O Come, O Come Emmanuel!

O EMMANUEL

"God with us!"

"O Emmanuel, king and lawgiver, desire of the nations, Savior of all people, come and set us free, Lord our God."

Music from the Dominican student brothers in Oxford

Isaiah's prophecy: "The Lord himself will give you this sign: the Virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel" (7:14).

O REX GENTIUM

"O King of all the nations, the only joy of every human heart; O Keystone of the mighty arch of man, come and save the creature you fashioned from the dust."

Music from the Dominican student brothers in Oxford

Isaiah's prophecy: "For a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests: They name his Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace" (9:5).

"He shall judge between the nations, and impose terms on many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again" (2:4).

O ORIENS

"O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death."

Music from the Dominican student brothers in Oxford

Isaiah's prophecy: "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shown" (9:1).

O CLAVIS DAVID

"O Key of David, O royal Power of Israel controlling at your will the gate of Heaven: Come, break down the prison walls of death for those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death; and lead your captive people into freedom."

Music from the Dominican student brothers in Oxford

Isaiah's prophecy: "I will place the Key of the ouse of David on His shoulder; when he opens, no one will shut, when he shuts, no one will open" (22:22).

"His dominion is vast and forever peaceful, from David's throne, and over His kingdom, which he confirms and sustains by judgment and justice, both now and forever" (9:6).

Tree of Jesse

Here is our Jesse Tree so far ... I still have to paint the O Antiphons so we're a bit behind! the candles are our advent candles - We don't have a wreath this year. (Oh, and I couldn't find purple candles so I had to use red instead.)

O RADIX JESSE

"O Flower of Jesse's stem, you have been raised up as a sign for all peoples; kings stand silent in your presence; the nations bow down in worship before you. Come, let nothing keep you from coming to our aid."

Music from the Dominican student brothers in Oxford

Isaiah's prophecy: "But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom" (11:1).

"On that day, the root of Jesse, set up as a signal fo rthe nations, the Gentiles shall seek out, for his dwelling shall be glorious" (11:10).

"Remember also that Jesse was the father of King David, and Micah had prophesied that the Messiah would be of the house and lineage of David and be born in David's city, Bethlehem" (Micah 5:1)

O ADONAI

"O sacred Lord of ancient Israel, who showed yourself to Moses in the burning bush, who gave him the holy law on Sinai mountain: come, streth out your might hand to set us free."

Music from the Dominican student brothers in Oxford

Isaiah's prophecy: "But He shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land's afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips" (11:4-5); 


"Indeed the Lord will be there with us, majestic; yes the Lord our judge, the Lord our lawgive, the Lord our king, he it is who will save us" (33:22).

O SAPIENTIA

"O Wisdom, O holy Word of God, you govern all creation with your strong yet tender care. Come and show your people the way to salvation." 

Music from the Dominican student brothers in Oxford

Isaiah's prophecy: "The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strenth, a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord." (11:2-3), 


"Wonderful is His counsel and great is His wisdom." (28:29)

The Octave before Christmas

Now that we have gone through all of the Old and New Testament readings leading up to the birth of Christ, we turn our focus to the O Antiphons. The O Antiphons have been a liturgical tradition since the time of the early Church. There are eight of them (thus the word octave) and so we begin the tradition on the 17th and conclude it on the 23rd right before Christmas Eve. Each antiphon emphasizes a title for the Messiah. At the same time, each title also refers to the prophecy of Isaiah of the coming Messiah.

They are:


O Sapientia - Jesus is Wisdom
O Adonai - Jesus is Lord
O Radix Jesse - Jesus is Flower of Jesse
O Clavis David - Jesus is Key of David
O Oriens - Jesus is the Radiant Dawn
O Rex Gentium - Jesus is King of the Gentiles
O Emmanuel - "God with us" Jesus is Light of the World

According to Professor Robert Greenberg of the San Fancisco Conservatory of Music, these antiphons were arranged by the Benedictine monks in this way for a reason. Looking at the first letter of each title beginning with Emmanuel and going back from the 23rd to the 17th, it spells EROCRAS - forming the Latin phrase ero cras, which means "Tomorrow I will come." And so we will see as we build up to Christmas through the O Antiphons, we build up to the coming of Christ - not only his first coming, but also for His second coming when the true reality of the world and his Kingship will be unveiled!

Each day of this octave before Christmas, I will post the antiphon as well as the scripture supporting it and the liturgical music that is still sung in the Church building up to the Eve of the great feast of Christmas. Of course, it is all in Latin, but hopefully my descriptions will make it more meaningful!

Most of this information was taken from: Catholic Eduction

John the Baptist

Mark 1:1-8

1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
       "BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU,
       WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY;

3 THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING INTHE WILDERNESS, 
      'MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD,
      MAKE HIS PATHS STAIGHT.'"

