Jacob Wrestles with God

²² The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children,^[a] and crossed the ford of the ^(A)Jabbok. ²³ He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else that he had. ²⁴ And Jacob was left alone. And ^(B)a 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, ^(C)“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, ^(D)“Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel,^[b] for ^(E)you have striven with God and ^(F)with men, and have prevailed.” ²⁹ Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, ^(G)“Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. ³⁰ So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel,^[c] saying, “For ^(H)I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.” ³¹ The sun rose upon him as he passed ^(I)Penuel, limping because of his hip.

My Help Comes from the Lord

A Song of ^(A)Ascents.

¹⁴ But as for you, ^(A)continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom^[a] you learned it ¹⁵ and how ^(B)from childhood you have been acquainted with ^(C)the sacred writings, ^(D)which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ^16 (E)All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ that ^(F)the man of God^[b] may be complete, ^(G)equipped ^(H)for every good work.

Preach the Word

4 ^(I)I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, ^(J)who is to judge the living and the dead, and by ^(K)his appearing and his kingdom: ² preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; ^(L)reprove, rebuke, and ^(M)exhort, with complete patience and teaching. ^3 (N)For the time is coming when people will not endure ^(O)sound^[c] teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, ⁴ and ^(P)will turn away from listening to the truth and ^(Q)wander off into myths. ⁵ As for you, ^(R)always be sober-minded, ^(S)endure suffering, do the work of ^(T)an evangelist, ^(U)fulfill your ministry.

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

18 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought ^(A)always to pray and not ^(B)lose heart. ² He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who ^(C)neither 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, ^(D)‘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 ^(E)will not God give justice to ^(F)his elect, ^(G)who cry to him day and night? ^(H)(I)Will he delay long over them? ⁸ I tell you, he will give justice to them ^(J)speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, ^(K)will he find faith on earth?”