Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Servant: 34 I am Abraham’s servant. 35 The Eternal One has blessed my master in a multitude of ways; he has become a great and wealthy man. The Eternal has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female servants, camels and donkeys. 36 Sarah, my master’s wife, gave birth to his son when she was quite old, and Abraham has passed on all he has to him.
37 My master made me swear, saying, “You will not arrange for my son to marry any of the Canaanite daughters here where we are living; 38 instead, you will go to my father’s house—to my own relatives to find a wife for my son.”
42 I arrived here today and came to the spring and said a prayer: “O Eternal One, God of my master Abraham, if You will only make my trip successful! 43 You see that I am standing here by the spring. Let the young woman who comes out to draw water and to whom I shall say, ‘Please give me a little water from your jar to drink,’ 44 and who will reply to me, ‘Drink, and I will draw water for your camels,’ let her be the woman the Eternal has chosen to be a wife for my master’s son.” 45 Before I could even finish speaking to God from my heart, Rebekah approached the spring with her water jar on her shoulder. She went down to the spring and drew water. I said to her, “Please let me have a drink,” 46 and she quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, “Drink, and I will also give your camels some water.” So I drank, and she made sure my camels had enough water. 47 Then I asked her, “Whose daughter are you?” And she said, “The daughter of Bethuel (son of Milcah, Nahor’s wife).” That’s when I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her arms. 48 Then I bowed my head and worshiped the Eternal, and blessed the God of my master Abraham because He led me in the right direction and to the right place in order to find the granddaughter of my master’s brother for his son.
49 Now then, if you intend to show loyal love and faithfulness to my master, tell me. If not, also tell me, so that I know which way to go from here.
58 They called for Rebekah.
Laban and Rebekah’s Mother (to Rebekah): Are you willing to go with this man?
Rebekah: Yes, I will go.
59 So the family gathered and sent Rebekah, their sister, along with her nurse to go with Abraham’s servant and his men. 60 They all blessed Rebekah, saying,
May you, our dear sister,
be blessed with thousands upon thousands of children,
And may your descendants possess
the cities of their enemies.
61 At last Rebekah and her maidservants all went out, mounted the camels, and followed Abraham’s trusted servant back toward Canaan. This is how the servant found Rebekah and took her to be Isaac’s wife.
62 Meanwhile, Isaac had come back from a trip to Beer-lahai-roi and was living in the Negev. 63 Isaac went outside toward evening to take a walk in the field. As he was deep in thought, he looked up and saw the camels coming toward him. 64 At the same time, Rebekah looked up; and when she saw Isaac, she slipped down quickly from the camel 65 and spoke softly to the servant.
Rebekah: Who is that man over there, walking in the field to meet us?
Servant: Ah, it is my young master.
So she took her veil and covered herself so as to be in proper attire to meet her future husband. 66 When Isaac reached them, the servant told him all of the amazing things that had happened. 67 Then Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother Sarah’s tent. He took her as his wife and slept with her, and grew to love her deeply. In this way, Isaac found comfort in the wake of his mother’s death.
10 Hear this, daughter; pay close attention to what I am about to say:
you must forget your people and even your father’s house.
11 Because the king yearns for your beauty,
humble yourself before him, for he is now your lord.
12 The daughter of Tyre arrives with a gift;
the wealthy will bow and plead for your favor.
13 A stunning bride, the king’s daughter waits within;
her clothing is skillfully woven with gold.
14 She, in her richly embroidered gown, is carried to the king,
her virgin companions following close behind.
15 They walk in a spirit of celebration and gratefulness.
In delight, they enter the palace of the king.
16 O king, in this place where your ancestors reigned, you will have sons;
you will make them princes throughout all the land.
17 I will make sure your name is remembered by all future generations
so that the people will offer you thanks and praise now and forever.
8 I hear his voice! The voice of my love!
Here he comes,
Leaping over the mountains,
bounding among the hills.
9 My love is like a gazelle,
sure-footed and swift as a young stag.
Look, there he is! Standing behind my wall,
watching through the windows, peering through the lattice.
10 My love responded and said to me,
Him: Arise, my dearest, my beauty,
and come away with me.
11 Don’t you see? The winter is done.
The rains and clouds have come and gone.
12 The flowers are unfolding in the fields;
the birds are warming up their songs,
The cooing of the turtledove
is heard throughout the land.
13 The fig trees are bringing forth their first fruit,
and the vines are in blossom, filling the air with their fragrance.
So arise my dearest, my beauty,
and come away with me.
God gives Israel the law as part of His covenant promises. The law does a great deal for His people; mainly it sets them apart from all other nations of the world and gives them a blueprint for God’s will. But, according to Paul, the law cannot fix everything that is wrong with this broken world. Although the law is perfectly suited for bringing sin to the surface and exposing it, the law cannot free people from the power of sin and its evil twin, death.
15 Listen, I can’t explain my actions. Here’s why: I am not able to do the things I want; and at the same time, I do the things I despise. 16 If I am doing the things I have already decided not to do, I am agreeing with the law regarding what is good. 17 But now I am no longer the one acting—I’ve lost control—sin has taken up residence in me and is wreaking havoc. 18 I know that in me, that is, in my fallen human nature, there is nothing good. I can will myself to do something good, but that does not help me carry it out. 19 I can determine that I am going to do good, but I don’t do it; instead, I end up living out the evil that I decided not to do. 20 If I end up doing the exact thing I pledged not to do, I am no longer doing it because sin has taken up residence in me.
21 Here’s an important principle I’ve discovered: regardless of my desire to do the right thing, it is clear that evil is never far away. 22 For deep down I am in happy agreement with God’s law; 23 but the rest of me does not concur. I see a very different principle at work in my bodily members, and it is at war with my mind; I have become a prisoner in this war to the rule of sin in my body. 24 I am absolutely miserable! Is there anyone who can free me from this body where sin and death reign so supremely? 25 I am thankful to God for the freedom that comes through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One! So on the one hand, I devotedly serve God’s law with my mind; but on the other hand, with my flesh, I serve the principle of sin.
In this way, Jesus invites His followers to understand who John is, and, in turn, who He must be.
16 What is this generation like? You are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out, 17 “When we played the flute, you did not dance; and when we sang a dirge, you did not mourn.” 18 What I mean is this: When John came, he dressed in the clothes of a prophet, and he did not eat and drink like others but lived on honey and wild locusts. And people wondered if he was crazy, if he had been possessed by a demon. 19 Then the Son of Man appeared—He didn’t fast, as John had, but ate with sinners and drank wine. And the people said, “This man is a glutton! He’s a drunk! And He hangs around with tax collectors and sinners, to boot.” Well, Wisdom will be vindicated by her actions—not by your opinions.
25 And then Jesus began to pray:
Jesus: I praise You, Father—Lord of heaven and earth. You have revealed Your truths to the lowly and the ignorant, the children and the crippled, the lame and the mute. You have hidden wisdom from those who pride themselves on being so wise and learned. 26 You did this, simply, because it pleased You. 27 The Father has handed over everything to My care. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son—and those to whom the Son wishes to reveal the Father. 28 Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Put My yoke upon your shoulders—it might appear heavy at first, but it is perfectly fitted to your curves. Learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble of heart. When you are yoked to Me, your weary souls will find rest. 30 For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.