Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

A Song to God’s Care

81 Sing for joy to God our strength! Call out for joy to the God of Jacob! ² Sing a song, beat the timbrel. Play the sweet-sounding harps. ³ Blow the horn at the new moon, at the full moon on the day of our special supper. ⁴ For this is a Law for Israel, a Law of the God of Jacob. ⁵ He made it a Law for Joseph, when he went through the land of Egypt. I heard a language that I did not know:

⁶ “I took the load off his shoulders. His hands were set free from the basket. ⁷ You called in your trouble, and I took you out of it. I answered you in the hiding place of thunder. I tested you at the waters of Meribah. ⁸ Hear, O My people, and I will tell you what to do. O Israel, if you would listen to Me! ⁹ Let there be no strange god among you. Do not worship any false god. ¹⁰ I, the Lord, am your God. I brought you out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.

¹¹ “But My people did not listen to My voice. And Israel did not obey Me. ¹² So I let them follow the desires of their sinful hearts. They followed their own plans. ¹³ If only My people would listen to Me! If only Israel would follow My ways! ¹⁴ I would hurry to crush those who fight against them. I would turn My hand against those who hate them. ¹⁵ Those who hate the Lord would pretend to obey Him. And their punishment would last forever. ¹⁶ But I would feed you with the best of grain. And I would fill you with honey from the rock.”

Isaac and Rebekah

24 Now Abraham was old. He had lived many years. And the Lord had brought good to Abraham in every way. ² Abraham said to the oldest servant in his house and the one who took care of all that he owned, “Place your hand under my hip, ³ and I will have you promise by the Lord, the God of heaven and earth. Promise that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, who live around me. ⁴ But go to my country and to those of my family. Take a wife for my son Isaac from there.” ⁵ The servant said to Abraham, “What if the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land? Should I take your son to the land you came from?” ⁶ Abraham said to him, “Make sure that you do not take my son there. ⁷ The Lord, the God of heaven, Who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my birth, spoke to me and promised me. He said, ‘I will give this land to your children and to their children’s children.’ He will send His angel in front of you. And you will take a wife for my son from there. ⁸ But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this promise to me. Only do not take my son there.” ⁹ So the servant placed his hand under the hip of Abraham, and he promised to do this.

¹⁰ Then the servant took ten of Abraham’s camels and left. He took with him all kinds of gifts from Abraham. Then he went to the city of Nahor in Mesopotamia. ¹¹ He made the camels get down on their knees outside the city by the well of water in the evening. It was the time when women go out to get water. ¹² He said, “O Lord, the God of my boss Abraham, let all go well for me today. Show loving-kindness to my boss Abraham. ¹³ See, I am standing here by the well of water. And the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to get water. ¹⁴ If I say to a girl, ‘Let down your jar so that I may drink,’ and she answers, ‘Drink, and I will give water to your camels also,’ let her be the one whom You have chosen for your servant Isaac. I will know by this that You have shown loving-kindness to my boss.”

¹⁵ Before he had finished speaking, Rebekah came out, the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah and Nahor, the brother of Abraham. She had a jar on her shoulder. ¹⁶ The girl was very beautiful and had never lain with a man. She went down to the well, filled her jar and came up. ¹⁷ Then the servant ran to meet her. He said, “Let me drink a little water from your jar.” ¹⁸ She said, “Drink, my lord.” And she was quick to lift her jar to her hand and give him a drink. ¹⁹ When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will get water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.” ²⁰ She was quick to empty her jar into the animals’ drinking place. Then she ran to the well for more water, and got enough for all his camels.

²¹ The man was quiet and watched her, waiting to know if the Lord had made all go well or not during his visit. ²² When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a heavy gold ring and two heavy gold objects to wear on her arms. ²³ He said, “Whose daughter are you? Tell me, is there a place for us to stay in your father’s house?” ²⁴ She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah and Nahor.” ²⁵ She also said, “We have both enough straw and food, and a place to stay.” ²⁶ Then the man bowed low and worshiped the Lord. ²⁷ He said, “Honor and thanks be to the Lord, the God of my boss Abraham. He has not kept His loving-kindness and His truth from my boss. He has led me in the way to the house of my boss’s brothers.”

¹ The church leader writes to the chosen lady and to her children. I love you because of the truth. I am not the only one who loves you. All who know the truth love you. ² It is because the truth is in us and will be with us forever. ³ Loving-favor and loving-kindness and peace are ours as we live in truth and love. These come from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the Son of the Father.

⁴ I am happy to find some of your children living in the truth as the Father has said we should. ⁵ And now I ask you, lady, that we have love one for the other. I am not writing to you about a new Law but an old one we have had from the beginning. ⁶ Love means that we should live by obeying His Word. From the beginning He has said in His Word that our hearts should be full of love.

⁷ There are many false teachers in the world. They do not say that Jesus Christ came in a human body. Such a person does not tell the truth. He is the false-christ. ⁸ Watch yourselves! You do not want to lose what we have worked for. You want to get what has been promised to you.

⁹ Anyone who goes too far and does not live by the teachings of Christ does not have God. If you live by what Christ taught, you have both the Father and the Son. ¹⁰ If a person comes to you with some other kind of teaching, do not take him into your home. Do not even greet him. ¹¹ The person who does has a share in his sins.

¹² I have many things to write to you. I do not want to write them in this letter. But I hope to come to you soon. Then we can talk about these things together that your joy may be full. ¹³ The children of your chosen sister greet you.