Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Prayer for Protection against the Wicked.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
140 (A)Rescue me, O Lord, from evil men;
Preserve me from (B)violent men
2 Who (C)devise evil things in their hearts;
They (D)continually stir up wars.
3 They (E)sharpen their tongues as a serpent;
(F)Poison of a viper is under their lips. [a]Selah.
4 (G)Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
(H)Preserve me from violent men
Who have [b]purposed to [c](I)trip up my feet.
5 The proud have (J)hidden a trap for me, and cords;
They have spread a (K)net by the [d]wayside;
They have set (L)snares for me. Selah.
6 I (M)said to the Lord, “You are my God;
(N)Give ear, O Lord, to the (O)voice of my supplications.
7 “O [e]God the Lord, (P)the strength of my salvation,
You have (Q)covered my head in the day of [f]battle.
8 “Do not grant, O Lord, the (R)desires of the wicked;
Do not promote (S)his evil device, that they not be exalted. Selah.
9 “As for the head of those who surround me,
May the (T)mischief of their lips cover them.
10 “May (U)burning coals fall upon them;
May they be (V)cast into the fire,
Into [g]deep pits from which they (W)cannot rise.
11 “May a [h]slanderer not be established in the earth;
(X)May evil hunt the violent man [i]speedily.”
34 So he said, “I am (A)Abraham’s servant. 35 The Lord has greatly (B)blessed my master, so that he has become [a]rich; and He has given him (C)flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and servants and maids, and camels and donkeys. 36 Now (D)Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master [b]in her old age, and (E)he has given him all that he has. 37 (F)My master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I [c]live; 38 but you shall go to my father’s house and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son.’ 39 (G)I said to my master, ‘Suppose the woman does not follow me.’ 40 He said to me, ‘(H)The Lord, before whom I have (I)walked, will send (J)His angel with you to make your journey successful, and you will take a wife for my son from my relatives and from my father’s house; 41 (K)then you will be free from my oath, when you come to my relatives; and if they do not give her to you, you will be free from my oath.’
50 Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “(A)The matter comes from the Lord; (B)so we cannot speak to you bad or good. 51 Here is Rebekah before you, take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has spoken.”
52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he (C)bowed himself to the ground [a]before the Lord. 53 The servant brought out (D)articles of silver and articles of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother. 54 Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night. When they arose in the morning, he said, “(E)Send me away to my master.” 55 But her brother and her mother said, “(F)Let the girl stay with us a few days, say ten; afterward she may go.” 56 He said to them, “Do not delay me, since (G)the Lord has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master.” 57 And they said, “We will call the girl and [b]consult her wishes.” 58 Then they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” And she said, “I will go.” 59 Thus they sent away their sister Rebekah and (H)her nurse with Abraham’s servant and his men. 60 They blessed Rebekah and said to her,
“May you, our sister,
(I)Become thousands of ten thousands,
And may (J)your [c]descendants possess
The gate of those who hate them.”
61 Then Rebekah arose with her maids, and they mounted the camels and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and departed.
Isaac Marries Rebekah
62 Now Isaac had come from going to (K)Beer-lahai-roi; for he [d]was living in (L)the [e]Negev. 63 Isaac went out (M)to [f]meditate in the field toward evening; and (N)he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, camels were coming. 64 Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac she dismounted from the camel. 65 She said to the servant, “Who is that man walking in the field to meet us?” And the servant said, “He is my master.” Then she took her [g]veil and covered herself. 66 The servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 67 Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and (O)he took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and (P)he loved her; thus Isaac was comforted after (Q)his mother’s death.
7 (A)Beloved, I am (B)not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had (C)from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard. 8 [a]On the other hand, I am writing (D)a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because (E)the darkness is passing away and (F)the true Light is already shining. 9 The one who says he is in the Light and yet (G)hates his (H)brother is in the darkness until now. 10 (I)The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11 But the one who (J)hates his brother is in the darkness and (K)walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has (L)blinded his eyes.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.