Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
An Appeal from God to Israel
For the music director; on the Gittith. Of Asaph.[a]
81 Shout out to God our strength;
shout joyfully to the God of Jacob.
2 Lift up a song and strike[b] the tambourine,
the pleasant lyre, together with the harp.
3 Blow the horn at new moon,
at full moon, for our feast day,
4 because it is a statute for Israel,
an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
5 He made it a statute[c] in Joseph
when he went out against the land of Egypt,
where I heard a language I did not know.[d]
6 “I removed his shoulder from a burden.
His hands were freed from the basket.
7 In this[e] trouble you called, and I rescued you.
Within the secret place of thunder I answered you;
I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah
8 Hear, O my people, and I will admonish you;
O Israel, if you would but listen to me.
9 There shall be no strange god among you,
and you shall not bow down to a foreign god.
10 I am Yahweh your God,
who brought you up from the land of Egypt.
Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.
11 But my people did not listen to my voice,
and Israel did not yield to me.
12 So I let them[f] go in the stubbornness of their heart;
they walked in their counsels.
13 Oh that my people would listen to me;
that Israel would walk in my ways.
14 I would subdue their enemies quickly,
and turn my hand against their adversaries.
15 Those who hate Yahweh would cringe before him,
and their fate[g] would be forever.
16 But he would feed him[h] from the choicest wheat,[i]
and I would satisfy you with honey from a rock.”
Isaac and Rebekah
24 Now Abraham was old, advanced in age,[a] and Yahweh had blessed Abraham in everything. 2 And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his house, who had charge of all he had, “Please put your hand under my thigh 3 that I may make you swear by Yahweh, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites in whose midst I am dwelling, 4 but that you will go to my land and to my family, and take a wife for my son, for Isaac.” 5 And the servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow[b] me to this land—must I then return your son to the land from whence you came?” 6 Abraham said to him, “You must take care[c] that you do not return my son there. 7 Yahweh, the God of heaven who took me from the house of my father and from the land of my family, and who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, ‘to your offspring I will give this land,’ he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. 8 And if the woman is not willing to follow[d] you, then you shall be released from this oath of mine—only you must not return my son there.” 9 Then the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and he swore to him concerning this matter. 10 And the servant took ten camels from his master’s camels, and he went with all kinds of his master’s good things in his hand. And he arose and went to Aram-Naharaim, to the city of Nahor. 11 And he made the camels kneel outside the city at the well of water, at the time of evening, toward the time the women went out to draw water. 12 And he said, “O Yahweh, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show loyal love to my master Abraham. 13 Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are going out to draw water. 14 And let it be that the girl to whom I shall say, ‘Please, offer your jar that I may drink’ and who says, ‘Drink—and I will also water your camels,’ she is the one you have chosen for your servant, for Isaac. By her I will know that you have shown loyal love to my master.” 15 And it happened that before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah—who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, the brother of Abraham—came out, and her jar was on her shoulder. 16 Now the girl was very pleasing in appearance. She was a virgin; no man had known her. And she went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came up. 17 And the servant ran to meet her. And he said, “Please, let me drink a little of the water from your jar.” 18 And she said, “Drink, my lord.” And she quickly lowered her jar in her hand and gave him a drink. 19 When[e] she finished giving him a drink she said, “I will also draw water for your camels until they finish drinking.” 20 And she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran again to the well to draw water. And she drew water for all his camels. 21 And the man was gazing at her silently to know if Yahweh had made his journey successful or not. 22 And it happened that as the camels finished drinking the man took a gold ring of a half shekel in weight and two bracelets for her arms, ten shekels in weight, 23 and said, “Please tell me, whose daughter are you? Is there a place at the house of your father for us to spend the night?” 24 And she said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.” 25 Then she said to him, “We have both straw and fodder in abundance, as well as a place to spend the night.” 26 And the man knelt down and worshiped Yahweh. 27 And he said, “Blessed be Yahweh, God of my master Abraham, who has not withheld[f] his loyal love and his faithfulness from my master. I was on the way and Yahweh led me to the house of my master’s brother.”
Greeting
1 The elder, to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth—and not I alone, but also all those who know the truth— 2 because of the truth that resides in us and will be with us forever[a]. 3 Grace, mercy, peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Son of the Father in truth and love.
4 I was very glad[b] because I found some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us[c].
Watch Out for False Teachers
5 And now I ask you, lady (not as if I were writing a new commandment to you, but one that we have had from the beginning), that we should love one another. 6 And this is love: that we walk according to his commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. 7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess Jesus Christ[d] coming in the flesh. This person is the deceiver and the antichrist! 8 Watch yourselves that you do not lose what we have worked for, but receive a full reward.
9 Everyone who goes too far and does not remain in the teaching of Christ does not have God. The one who remains in the teaching—this person has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house and do not speak a greeting to him, 11 because the one who speaks a greeting to him shares in his evil deeds.
Conclusion and Final Greeting
12 Although[e] I have many things to write to you, I do not want to do so by means of paper and ink, but I hope to be with you and to speak face to face[f], so that your[g] joy may be complete. 13 The children of your elect sister greet you.
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