Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

113 Praise, O you servants of the LORD! Praise the Name of the LORD!

² Blessed be the Name of the LORD from henceforth and forever!

³ The LORD’s Name is praised from the rising of the Sun to the going down of the same.

⁴ The LORD is high above all nations, His Glory above the heavens.

⁵ Who is like the LORD our God, Who has His dwelling on High;

⁶ Who abases Himself to behold things in the heavens and on the Earth?

⁷ He raises the needy out of the dust, lifts up the poor out of the dung,

⁸ so that He may set him with the princes, even with the princes of His people.

⁹ He makes the barren woman dwell with a family, a joyful mother of children. Praise the LORD!

24 Now Abraham was old and stricken in years; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.

² Therefore Abraham said to his eldest servant of his house (who had the rule over all that he had), “Put now your hand under my thigh;

³ and I will make you swear by the LORD God of Heaven, and God of the Earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell.

⁴ “But you shall go to my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son, Isaac.”

⁵ And the servant said to him, “What if the woman will not come with me to this land? Shall I take your son back to the land from where you came?”

⁶ To whom Abraham answered, “Beware that you do not take my son there again.

⁷ “The LORD God of Heaven, who took me from my father’s house, and from the land where I was born; and Who spoke to me, and Who swore to me, saying, ‘To your seed I will give this land’, He shall send His Angel before you; and you shall take a wife for my son from there.

⁸ “Nevertheless, if the woman will not follow you, then you shall be discharged of this, my oath. Only do not bring my son there again.”

⁹ Then the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham, his master, and swore to him over this matter.

¹⁰ So the servant took ten camels from the camels of his master, and departed (for he had all his master’s goods in his hand). So he arose and went to Aram Naharaim, to the city of Nahor.

5 Do not rebuke an elder, but encourage him as a father, and the younger men as brothers;

² the elder women as mothers, the younger as sisters, with all pureness.

³ Honor widows which are truly widows.

⁴ But if any widow has children or nephews, let them learn first to show godliness toward their own house, and to repay their family. For that is an honorable thing, and acceptable before God.

⁵ And she who is a true widow, and left alone, trusts in God, and continues in supplications and prayers night and day.

⁶ But she who lives in pleasure is dead while she lives.

⁷ Therefore, warn them of these things, so that they may be blameless.

⁸ If there is anyone who does not look out for his own, and namely for those of his household, he denies the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.