4 John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

5 And all the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.

6 John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leatehr belt around his waist, and his diet was locusts and wild honey.

7 And he was preaching, and saying, "After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to stoop down and untie the thong of His sandals.

8 "I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

*Both pictures taken of paintings at the Louvre

Mary, Theotokos Mother of God

Luke 1:26-38

26 Not in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth,

27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and hte virgin's name was Mary.

28 And coming in, he said to her, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you."

29 But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was.

30 The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.

31 "And behold, you will conceive in your owmb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.

32 "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and hte Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;

33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end."

34 Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?"

35 The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.

36 "And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month.

37 "For nothing will be impossible with God."

38 And Mary said, "Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

*All pictures were taken on a visit to the Louvre.

Joseph, Stepfather to Jesus

Matt 1:18-25

Joseph's Dream - from the Louvre Museum

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.

19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.

20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afriad to take mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

21 "She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."

22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

23 "BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated means, "GOD WITH US."

24 And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife,

25 but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.

Picture taken from an icon at the Greek Melkite Catholic Church here in Paris.



Solomon

^{1 Kings 3:5-14, 16-28} 

⁵In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; and God said, "⁽Ask what you wish me to give you."

⁶Then Solomon said, "⁽You have shown great lovingkindness to Your servant David my father, according as he walked before You in truth and righteousness and uprightness of heart toward You; and You have reserved for him this great lovingkindness, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.

 ⁷"Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king in place of my father David, yet I am but a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in.


 ⁸"Your servant is in the midst of Your people which You have chosen, a great people who are too many to be numbered or counted.


 ⁹"So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?"

 ¹⁰It was pleasing in the sight of the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing.

 ¹¹God said to him, "Because you have asked this thing and have not asked for yourself long life, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have you asked for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself discernment to understand justice,


 ¹²behold, I have done according to your words Behold, I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you.


 ¹³"I have also given you what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there will not be any among the kings like you all your days.


 ¹⁴"If you walk in My ways, keeping My statutes and commandments, as your father David walked, then I will prolong your days."

¹⁶Then two women who were harlots came to the king and stood before him.

 ¹⁷The one woman said, "Oh, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house; and I gave birth to a child while she was in the house.


 ¹⁸"It happened on the third day after I gave birth, that this woman also gave birth to a child, and we were together. There was no stranger with us in the house, only the two of us in the house.


 ¹⁹"This woman's son died in the night, because she lay on it.


 ²⁰"So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from beside me while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead son in my bosom.


 ²¹"When I rose in the morning to nurse my son, behold, he was dead; but when I looked at him carefully in the morning, behold, he was not my son, whom I had borne."


 ²²Then the other woman said, "No! For the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son." But the first woman said, "No! For the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son." Thus they spoke before the king.


 ²³Then the king said, "The one says, 'This is my son who is living, and your son is the dead one'; and the other says, 'No! For your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.'"


 ²⁴The king said, "Get me a sword." So they brought a sword before the king.

 ²⁵The king said, "Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other."

 ²⁶Then the woman whose child was the living one spoke to the king, for she was deeply stirred over her son and said, "Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him." But the other said, "He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him!"

 ²⁷Then the king said, "Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him. She is his mother."


 ²⁸When all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had handed down, they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice. 

St. Lucia's Song

Today is the day we celebrate St. Lucia. Here is a beautiful video of St. Lucia's song, as celebrated in Sweden:

What are they singing?

Night walks with a heavy step

Round yard and hearth,

As the sun departs from earth,

Shadows are brooding.

There in our dark house,

Walking with lit candles,

Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia!

Night walks grand, yet silent,

Now hear its gentle wings,

In every room so hushed,

Whispering like wings.

Look, at our threshold stands,

White-clad with light in her hair,

Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia!

Darkness shall take flight soon,

From earth’s valleys.

So she speaks a

Wonderful Word to us:

A new day will rise again

From the rosy sky…

Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia!

The first accounts of Saint Lucia came from the 5th century, even though she was thought to have lived in the 3rd century during the Diocletian persecution of Christians. After vowing not to marry a pagan, and consequently giving her dowry to the poor, her would-be husband turned her over to the government by whom she was killed. The name Lucy means light.



David

1 Sam. 17:12-51 



I was able to see this stained glass window of David by Marc Chagall several years ago at the Fraumunster Church in Zurich.

 ^{12Now David was the son of the Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, whose name was Jesse, and he had eight sons. And Jesse was old in the days of Saul, advanced in years among men.}

13The three older sons of Jesse had gone after Saul to the battle. And the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and the second to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.

14David was the youngest. Now the three oldest followed Saul,

15but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father's flock at Bethlehem.

16The Philistine came forward morning and evening for forty days and took his stand.


17Then Jesse said to David his son, "Take now for your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain and these ten loaves and run to the camp to your brothers.


