. Even if no one else sees you, God will know.’

⁵¹ Laban also said, ‘I have put this special stone here, and the heap of stones near it. They stand there between your land and my land. ⁵² I will not go past the stones to your side to hurt you. And you must not go past them to my side to hurt me. ⁵³ Let the God of Abraham, Nahor, and their ancestors decide if one of us is guilty.’

So Jacob made a promise in the name of the God that his father Isaac worshipped. ⁵⁴ He offered a sacrifice to God there in the hill country. He asked his relatives to eat a meal with him. After they had eaten, they stayed the night there.

⁵⁵ Early the next morning, Laban got up to return home. He kissed his grandchildren and his daughters. He said ‘goodbye’ and he blessed them. Then he left and he went back to his home.

Jacob's journey home

32 Jacob continued on his journey to his father's house. On his way the angels of God met him.^{[f] 2} When Jacob saw them, he said, ‘This is where God's army has put up their tents!’ So he called that place Mahanaim.

³ Jacob sent men with a message to his brother Esau. Esau was living in the land of Seir, also called Edom. ⁴ Jacob told his men, ‘This is what you must say to my master Esau: Your servant Jacob says, “I have been staying with Laban until now. ⁵ I have cows, donkeys, sheep and goats. I have male and female servants. Now I am sending this message to my lord so that you will be happy with me.” ’

⁶ When the men returned, they said to Jacob, ‘We went to your brother Esau. Now he is coming to meet you and he has 400 men with him.’ ⁷ Jacob was very frightened and upset when he heard this. So he separated his people into two groups. He also separated his animals. ⁸ He thought, ‘If Esau attacks one group, the other group may run away safely.’

⁹ Then Jacob prayed, ‘God of my grandfather Abraham and my father Isaac, Lord, you said to me, “Go back to your country and to your relatives. I will do good things for you there.” ¹⁰ You have always loved me. You have continued to be kind to me. I do not deserve this. When I crossed the Jordan River to go to Haran, I only had my stick. But now I can make two big groups of people and animals. ¹¹ I pray that you will save me from the power of my brother Esau. I am afraid that he will come and attack me. He may also attack my family. ¹² But you have said, “I will give you many good things. I will give you so many descendants that nobody will be able to count them. They will be as many as the pieces of sand on the shore of the sea.” ’^[g]

²⁴ A student is not more important than his teacher is. A servant is not more important than his master is. ²⁵ A student should be happy if he becomes like his teacher. A servant should be happy if he becomes like his master. People have called me, the master of the house, Beelzebul. You are like those people who live in my house. So do not be surprised when people call you even worse names than they call me.

²⁶ So do not be afraid of these people. They hide the things that they do. But there will be a time when other people will see those things. Everyone will know all their secrets. ²⁷ I tell you things secretly, like people do in the dark. But you must tell people these things clearly in the light of day. I have said things very quietly into your ears. But now you must shout those things loudly from the tops of the houses.^[a]

²⁸ Do not be afraid of those people who can kill only your body. These people cannot kill your soul. No, it is God that you should be afraid of. He can kill your body, and then he can also destroy your soul in hell. ²⁹ Think about this. People sell two birds for just one small coin. But God takes care of these little birds. Not one of them can fall to the ground unless God lets it happen. ³⁰ God even knows how many hairs there are on your head. ³¹ So do not be afraid of those people who are against you. You are more valuable to God than many little birds.

³² You should say clearly to other people, “I believe in Jesus.” If you do that, I will say to my Father in heaven, “This is someone who is my disciple.” ³³ But if you say to other people, “I do not believe in Jesus,” I will then say to my Father in heaven, “I do not know that person. He is not one of my disciples.”

³⁴ I will tell you why I have come into the world. I did not come so that everyone would agree with each other. No, I came to put people against one another, to fight against each other.^[b]

³⁷ Nobody should love his own father and mother more than he loves me. If he does, he cannot be my disciple. Nobody should love his own son or daughter more than he loves me. If he does, then he cannot be my disciple. ³⁸ If you really want to be one of my disciples, you must be ready to die for me. Live like a person who carries his own cross to go and die. ³⁹ Whoever wants to keep his life safe will lose it. But whoever gives his life to serve me will have true life.’

Jesus teaches about God's gifts

⁴⁰ Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone accepts you in his home, then he is also accepting me. And anyone who accepts me, also accepts my Father God, who sent me. ⁴¹ Somebody may accept a prophet into his home because the visitor is a prophet of God. God will bless that person like he blesses a prophet. Or he may accept a good man who obeys God, because the man is good. God will bless that person like he blesses the good man. ⁴² People may think that my disciples are unimportant. But God will bless anyone who gives even a drink of cold water to one of them. I tell you, that person will never lose God's help.’

Jesus talks about John the Baptist

11 Jesus taught all these things to his 12 disciples. After he had finished, he went away from that place. He went to the towns near there to teach his message to people.

² At that time, John the Baptist was in prison. But people told him about all the things that Jesus the Messiah was doing. So John sent some of his own disciples to ask Jesus some questions.^{[d] 3} They said to him, ‘John the Baptist wants to know this: Are you the special person that God has promised to send to us? If not, should we still look for someone else?’

⁴ Jesus replied, ‘Go back to John. Tell him what you have been hearing. Also, tell him what you have been seeing. ⁵ Blind people can now see again. People who could not walk can now walk again. People who had a bad disease of the skin are now well again. Deaf people can now hear again. People who had died now live again. Poor people are hearing God's good news. ⁶ If anyone believes in me and does not turn away, he will be really happy.’

This is a song that David wrote for the music leader.

A prayer for help^[a]

¹⁶ Wisdom is ready to give you a long life. She will also give you riches and honour.^[a]

¹⁷ Wisdom will be your guide through a happy life. She will lead you in ways that keep you safe. ¹⁸ Wisdom is like a tree with fruits that give life to the people who pick them. The Lord blesses everyone who keeps hold of wisdom.