O children ¹  of Abraham, ²  God’s ³  servant, you descendants ⁴  of Jacob, God’s ⁵  chosen ones!

Indeed, ¹  the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel to be his special possession. ² 

He proclaims his word to Jacob, his statutes and regulations to Israel.

“At that time ¹  Jacob’s splendor will be greatly diminished, ²  and he will become skin and bones. ³ 

“You, my servant Israel, Jacob whom I have chosen, offspring of Abraham my friend, ¹ 

“Now, listen, Jacob my servant, Israel whom I have chosen!”

Now listen to what the Lord has to say, you descendants ¹  of Jacob, all you family groups from the nation ²  of Israel.

“Since, I, the Lord, do not go back on my promises, ¹  you, sons of Jacob, have not perished.

Eliud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob,

and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, by whom ¹  Jesus was born, who is called Christ. ² 

‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? ¹  He is not the God of the dead but of the living!” ² 

So when Jacob heard that there was grain ¹  in Egypt, he sent our ancestors ²  there ³  the first time.

Jacob became angry ¹  and argued with Laban. “What did I do wrong?” he demanded of Laban. ²  “What sin of mine prompted you to chase after me in hot pursuit? ³ 

So Esau hated ¹  Jacob because of the blessing his father had given to his brother. ²  Esau said privately, ³  “The time ⁴  of mourning for my father is near; then I will kill ⁵  my brother Jacob!”

Just as surely as I have done this, so surely will I never reject the descendants of Jacob. Nor will I ever refuse to choose one of my servant David’s descendants to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Indeed, ¹  I will restore them ²  and show mercy to them.”

When Laban heard this news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he rushed out to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house. Jacob ¹  told Laban how he was related to him. ² 

Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were complaining, ¹  “Jacob has taken everything that belonged to our father! He has gotten rich ²  at our father’s expense!” ³ 

But if the animals were weaker, he did not set the branches there. ¹  So the weaker animals ended up belonging to Laban ²  and the stronger animals to Jacob.

The young man did not delay in doing what they asked ¹  because he wanted Jacob’s daughter Dinah ²  badly. (Now he was more important ³  than anyone in his father’s household.) ⁴ 

So the sons of Jacob did for him just as he had instructed them.