Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
8 “Ah, I hear him—my beloved! Here he comes, leaping upon the mountains and bounding over the hills. 9 My beloved is like a gazelle or young deer. Look, there he is behind the wall, now looking in at the windows.
10 “My beloved said to me, ‘Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. 11 For the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. 12 The flowers are springing up and the time of the singing of birds has come. Yes, spring is here.[a] 13 The leaves are coming out,[b] and the grapevines are in blossom. How delicious they smell! Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.’
30 (As soon as Isaac has blessed Jacob, and almost before Jacob leaves the room, Esau arrives, coming in from his hunting. 31 He also has prepared his father’s favorite dish and brings it to him.)
Esau: “Here I am, Father, with the venison. Sit up and eat it so that you can give me your finest blessings!”
32 Isaac: “Who is it?”
Esau: “Why, it’s me, of course! Esau, your oldest son!”
33 (Isaac begins to tremble noticeably.)
Isaac: “Then who is it who was just here with venison, and I have already eaten it and blessed him with irrevocable blessing?”
34 (Esau begins to sob with deep and bitter sobs.)
Esau: “O my Father, bless me, bless me too!”
35 Isaac: “Your brother was here and tricked me and has carried away your blessing.”
36 Esau: (bitterly) “No wonder they call him ‘The Cheater.’[a] For he took my birthright, and now he has stolen my blessing. Oh, haven’t you saved even one blessing for me?”
37 Isaac: “I have made him your master, and have given him yourself and all of his relatives as his servants. I have guaranteed him abundance of grain and wine—what is there left to give?”
38 Esau: “Not one blessing left for me? O my Father, bless me too.”
(Isaac says nothing[b] as Esau weeps.)
39-40 Isaac: “Yours will be no life of ease and luxury, but you shall hew your way with your sword. For a time you will serve your brother, but you will finally shake loose from him and be free.”
41 So Esau hated Jacob because of what he had done to him. He said to himself, “My father will soon be gone, and then I will kill Jacob.” 42 But someone got wind of what he was planning and reported it to Rebekah. She sent for Jacob and told him that his life was being threatened by Esau.
43 “This is what to do,” she said. “Flee to your Uncle Laban in Haran. 44 Stay there with him awhile until your brother’s fury is spent, 45 and he forgets what you have done. Then I will send for you. For why should I be bereaved of both of you in one day?”
46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I’m sick and tired of these local girls. I’d rather die than see Jacob marry one of them.”
18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, evil men who push away the truth from them. 19 For the truth about God is known to them instinctively;[a] God has put this knowledge in their hearts. 20 Since earliest times men have seen the earth and sky and all God made, and have known of his existence and great eternal power. So they will have no excuse when they stand before God at Judgment Day.[b]
21 Yes, they knew about him all right, but they wouldn’t admit it or worship him or even thank him for all his daily care. And after a while they began to think up silly ideas of what God was like and what he wanted them to do. The result was that their foolish minds became dark and confused. 22 Claiming themselves to be wise without God, they became utter fools instead. 23 And then, instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they took wood and stone and made idols for themselves, carving them to look like mere birds and animals and snakes and puny[c] men.
24 So God let them go ahead into every sort of sex sin, and do whatever they wanted to—yes, vile and sinful things with each other’s bodies. 25 Instead of believing what they knew was the truth about God, they deliberately chose to believe lies. So they prayed to the things God made, but wouldn’t obey the blessed God who made these things.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.