Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Winter Is Past

She Speaks:

He Speaks:

Jacob Arrives at Laban's Home

29 As Jacob continued on his way to the east, ² he looked out in a field and saw a well where shepherds took their sheep for water. Three flocks of sheep were lying around the well, which was covered with a large rock. ³ Shepherds would roll the rock away when all their sheep had gathered there. Then after the sheep had been watered, the shepherds would roll the rock back over the mouth of the well.

⁴ Jacob asked the shepherds, “Where are you from?”

“We're from Haran,” they answered.

⁵ Then he asked, “Do you know Nahor's grandson Laban?”

“Yes we do,” they replied.

⁶ “How is he?” Jacob asked.

“He's fine,” they answered. “And here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.”

⁷ Jacob told them, “Look, the sun is still high up in the sky, and it's too early to bring in the rest of the flocks. Water your sheep and take them back to the pasture.”

⁸ But they replied, “We can't do that until they all get here, and the rock has been rolled away from the well.”

⁹ While Jacob was still talking with the men, his cousin Rachel came up with her father's sheep. ¹⁰ When Jacob saw her and his uncle's sheep, he rolled the rock away and watered the sheep. ¹¹ He then kissed Rachel and started crying because he was so happy. ¹² He told her that he was the son of her aunt Rebekah, and she ran and told her father about him.

¹³ As soon as Laban heard the news, he ran out to meet Jacob. He hugged and kissed him and brought him to his home, where Jacob told him everything that had happened. ¹⁴ Laban said, “You are my nephew, and you are like one of my own family.”

Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel

After Jacob had been there for a month,

3 What good is it to be a Jew? What good is it to be circumcised? ² It is good in a lot of ways! First of all, God's messages were spoken to the Jews. ³ It is true that some of them did not believe the message. But does this mean that God cannot be trusted, just because they did not have faith? ^4 (A) No, indeed! God tells the truth, even if everyone else is a liar. The Scriptures say about God,

⁵ If our evil deeds show how right God is, then what can we say? Is it wrong for God to become angry and punish us? What a foolish thing to ask. ⁶ But the answer is, “No.” Otherwise, how could God judge the world? ⁷ Since your lies bring great honor to God by showing how truthful he is, you may ask why God still says you are a sinner. ⁸ You might as well say, “Let's do something evil, so that something good will come of it!” Some people even claim that we are saying this. But God is fair and will judge them as well.