Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

113 Alleluia. Servants, praise ye the Lord; praise ye the name of the Lord.

² The name of the Lord be blessed; from this time now, and till into the world (and forever).

³ From the rising of the sun till to the going down (From the rising of the sun until the going down of the same); the name of the Lord is worthy to be praised.

⁴ The Lord is high above all folks (The Lord is high above all the nations); and his glory is above (the) heavens.

⁵ Who is as our Lord God, that dwelleth in high things; (Who is like the Lord our God, who liveth in high places/who liveth on high;)

⁶ and beholdeth meek things in heaven and in earth? (and yet who deigneth himself to look upon the things in the heavens, and the things on earth!)

⁷ Raising a needy man from the earth; and enhancing a poor man from drit. (Raising up the needy from the dust; and lifting up the poor out of the dirt.)

⁸ That he set him with princes; with the princes of his people. (So that they may sit with princes; yea, with the leaders of the people.)

⁹ Which maketh a barren woman dwell in the house; a glad mother of sons. (Who maketh a barren woman, who liveth in her home, into a happy mother of sons.)

¹¹ And when he had made the camels to rest without the city (And when he had made the camels to rest outside the city), beside a well of water, in the eventide, in that time in which women be wont to go out to draw water,

¹² he said, Lord God of my lord Abraham, I beseech, meet with me today, and do mercy with my lord Abraham (and do mercy to my lord Abraham).

¹³ Lo! I stand nigh the well of water, and the daughters of the dwellers of this city shall go out to draw water; (Lo! I stand near to the water well, and the daughters of the inhabitants of this city shall go out to draw water;)

¹⁴ therefore the damsel to which I shall say, Bow down thy water pot (so) that I (may) drink, and (she) shall answer, Drink thou, but also I shall give drink to thy camels, that it is which thou hast made ready to thy servant Isaac (she it is whom thou hast prepared for thy servant Isaac); and by this I shall understand that thou hast done mercy to my lord Abraham.

¹⁵ And he had not yet [ful-]filled the words within himself, and lo! Rebecca, the daughter of Bethuel, son of Milcah, wife of Nahor, brother of Abraham, went out, having a water pot in her shoulder (having a water pot on her shoulder);

¹⁶ a damsel full comely/full shapely, and fairest virgin, and unknown of man. Soothly she came down to the well, and filled the water pot, and turned again. (a very shapely young woman, and the most beautiful virgin, yea, unknown by man. And she went down to the well, and filled the water pot, and then came up again.)

¹⁷ And the servant met her, and said, Give thou to me a little of the water of thy pot to drink (Give thou to me a little water to drink from thy water pot).

¹⁸ Which answered, Drink thou, my lord. And anon she did down the water pot on her shoulder, and gave drink to him (And at once she did down the water pot from off her shoulder, and gave him a drink).

¹⁹ And when he had drunk, she said, But also I shall draw water to thy camels, till all have drunk. (And when he had drunk, she said, I shall also draw some water for thy camels, until all of them have had something to drink as well.)

²⁰ And she poured out the water pot in(to) (the) troughs, and ran (down) again to the well, to draw (some more) water, and she gave (the) water drawn to all the camels (and so she gave water to all the camels).

²¹ Soothly he beheld her privily, and would wit whether the Lord had sped his way, or nay. (And he secretly watched her, and wanted to know if the Lord had sped his way, or not.)

²² Therefore after that the camels had drunk, the man brought forth golden earrings, weighing two shekels, and as many bands of the arm (and two arm bands), in the weight of ten shekels.

²³ And he said to her, Whose daughter art thou? show thou to me (and tell me), is [there] any place in the house of thy father (for us) to dwell in?

²⁴ Which answered, I am the daughter of Bethuel, (the) son of Nahor, whom Milcah childed to him.

²⁵ And she added, saying, Also full much of provender and of hay is at us (And we have much provender and hay), and a large place to dwell in.

²⁶ (And) The man bowed himself (down), and worshipped the Lord,

²⁷ and said, Blessed be the Lord God of my lord Abraham, which took not away his mercy and truth from my lord, and led me by the right way, into the house of the brother of my lord. (and said, Blessed be the Lord God of my lord Abraham, who took not away his mercy and truth from my lord, but led me by the right way to the house of my lord’s brother.)

⁹ A widow be chosen [into the temple] not less than sixty years, that was wife of one husband,

¹⁰ and hath witnessing in good works, if she nourished children [having witnessing in good works, if she nourished sons], if she received poor men to harbour, if she hath washed the feet of holy men, if she ministered to men that suffered tribulation [if she under-ministered to men suffering tribulation], if she followed all good work.

¹¹ But eschew younger widows; for when they have done lechery, they will be wedded in Christ, [Forsooth eschew younger widows; forsooth when they have done lechery in Christ, they will be wedded,]

¹² having damnation, for they have made void the first faith.

¹³ Also [and] they idle learn to go about houses, not only idle, but [they be] full of words and curious [but and full of words and curiosity], speaking things that it behooveth not.

¹⁴ Therefore I will, that younger widows be wedded, and bring forth children, and be housewives, to give none occasion to the adversary, because of cursed thing [by cause of cursed thing].

¹⁵ For now some be turned aback after Satan.

¹⁶ If any faithful man hath widows, minister he to them [under-minister he to them], that the church be not charged, that it suffice to them that be very widows.