May the angel, who has rescued me from all harm, bless them! May my name and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac live on through these boys! May they have many children, many descendants!"

Cook me some of that tasty food that I like, and bring it to me. After I have eaten it, I will give you my final blessing before I die."

May Almighty God bless your marriage and give you many children, so that you will become the father of many nations!

These are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said as he spoke a suitable word of farewell to each son.

These are the blessings that Moses, the man of God, pronounced on the people of Israel before he died.

It was faith that made Jacob bless each of the sons of Joseph just before he died. He leaned on the top of his walking stick and worshiped God.

After that, Enoch lived in fellowship with God for 300 years and had other children.

He spent his life in fellowship with God, and then he disappeared, because God took him away.

This is the story of Noah. He had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Noah had no faults and was the only good man of his time. He lived in fellowship with God,

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am the Almighty God. Obey me and always do what is right.

She quickly emptied her jar into the animals' drinking trough and ran to the well to get more water, until she had watered all his camels.

Solomon answered, "You always showed great love for my father David, your servant, and he was good, loyal, and honest in his relation with you. And you have continued to show him your great and constant love by giving him a son who today rules in his place.

I am always aware of the LORD's presence; he is near, and nothing can shake me.

If you wander off the road to the right or the left, you will hear his voice behind you saying, "Here is the road. Follow it."

Instead of being gathered and buried, their bones will be like manure lying on the ground. They will be spread out before the sun, the moon, and the stars, which these people have loved and served, and which they have consulted and worshiped.

They both lived good lives in God's sight and obeyed fully all the Lord's laws and commands.

Well, whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, do it all for God's glory.

We are proud that our conscience assures us that our lives in this world, and especially our relations with you, have been ruled by God-given frankness and sincerity, by the power of God's grace and not by human wisdom.

Since you have accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, live in union with him.

We encouraged you, we comforted you, and we kept urging you to live the kind of life that pleases God, who calls you to share in his own Kingdom and glory.

Then Jacob made a vow to the LORD: "If you will be with me and protect me on the journey I am making and give me food and clothing,

This memorial stone which I have set up will be the place where you are worshiped, and I will give you a tenth of everything you give me."

The LORD is my shepherd; I have everything I need.

Trust in the LORD and do good; live in the land and be safe.

He keeps me from the grave and blesses me with love and mercy.

He fills my life with good things, so that I stay young and strong like an eagle.

The best thing we can do is eat and drink and enjoy what we have earned. And yet, I realized that even this comes from God.

How else could you have anything to eat or enjoy yourself at all?

Workers may or may not have enough to eat, but at least they can get a good night's sleep. The rich, however, have so much that they stay awake worrying.

Here is what I have found out: the best thing we can do is eat and drink and enjoy what we have worked for during the short life that God has given us; this is our fate.

We do all our work just to get something to eat, but we never have enough.

Then you will be safe; you will be as secure as if in a strong fortress. You will have food to eat and water to drink.

"This is why I tell you: do not be worried about the food and drink you need in order to stay alive, or about clothes for your body. After all, isn't life worth more than food? And isn't the body worth more than clothes?

Can any of you live a bit longer by worrying about it?

But I tell you that not even King Solomon with all his wealth had clothes as beautiful as one of these flowers.

"So do not start worrying: 'Where will my food come from? or my drink? or my clothes?'

Instead, be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what he requires of you, and he will provide you with all these other things.

Well, religion does make us very rich, if we are satisfied with what we have.

So then, if we have food and clothes, that should be enough for us.

For the love of money is a source of all kinds of evil. Some have been so eager to have it that they have wandered away from the faith and have broken their hearts with many sorrows.