Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Hear O Israel
Psalm 81
1 For the music director, on the Gittite lyre, of Asaph.
2 Sing for joy to God our strength,
shout to the God of Jacob!
3 Lift up a song and sound a tambourine,
a sweet lyre with a harp.
4 Blow the shofar at the New Moon,
at the full moon for the day of our festival.
5 For it is a decree for Israel,
an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
6 He set it up as a testimony in Joseph,
when He went throughout the land of Egypt,
I heard a language I did not understand.
7 “I relieved his shoulder of the burden,
his hands were set free from the basket.
8 You called out in trouble, and I rescued you.
I answered you from the hiding place of thunder.
I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah
9 Hear, My people, I will admonish you—
if you would listen to Me, O Israel!
10 Let there be no foreign god among you,
and you shall not worship any alien god.
11 I am Adonai your God,
who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.
12 But My people did not listen to My voice.
Israel was not willing to be Mine.
13 So I gave them over
to the stubbornness of their heart,
to walk in their own counsels.
14 Oh that My people would listen to Me,
that Israel would walk in My ways!
15 I would soon subdue their enemies,
and turn My hand against their foes.
16 Those who hate Adonai would cringe before Him—
their time of doom would be forever.
17 But you would be fed with the finest wheat,
with honey out of a rock would I satisfy you.”
Courting of Rebekah
24 Now Abraham was old, advanced in years, and Adonai blessed Abraham in everything. 2 Then Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household who managed everything that belonged to him, “Now put your hand under my thigh, 3 so that I may make you take an oath by Adonai, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from among the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I am dwelling. 4 On the contrary, to my land and to my relatives you must go and get a wife for my son Isaac.
5 But the servant said to him, “Suppose the woman were unwilling to follow after me to this land? Should I then have your son go back to the land you came from?
6 Abraham said to him, “See to it that you don’t return my son there. 7 Adonai, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from my native land and who spoke to me and made a pledge to me saying, ‘To your seed I will give this land’—He will send His angel before you and you will take a wife for my son from there. 8 If the woman is not willing to follow after you, then you will be free from this oath of mine. Nevertheless, you must not return my son there.” 9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and he made a pledge to him concerning this matter.
10 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and left with all the best of his master’s things in his hand. Then he arose and went to Aram-Naharaim, to Nahor’s city. 11 Then he made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at evening time, the time for the going out to draw water.
12 “Adonai, the God of Abraham my master,” he said, “please make something happen before me today, and show loyalty to Abraham my master. 13 Look, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are going out to draw water. 14 Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please tip your jar so that I may drink,’ and she will say, ‘Drink—and I’ll also water your camels’—let her be the one You have appointed for your servant Isaac. So by this I’ll know that You have shown graciousness to my master.”
15 Now before he had finished speaking, behold there was Rebekah (who was born to Bethuel son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother) going out with her jar on her shoulder. 16 Now the young woman was very good looking, a girl of marriageable age, and she was a virgin. She went down to the spring and filled her jar and came up. 17 Then the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me sip a little water from your jar.”
18 So she said, “Drink, my lord,” and she quickly lowered her jar onto her hand and gave him a drink. 19 Now when she finished giving him a drink, she said, “I’ll also draw water for your camels until they’ve finished drinking.” 20 So she quickly poured out her jug into the trough, ran back to the well to draw water, and drew water for all his camels, 21 while the man continued to pay close attention to her, keeping silent in order to know whether or not Adonai had made his way successful.
22 Now after the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a nose ring of gold weighing a half-shekel and two bracelets on her hands weighing ten shekels of gold. 23 “Whose daughter are you?” he said. “Please tell me. Is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”
24 She said to him, “I’m the daughter of Bethuel, son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.” 25 She also said to him, “There’s both straw and plenty of feed with us, as well as room to spend the night.”
26 Then the man bowed down and worshipped Adonai, 27 and he said, “Blessed be Adonai, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His loyalty and His truth toward my master. As for me, Adonai has guided me in the way to the house of my master’s brothers.”
God’s Truth and Blessings Abide Forever
1 The elder.
To the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth—and not I alone, but also all who have come to know the truth— 2 because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever:
3 Grace, mercy, and shalom be with us, from God the Father and from Messiah Yeshua, the Father’s Son, in truth and love!
Lovingly Walk in God’s Truth
4 I was overjoyed to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we received as a commandment from the Father. 5 Now I ask you, dear lady, that we love one another. It is not as though I am writing you a new command, but the one we have had from the beginning. [a] 6 Now this is love: that we walk according to His commands. This is the commandment—just as you heard from the beginning—that you walk in love.
Protect Against Messianic Pretenders
7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world—those who do not acknowledge Yeshua as Messiah coming in human flesh. This one is a deceiver and the anti-messiah. 8 Watch yourselves, so you do not lose what we have worked for but receive a full reward. 9 Anyone who goes too far and does not remain in Messiah’s teaching does not have God. Anyone who remains in this teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not welcome him into your home or even give him a greeting. 11 For the one greeting him shares in his evil deeds.
Brotherly Fellowship Is Joyful
12 Although I have much to write to you, I don’t want to do it with paper and ink. But I hope to come to you and speak face to face, so that our joy may be full.
13 The children of your chosen sister send you greetings.[b]
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.