Sunday, July 18

14Now when Abram heard his brother Lot was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants, born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.

15So he divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked and pursued them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus.

16So he brought back all the cavalry of Sodom, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people.

17Then the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley), after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer and the kings with him.

18Now Melchizedek the king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High.

19He blessed Abram and said, 'Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth;

20and blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hands.' Then Abram gave him a tithe of all.

8Behold, I am delivering the land in your presence; go in and inherit the land I swore to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—to give it to them and their seed after them.'

9'So I spoke to you at that time, saying, 'I alone am not able to bear you.

10The Lord your God multiplied you, and here you are today, as the stars of heaven in multitude.

11May the Lord God of your fathers make you a thousand times more numerous than you are, and bless you, just as He said.

12How can I alone bear your labors, your burdens, and your lawsuits?

13Choose wise, understanding, and knowledgeable men from among your tribes, and I will make them leaders over you.'

14'Then you answered me and said, 'The thing you told us to do is good.'

15So I took from you wise, understanding, and knowledgeable men and made them leaders over you: leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens; judges to interpret the law for you.

16'Then I commanded your judges at that time, saying, 'Hear the cases between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the resident alien with him.

17You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall judge the small and the great; you shall not shrink before any man's presence, for the judgment is God's. The case too hard for you, bring to me, and I will hear it.'

14Indeed, heaven and heaven of heaven belong to the Lord your God, also the earth and everything in it.

15The Lord chose your fathers to love them; and He chose their seed after them, you above all nations, as it is this day.

16Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and do not be stiff-necked any longer.

17For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.

18He administers justice for the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, and loves the resident alien, giving him food and clothing.

19Therefore, love the resident aliens, for you were resident aliens in the land of Egypt.

20You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him, and hold fast to Him, and take oaths in His name.

21He is your boast and your God, who did these great and glorious things for you, the things you saw with your own eyes.

1Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.

2But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.

3Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

4And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.

5Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, 'Why do you seek the living among the dead?

6He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee,

7saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.' '

8And they remembered His words.

9Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.

10It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles.

11And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.

12But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened.

18And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

19I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.

20For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.

21What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.

22But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.

23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

7Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct.

8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

9Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them.

10We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat.

11For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp.

12Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate.

13Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach.

14For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come.

15Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.

16But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

5Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him,

6saying, 'Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.'

7And Jesus said to him, 'I will come and heal him.'

8The centurion answered and said, 'Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.

9For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it.'

10When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!

11And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

12But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

13Then Jesus said to the centurion, 'Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.' And his servant was healed that same hour.

1Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: 'Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You,

2as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.

3And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

4I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.

5And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

6'I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.

7Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You.

8For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.

9'I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.

10And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them.

11Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.

12While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

13But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.