Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

⁸ ¶ The voice of my beloved! behold, he comes leaping over the mountains, skipping over the hills.

⁹ My beloved is like a roe or a young hart; behold, he stands behind our wall; he looks through the windows, blossoming through the lattice.

¹⁰ My beloved spoke and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.

¹¹ For, behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone;

¹² the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the song is come, and the voice of the turtle dove has been heard in our land;

¹³ the fig tree has put forth her green figs, and the vines in blossom have given forth their fragrance. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.

³⁰ ¶ And it came to pass as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.

³¹ And he also had made savory food and brought it unto his father and said unto his father, Let my father arise and eat of his son’s venison that thy soul may bless me.

³² And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau.

³³ Then Isaac trembled very exceedingly and said, Who is he that has taken venison and brought it to me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest? I have blessed him and he shall be blessed.

³⁴ And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.

³⁵ And he said, Thy brother came with deceit and has taken away thy blessing.

³⁶ And he said, Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times; he took away my birthright, and, behold, now he has taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?

³⁷ And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren I have given to him for slaves, and with wheat and new wine I have sustained him. What shall I do now unto thee, my son?

³⁸ And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.

³⁹ Then Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth and of the dew of the heavens from above,

⁴⁰ and by thy sword shalt thou live and shalt serve thy brother; yet there shall be a time when thou shalt have dominion, and thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.

⁴¹ ¶ And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will slay my brother Jacob.

⁴² And these words of Esau, her elder son, were told to Rebekah; and she sent and called Jacob her younger son and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as concerning thee, does comfort himself, purposing to kill thee.

⁴³ Now therefore, my son, hear my voice and arise; flee unto Laban, my brother, to Haran

⁴⁴ and dwell with him a few days until thy brother’s fury turns away,

⁴⁵ until thy brother’s anger turns away from thee, and he forgets that which thou hast done to him; then I will send, and bring thee from there; for why should I be deprived of you both in one day?

⁴⁶ And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these who are of the daughters of this land, why should I want to live?

¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and injustice of men, who hold back the truth with injustice;

¹⁹ ¶ because that which is known of God is manifest to them; for God has showed it unto them.

²⁰ For the invisible things of him, his eternal power and divinity, are clearly understood by the creation of the world and by the things that are made so that there is no excuse;

²¹ because having known God, they did not glorify him as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

²² Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools

²³ and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man and of birds and of fourfooted beasts and of serpents.

²⁴ Therefore God also gave them over to the lusts of their own hearts for uncleanness, to contaminate their own bodies between themselves,

²⁵ who changed the truth of God into a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for all ages. Amen.