Reading: Genesis 23, Matthew 22

¹ And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the years of the life of Sarah.² And Sarah died in Kirjatharba; the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.³ And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying,⁴ I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.⁵ And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him,⁶ Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.⁷ And Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth.⁸ And he communed with them, saying, If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight; hear me, and entreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar,⁹ That he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the end of his field; for as much money as it is worth he shall give it me for a possession of a buryingplace amongst you.¹⁰ And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth: and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying,¹¹ Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee; in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee: bury thy dead.¹² And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land.¹³ And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, But if thou wilt give it, I pray thee, hear me: I will give thee money for the field; take it of me, and I will bury my dead there.¹⁴ And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him,¹⁵ My lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead.¹⁶ And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant.¹⁷ And the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the borders round about, were made sure¹⁸ Unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city.¹⁹ And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre: the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan.²⁰ And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a buryingplace by the sons of Heth.

¹ And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,² The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,³ And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.⁴ Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.⁵ But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:⁶ And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.⁷ But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.⁸ Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.⁹ Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.¹⁰ So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.¹¹ And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:¹² And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.¹³ Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.¹⁴ For many are called, but few are chosen.¹⁵ Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.¹⁶ And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men.¹⁷ Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?¹⁸ But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?¹⁹ shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.²⁰ And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?²¹ They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.²² When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.²³ The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,²⁴ Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.²⁵ Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother:²⁶ Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh.²⁷ And last of all the woman died also.²⁸ Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.²⁹ Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.³⁰ For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.³¹ But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,³² I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.³³ And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.³⁴ But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.³⁵ Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,³⁶ Master, which is the great commandment in the law?³⁷ Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.³⁸ This is the first and great commandment.³⁹ And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.⁴⁰ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.⁴¹ While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,⁴² Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David.⁴³ He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,⁴⁴ The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?⁴⁵ If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?⁴⁶ And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.