This Week's Services

Genesis 25:19-34

19 These are the descendants of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham was the father of Isaac, 

20 and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, sister of Laban the Aramean. 

21 Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived. 

22 The children struggled together within her; and she said, “If it is to be this way, why do I live?”[a] So she went to inquire of the Lord. 

23 And the Lord said to her,

“Two nations are in your womb,
   and two peoples born of you shall be divided;
the one shall be stronger than the other,
   the elder shall serve the younger.”

24 When her time to give birth was at hand, there were twins in her womb. 

25 The first came out red, all his body like a hairy mantle; so they named him Esau. 

26 Afterward his brother came out, with his hand gripping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob.[b] Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

27 When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, living in tents. 

28 Isaac loved Esau, because he was fond of game; but Rebekah loved Jacob.

29 Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was famished. 

30 Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stuff, for I am famished!” (Therefore he was called Edom.[c]) 

31 Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.” 

32 Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” 

33 Jacob said, “Swear to me first.”[d] So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. 

34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank, and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

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Matthew 13:1-9​

1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 

2 Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 

3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. 

4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 

5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. 

6 But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. 

7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 

8 Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 

9 Let anyone with ears[a] listen!”