18"Bring also these ten cuts of cheese to the commander of their thousand, and look into the welfare of your brothers, and bring back news of them.

19"For Saul and they and all the men of Israel are in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines."

20So David arose early in the morning and left the flock with a keeper and took the supplies and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the circle of the camp while the army was going out in battle array shouting the war cry.

21Israel and the Philistines drew up in battle array, army against army.

22Then David left his baggage in the care of the baggage keeper, and ran to the battle line and entered in order to greet his brothers.

23As he was talking with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine from Gath named Goliath, was coming up from the army of the Philistines, and he spoke these same words; and David heard them.

24When all the men of Israel saw the man, they fled from him and were greatly afraid.


25The men of Israel said, "Have you seen this man who is coming up? Surely he is coming up to defy Israel. And it will be that the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father's house free in Israel."

26Then David spoke to the men who were standing by him, saying, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?"

27The people answered him in accord with this word, saying, "Thus it will be done for the man who kills him."


28Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab's anger burned against David and he said, "Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your insolence and the wickedness of your heart; for you have come down in order to see the battle."


29But David said, "What have I done now? Was it not just a question?"


30Then he turned away from him to another and said the same thing; and the people answered the same thing as before.


31When the words which David spoke were heard, they told them to Saul, and he sent for him.


32David said to Saul, "Let no man's heart fail on account of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine."


33Then Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth while he has been a warrior from his youth."


34But David said to Saul, "Your servant was tending his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock,


35I went out after him and attacked him, and rescued it from his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him.


36"Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God."


37And David said, "The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine " And Saul said to David, "Go, and may the LORD be with you."


38Then Saul clothed David with his garments and put a bronze helmet on his head, and he clothed him with armor.


39David girded his sword over his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. So David said to Saul, "I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them." And David took them off.


40He took his stick in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the shepherd's bag which he had, even in his pouch, and his sling was in his hand; and he approached the Philistine.


41Then the Philistine came on and approached David, with the shield-bearer in front of him.


42When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, with a handsome appearance.


43The Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

From the Louvre

44The Philistine also said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field."


45Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted.


46"This day the LORD will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,

47and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the LORD'S and He will give you into our hands."

48Then it happened when the Philistine rose and came and drew near to meet David, that David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine.

49And David put his hand into his bag and took from it a stone and slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead. And the stone sank into his forehead, so that he fell on his face to the ground.

50Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and he struck the Philistine and killed him; but there was no sword in David's hand.

51Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.

Jesse

1 Sam. 16:1-13 

From the Louvre Museum

¹Now the LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have selected a king for Myself among his sons."

²But Samuel said, "How can I go? When Saul hears of it, he will kill me." And the LORD said, "Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.'

 ³"You shall invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for Me the one whom I designate to you."

 ⁴So Samuel did what the LORD said, and came to Bethlehem And the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and said, "Do you come in peace?"

 ⁵He said, "In peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." He also consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

 ⁶When they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD'S anointed is before Him."

 ⁷But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

 ⁸Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, "The LORD has not chosen this one either."

 ⁹Next Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, "The LORD has not chosen this one either."

 ¹⁰Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen these."

 ¹¹And Samuel said to Jesse, "Are these all the children?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is tending the sheep." Then Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here."

David Anointed

 ¹²So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance And the LORD said, "Arise, anoint him; for this is he."

 ¹³Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah. 

Samuel

1 Sam. 3:1-18


Hannah dedicating her son Samuel

 1Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD before Eli And word from the LORD was rare in those days, visions were infrequent.


2It happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place (now his eyesight had begun to grow dim and he could not see well),

3and the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD where the ark of God was,

4that the LORD called Samuel; and he said, "Here I am."

5Then he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he said, "I did not call, lie down again." So he went and lay down.

6The LORD called yet again, "Samuel!" So Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he answered, "I did not call, my son, lie down again."

7Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, nor had the word of the LORD yet been revealed to him.

8So the LORD called Samuel again for the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." Then Eli discerned that the LORD was calling the boy.

9And Eli said to Samuel, "Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, 'Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10Then the LORD came and stood and called as at other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel said, "Speak, for Your servant is listening."

11The LORD said to Samuel, "Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle.

12"In that day I will carry out against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end.

13"For I have told him that I am about to judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons brought a curse on themselves and he did not rebuke them.

14"Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever."

15So Samuel lay down until morning. Then he opened the doors of the house of the LORD But Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli.

16Then Eli called Samuel and said, "Samuel, my son." And he said, "Here I am."

17He said, "What is the word that He spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me.May God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the words that He spoke to you."

18So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, "It is the LORD; let Him do what seems good to Him."

Moses

 Ex. 2:1-10

1Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a daughter of Levi.

2The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was beautiful, she hid him for three months.

