Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Thanksgiving for Escaping Death

¹⁰ The servant took ten of Abraham’s camels and left. He carried with him many different kinds of beautiful gifts. He went to Northwest Mesopotamia to Nahor’s city. ¹¹ He made the camels kneel down at the well outside the city. It was in the evening when the women come out to get water.

¹² The servant said, “Lord, you are the God of my master Abraham. Allow me to find a wife for his son today. Please show this kindness to my master Abraham. ¹³ Here I am, standing by the spring of water. The girls from the city are coming out to get water. ¹⁴ I will say to one of the girls, ‘Please put your jar down so I can drink.’ Then let her say, ‘Drink, and I will also give water to your camels.’ If that happens, I will know she is the right one for your servant Isaac. And I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.”

¹⁵ Before the servant had finished praying, Rebekah came out of the city. She was the daughter of Bethuel. (Bethuel was the son of Milcah and Nahor, Abraham’s brother.) Rebekah was carrying her water jar on her shoulder. ¹⁶ She was very pretty. She was a virgin; she had never had physical relations with a man. She went down to the spring and filled her jar. Then she came back up. ¹⁷ The servant ran to her and said, “Please give me a little water from your jar.”

¹⁸ Rebekah said, “Drink, sir.” She quickly lowered the jar from her shoulder and gave him a drink. ¹⁹ After he finished drinking, Rebekah said, “I will also pour some water for your camels.” ²⁰ So she quickly poured all the water from her jar into the drinking trough for the camels. Then she kept running to the well until she had given all the camels enough to drink.

²¹ The servant quietly watched her. He wanted to be sure the Lord had made his trip successful. ²² After the camels had finished drinking, he gave Rebekah a gold ring weighing one-fifth of an ounce. He also gave her two gold arm bracelets weighing about four ounces each. ²³ The servant asked, “Who is your father? Is there a place in his house for me and my men to spend the night?”

²⁴ Rebekah answered, “My father is Bethuel. He is the son of Milcah and Nahor.” ²⁵ Then she said, “And, yes, we have straw for your camels. We have a place for you to spend the night.”

²⁶ The servant bowed and worshiped the Lord. ²⁷ He said, “Blessed is the Lord, the God of my master Abraham. The Lord has been kind and truthful to him. He has led me to my master’s relatives.”

²⁸ Then Rebekah ran and told her mother’s family about all these things. ²⁹ She had a brother named Laban. He ran out to Abraham’s servant, who was still at the spring. ³⁰ Laban had heard what she had said. And he had seen the ring and the bracelets on his sister’s arms. So he ran out to the well. And there was the man standing by the camels at the spring. ³¹ Laban said, “Sir, you are welcome to come in. You don’t have to stand outside. I have prepared the house for you and also a place for your camels.”

³² So Abraham’s servant went into the house. Laban unloaded the camels and gave them straw and food. Then Laban gave water to Abraham’s servant so he and the men with him could wash their feet. ³³ Then Laban gave the servant food. But the servant said, “I will not eat until I have told you why I came.”

So Laban said, “Then tell us.”

³⁴ He said, “I am Abraham’s servant. ³⁵ The Lord has greatly blessed my master in everything. My master has become a rich man. The Lord has given him many flocks of sheep and herds of cattle. He has given Abraham 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. My master has given everything he owns to that son. ³⁷ My master had me make a promise to him. He said, ‘Don’t get a wife for my son from the Canaanite girls who live around here. ³⁸ Instead you must go to my father’s people and to my family. There you must get 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 the Lord. He will send his angel with you and will help you. You will get a wife for my son from my family and my father’s people. ⁴¹ Then you will be free from the promise. Or if they will not give you a wife for my son, you will be free from this promise.’

⁴² “Today I came to this spring. I said, ‘Lord, God of my master Abraham, please make my trip successful. ⁴³ Look, I am standing by this spring of water. I will wait for a young woman to come out to get water. Then I will say, “Please give me water from your jar to drink.” ⁴⁴ Then let her say, “Drink this water. I will also get water for your camels.” By this I will know the Lord has chosen her for my master’s son.’

⁴⁵ “Before I finished my silent prayer, Rebekah came out of the city. She had her water jar on her shoulder. She went down to the spring and got water. I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ ⁴⁶ She quickly lowered the jar from her shoulder. She said, ‘Drink this. I will also get water for your camels.’ So I drank, and she gave water to my camels also. ⁴⁷ Then I asked her, ‘Who is your father?’ She answered, ‘My father is Bethuel son of Milcah and Nahor.’ Then I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her arms. ⁴⁸ At that time I bowed my head and thanked the Lord. I praised the Lord, the God of my master Abraham. I thanked him because he led me on the right road to get the granddaughter of my master’s brother for his son. ⁴⁹ Now, tell me, will you be kind and truthful to my master? And if not, tell me so. Then I will know what I should do.”

⁵⁰ Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is clearly from the Lord. We cannot change what must happen. ⁵¹ Rebekah is yours. Take her and go. Let her marry your master’s son as the Lord has commanded.”

⁵² When Abraham’s servant heard these words, he bowed facedown on the ground before the Lord.

Obey God’s Law Not Men’s

7 Some Pharisees and some teachers of the law came from Jerusalem. They gathered around Jesus. ² They saw that some of Jesus’ followers ate food with hands that were not clean. (“Not clean” means that they did not wash their hands in the way the Pharisees said people must. ³ The Pharisees and all the Jews never eat before washing their hands in this special way. They do this to follow the teaching given to them by their great people who lived before them. ⁴ And when the Jews buy something in the market, they never eat it until they wash it in a special way. They also follow other rules of their great people who lived before them. They follow rules about the washing of cups, pitchers, and pots.^[a])

⁵ The Pharisees and the teachers of the law said to Jesus, “Your followers don’t follow the rules given to us by our great people who lived before us. Your followers eat their food with hands that are not clean. Why do they do this?”

⁶ Jesus answered, “You are all hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he spoke about you. Isaiah wrote,

⁸ You have stopped following the commands of God. Now you only follow the teachings of men.”^[b]

⁹ Then Jesus said to them: “You think you are clever! You ignore the commands of God so that you can follow your own teachings! ¹⁰ Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother.’^[c] Then Moses also said, ‘Anyone who says cruel things to his father or mother must be put to death.’^{[d] 11} But you teach that a person can say to his father or mother, ‘I have something I could use to help you. But I will not use it for you. I will give it to God.’ ¹² You are telling that person that he does not have to do anything for his father or mother. ¹³ So you are teaching that it is not important to do what God said. You think that it is more important to follow your own rules, which you teach people. And you do many things like that.”