Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
For the Director: On the Gittith. By Asaph.
Celebrating and Remembering God
81 Sing joyfully to God, our strength.
Raise a shout to the God of Jacob.
2 Sing a song and play the tambourine,
the pleasant-sounding lyre along with the harp.
3 Blow the ram’s horn when there is a New Moon,
when there is a full moon,
on our festival day,
4 because it is a statute in Israel,
an ordinance by the God of Jacob,
5 a decree that he prescribed for Joseph
when he went throughout the land of Egypt,
speaking a language I did not recognize.[a]
6 I removed the burden from your[b] shoulder;
your[c] hands were freed of the burdensome basket.[d]
7 In a time of need you called out and I delivered you;
I answered you from the dark thundercloud;
I tested you at the waters of Meribah.
8 Listen, My people and I will warn you.
Israel, if only you would obey me!
9 You must neither have a foreign god over you
or worship a strange god.
10 I am the Lord your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
open your mouth that I may fill it.
11 Yet my people didn’t obey my voice;
Israel didn’t submit to me.
12 So I allowed them[e] to continue in their stubbornness,
living by their own advice.
13 If only my people would obey me,
if only Israel would walk in my ways!
14 Then I would quickly subdue their enemies.
I would turn against their foes.
15 Those who hate the Lord will cringe before him;
their punishment will be permanent.
16 But I will feed Israel[f] with the finest wheat,
satisfying you with honey from the rock.
Finding a Bride for Isaac
24 Now Abraham had grown old, was well advanced in age, and the Lord had blessed Abraham in every way. 2 So Abraham instructed his servant, who was the oldest member of his household and in charge of everything he owned, “Make this solemn oath to me[a] 3 as a promise to the Lord, the God of heaven and earth, that you won’t acquire a wife for my son from the Canaanite women among whom I’m living. 4 Instead, you are to go to my country and to my family and acquire a wife for my son Isaac.”
5 “What if the woman doesn’t want to come back with me to this land?” the servant asked. “Shouldn’t I have your son go to the land from which you came?”
6 “Make sure not to take my son there,” Abraham replied. 7 “The Lord God of heaven, who brought me from my father’s house and from my family’s land, who spoke to me and promised me ‘I will give this land to your descendants,’ will send his angel ahead of you, and you are to acquire a wife for my son from there. 8 If the woman isn’t willing to follow you, then you’ll be free from this oath to me. Just don’t take my son back there!” 9 So the servant made a solemn oath[b] to his master Abraham regarding this matter.
The Servant Encounters Rebekah
10 Then Abraham’s servant took ten camels from his master’s herd of[c] camels and left on his journey with all kinds of gifts from his master’s inventory. Eventually, he traveled as far as Aram-naharaim, Nahor’s home town. 11 As evening approached, he had the camels kneel outside the town at the water well, right about the time when women customarily went out to draw water.
12 That’s when he prayed, “Lord God of my master Abraham, help me to succeed today. Please show your gracious love to my master Abraham. 13 I’ve stationed myself here by the spring as the women of the town come to draw water. 14 May it be that the young woman to whom I ask, ‘Please, lower your jug so that I may drink,’ responds, ‘Have a drink, and I’ll water your camels as well.’ May she be the one whom you have chosen for your servant Isaac. This is how I’ll know that you have shown your gracious love to my master.”
15 Before he had finished speaking, Rebekah appeared. She was a daughter of Milcah’s son Bethuel. (Milcah was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor.) She approached the well, carrying a jug on her shoulder. 16 The woman was very beautiful, young, and had not had sexual relations with a man. Going down to the spring, she filled her jug and turned for home. 17 Then Abraham’s servant ran to meet her and asked her, “Please, let me have a sip of water from your jug.”
18 “Drink, sir!” she replied as she quickly lowered her jug on her arm to offer him a drink. 19 When she had finished giving him a drink, she also said, “I’ll also draw water[d] for your camels until they’ve had enough to drink.”
20 She quickly emptied her jug into the trough and ran to the well to draw again until she had drawn enough water[e] for all ten of the servant’s[f] camels. 21 The man stared at her in silence, waiting to see whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful. 22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a half shekel and two bracelets for her wrists, weighing 10 shekels and presented them to her.[g]
23 He asked her, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”
24 “I am the daughter of Bethuel,” she answered. “He’s the son of Milcah and Nahor. 25 And yes,” she continued, “we have plenty of straw and feed, as well as a place to spend the night.”
26 At this, the man bowed down and worshipped the Lord. 27 “Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who hasn’t held back his gracious love and faithfulness from my master! The Lord has led me to the house of my master’s relatives!”
Greetings from John
1 From:[a] The Elder
To: The chosen lady and her children, whom I genuinely love, and not only I but also all who know the truth, 2 that is present in us and will be with us forever.
3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus[b] the Messiah,[c] the Father’s Son, in truth and love.
Living in the Truth
4 I was overjoyed to find some of your[d] children living truthfully, just as the Father has commanded us. 5 Dear lady, I am now requesting of you[e] that we all continue to love one another. It is not as though I am writing to give you[f] a new commandment, but one that we have had from the beginning. 6 And this is what demonstrates[g] love: that we live according to God’s[h] commandments. Just as you[i] have heard from the beginning what he commanded, you[j] must live by it.
Reject False Teachers
7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world. They refuse to acknowledge Jesus the Messiah[k] as having become human. Any such person is a deceiver and an antichrist. 8 See[l] to it that you[m] don’t destroy what we have[n] worked for, but that you[o] receive your[p] full reward. 9 Everyone who does not remain true to the teaching of the Messiah,[q] but goes beyond it, does not have God. The person who remains true to the teaching of the Messiah[r] has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you[s] but does not present his teachings,[t] do not receive[u] him into your house or even welcome[v] him, 11 because the one who welcomes him shares in his evil deeds.
Final Greeting
12 Although I have a great deal to write to you,[w] I would prefer not to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete. 13 The children of your[x] chosen sister greet you.[y]
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.