Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
A Prayer for Protection
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
140 Lord, rescue me from evil people;
protect me from ·cruel [violent] people
2 who ·make evil plans [L consider evil in their hearts],
who ·always start fights [L every day stir up war; Prov. 15:18; 29:22].
3 They make their tongues sharp as a snake’s;
·their words are like snake poison [L the venom of vipers is under their lips; Rom. 3:13]. ·
4 Lord, ·guard [keep] me from the ·power [L hand] of wicked people;
protect me from ·cruel [violent] people
who plan ·to trip me up [my downfall].
5 The ·proud [arrogant] hid a trap for me.
They spread out a net [L with cords] beside the road;
they set ·traps [snares] for me. ·
6 I said to the Lord, “You are my God.”
Lord, ·listen [L give ear] to my prayer ·for help [of supplication].
7 Lord God, my ·mighty [strong] ·savior [victor],
you ·protect me in [L cover my head in the day of] battle.
8 Lord, do not give the wicked what they ·want [desire].
Don’t let their plans succeed,
or they will become ·proud [exalted]. ·
9 Those around me have ·planned trouble [L uplifted heads].
Now let ·it [L the trouble of their lips] come to them.
10 Let burning coals ·fall [rain] on them.
·Throw them [Let them fall] into the fire
or into pits from which they cannot ·escape [get up].
11 Don’t let ·liars [L a tongue-man] ·settle [be established] in the land.
Let evil ·quickly [or with blows] hunt down ·cruel [violent] people.
12 I know the Lord will get justice for the poor
and will defend the needy in court.
13 ·Good [Righteous] people will ·praise [thank] his name;
·honest [virtuous] people will live in his presence.
34 He said, “I am Abraham’s servant. 35 The Lord has greatly blessed my master in everything [12:3], and he has become a rich man. The Lord has given him many flocks of sheep, herds of cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, camels, and horses. 36 Sarah, my master’s wife, gave birth to a son when she was old [21:1–7], and my master has given everything he owns to that son. 37 My master had me ·make a promise to him [swear] and said, ‘Don’t get a wife for my son from the Canaanite ·girls [L daughters] ·who live around here [L in whose land I live]. 38 Instead, you must go to my father’s ·people [house] and to my family. There you must ·get [take] a wife for my son.’ 39 I said to my master, ‘What if the woman will not come back with me?’ 40 But he said, ‘I ·serve [L walk before] the Lord, who will send his ·angel [or messenger] with you and will ·help you [L make your way successful]. You will ·get [take] a wife for my son from my family and my father’s ·people [L house]. 41 Then you will be ·free [innocent] from ·the promise [L my oath]. But if they will not give you a wife for my son, you will be ·free [innocent] from ·this promise [L my oath].’
50 Laban and Bethuel answered, “This ·is clearly [L has come out] from the Lord, and we cannot ·change what must happen [L speak to you good or evil]. 51 Rebekah is ·yours [L before you]. Take her and go. Let her marry your master’s son as the Lord has ·commanded [spoken].”
52 When Abraham’s servant heard these words, he bowed facedown on the ground before the Lord. 53 Then he gave Rebekah gold and silver jewelry and clothes. He also gave expensive gifts to her brother and mother. 54 The servant and the men with him ate and drank and spent the night there. When they got up the next morning, the servant said, “·Now let me go [L Send me] back to my master.”
55 Rebekah’s mother and her brother said, “Let ·Rebekah [L the girl] stay with us at least ten days. After that she may go.”
56 But the servant said to them, “Do not ·make me wait [delay/hinder], because the Lord has made my ·trip [way] successful. Now ·let me go [L send me] back to my master.”
57 Rebekah’s brother and mother said, “We will call Rebekah and ask her ·what she wants to do [L at her mouth].” 58 They called her and asked her, “Do you want to go with this man now?”
She said, “·Yes, I do [L I will go].”
59 So they ·allowed Rebekah and her nurse to go [L sent Rebekah their sister and her nurse] with Abraham’s servant and his men. 60 They blessed Rebekah and said,
“Our sister, may you ·be the mother of thousands of people [L thousands of myriads],
and may your ·descendants [L seed] ·capture [inherit; possess] the ·cities of their enemies [L gates of those who hate us].”
61 Then Rebekah and her servant girls ·got on [L rose up and mounted] the camels and followed the servant and his men. So the servant took Rebekah and left.
62 At this time Isaac had left Beer Lahai Roi [16:14] and was living in ·southern Canaan [L Negev]. 63 One evening when he went out to the field to ·think [meditate; reflect; or walk], he ·looked up [L raised his eyes] and saw camels coming. 64 Rebekah also ·looked [L raised her eyes] and saw Isaac. Then she ·jumped down [L fell] from the camel 65 and asked the servant, “Who is that man walking in the field to meet us?”
The servant answered, “That is my master.” So Rebekah covered her face with her veil.
66 The servant told Isaac everything that had happened. 67 Then Isaac brought Rebekah into the tent of Sarah, his mother, and she became his wife. Isaac loved her very much, and so he was comforted after his mother’s death.
The Command to Love Others
7 ·My dear friends [L Beloved], I am not writing a new command to you but an old command you have had from the beginning [3:23; John 13:34]. It is the ·teaching [L word] you have already heard. 8 But also I am writing a new command to you, ·and you can see its truth in Jesus [L which is true in him] and in you, ·because [or that] the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.
9 Anyone who ·says [claims; C as do the false teachers; see 2:18–19], “I am in the light,” [C following God’s goodness and truthfulness] but hates a brother or sister [C fellow Christian], is still in the darkness. 10 Whoever loves a brother or sister ·lives [abides; remains] in the light and ·will not cause anyone to stumble in his faith [or he will not stumble in his faith; L there is no cause of stumbling in him; C the “stumbling” may be either by apostasy or sin; John 6:61; 16:1; Rom. 14:13; Rev. 2:14]. 11 But whoever hates a brother or sister is in darkness, ·lives [L walks] in darkness, and does not know where to go, because the darkness has ·made that person blind [L blinded his eyes].
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