3 And Jacob sent¹ messengers before him to Esau his brother in the land of ^vSeir, the country of Edom, 4 instructing them, “Thus you shall say to my lord Esau: Thus says your servant Jacob, ‘I have sojourned with Laban and stayed until now. 5 I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male servants, and female servants. I have sent to tell my lord, in order that ^wI may find favor in your sight.’”

6 And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and ^xhe is coming to meet you, and there are four hundred men with him.” 7 Then Jacob was ^ygreatly afraid and distressed. He divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two camps, 8 thinking, “If Esau comes to the one camp and attacks it, then the camp that is left will escape.”

Jacob Wrestles with God

22 The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children,¹ and crossed the ford of the ^fJabbok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else that he had. 24 And Jacob was left alone. And ^ga man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. 25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, ^h“I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then he said, ⁱ“Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel,² for ^jyou have striven with God and ^kwith men, and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, ^l“Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. 30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel,³ saying, “For ^mI have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.”

My Help Comes from the Lord

A Song of ^mAscents.

4 treacherous, reckless, ^eswollen with conceit, ^flovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but ^gdenying its power. ^hAvoid such people. 6 For among them are ⁱthose who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to ^jarrive at a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as ^kJannes and Jambres ^lopposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, ^mmen corrupted in mind and ⁿdisqualified regarding the faith. 9 But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, ^oas was that of those two men.

All Scripture Is Breathed Out by God

10 ^pYou, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, 11 my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me ^qat Antioch, ^rat Iconium, and ^sat Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet ^tfrom them all ^uthe Lord rescued me. 12 Indeed, all who desire to ^vlive a godly life in Christ Jesus ^wwill be persecuted, 13 while ^xevil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and ^ybeing deceived. 14 But as for you, ^zcontinue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom¹ you learned it

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought ^ralways to pray and not ^slose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who ^tneither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ^u‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And ^vwill not God give justice to ^whis elect, ^xwho cry to him day and night? ^yzWill he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them ^aspeedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, ^bwill he find faith on earth?”