3But when she could hide him no longer, she got him a wicker basket and covered it over with tar and pitch Then she put the child into it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile.

4His sister stood at a distance to find out what would happen to him.

5The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the Nile, with her maidens walking alongside the Nile; and she saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid, and she brought it to her.

6When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the boy was crying. And she had pity on him and said, "This is one of the Hebrews' children."

7Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women that she may nurse the child for you?"



Moses with the burning bush



8Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go ahead." So the girl went and called the child's mother.

9Then Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child away and nurse him for me and I will give you your wages." So the woman took the child and nursed him.

10The child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son. And she named him Moses, and said, "Because I drew him out of the water."



Moses leads the Israelites safely across the Red Sea



Joseph

Gen. 37:23-28; 45:3-15

Joseph explaining Pharoah's dream

23So it came about, when Joseph reached his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the varicolored tunic that was on him;

24and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, without any water in it.

25Then they sat down to eat a meal. And as they raised their eyes and looked, behold, a caravan of (Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing aromatic gum and (C)balm and myrrh, on their way to bring them down to Egypt.

26Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is it for us to kill our brother and cover up his blood?

27"Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh." And his brothers listened to him.

28Then some Midianite traders passed by, so they pulled him up and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver Thus they brought Joseph into Egypt.

3Then Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?" But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence.

4Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Please come closer to me." And they came closer. And he said, "I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.

5"Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.

6"For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.

7"God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance.

8"Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

9"Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, 'Thus says your son Joseph, "God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay.

10"You shall live in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children's children and your flocks and your herds and all that you have.



Joseph reconciled with his brothers



11"There I will also provide for you, for there are still five years of famine to come, and you and your household and all that you have would be impoverished."'

12"Behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth which is speaking to you.

13"Now you must tell my father of all my splendor in Egypt, and all that you have seen; and you must hurry and bring my father down here."

14Then he fell on his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck.

15He kissed all his brothers and wept on them, and afterward his brothers talked with him. 

 

Jacob

Gen. 25:1-34; 28:10-15

1Now Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah.

2She bore to him Zimran and Jokshan and Medan and Midian and Ishbak and Shuah.

3Jokshan became the father of Sheba and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim and Letushim and Leummim.

4The sons of Midian were Ephah and Epher and Hanoch and Abida and Eldaah. All these were the sons of Keturah.

5Now Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac;

6but to the sons of his concubines, Abraham gave gifts while he was still living, and sent them away from his son Isaac eastward, to the land of the east.

7These are all the years of Abraham's life that he lived, one hundred and seventy-five years.

8Abraham breathed his last and died in a ripe old age, an old man and satisfied with life; and he was gathered to his people.

9Then his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, facing Mamre,

10the field which Abraham purchased from the sons of Heth; there Abraham was buried with Sarah his wife.

11It came about after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac lived by Beer-lahai-roi.

Descendants of Ishmael

12Now these are the records of the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's maid, bore to Abraham;

13and these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, in the order of their birth: Nebaioth, the firstborn of Ishmael, and Kedar and Adbeel and Mibsam

14and Mishma and Dumah and Massa,

15Hadad and Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah.

16These are the sons of Ishmael and these are their names, by their villages, and by their camps; twelve princes according to their tribes.

17These are the years of the life of Ishmael, one hundred and thirty-seven years; and he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people.

18They settled from Havilah to Shur which is east of Egypt as one goes toward Assyria; he settled in defiance of all his relatives.

Isaac's Sons

19Now these are the records of the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham became the father of Isaac;

20and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife.

21Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD answered him and Rebekah his wife conceived. 

22But the children struggled together within her; and she said, "If it is so, why then am I this way?" So she went to inquire of the LORD.

23The LORD said to her,

"Two nations are in your womb;

And two peoples will be separated from your body;

And one people shall be stronger than the other;

And the older shall serve the younger."

24When her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.

25Now the first came forth red, all over like a hairy garment; and they named him Esau.

26Afterward his brother came forth with his hand holding on to Esau's heel, so his name was called Jacob; and Isaac was sixty years old when she gave birth to them.

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

28Now Isaac loved Esau, because he had a taste for game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

29When Jacob had cooked stew, Esau came in from the field and he was famished;

30and Esau said to Jacob, "Please let me have a swallow of that red stuff there, for I am famished." Therefore his name was called Edom.

31But Jacob said, "First sell me your birthright."

32Esau said, "Behold, I am about to die; so of what use then is the birthright to me?"

33And Jacob said, "First swear to me"; so he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob.

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

10Then Jacob departed from Beersheba and went toward Haran.

11He came to a certain place and spent the night there, because the sun had set; and he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head, and lay down in that place.

12He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

13And behold, the LORD stood above it and said, "I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants.

14"Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

15"Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."

To refer to why I am doing this - check out my entry on NT Wright and the Tree of Jesse.