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!

¹¹ And he made his camels lie down outside the city, by a well of water, in the evening, about the time that the women come out to draw water.

¹² And he said, “O LORD God of my master Abraham, I beg You, send me good speed this day; and show mercy to my master, Abraham.

¹³ “Lo, I stand by the well of water while the men’s daughters of this city come out to draw water.

¹⁴ “Grant, therefore, that the maid to whom I say, ‘Please bow down your pitcher, so that I may drink’, if she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels drink’, may she be the one You have ordained for Your servant, Isaac. And thereby I shall know that You have shown mercy on my master.”

¹⁵ And now — before he had left speaking — behold, Rebekah came out (the daughter of Bethuel, son of Milcah the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother) with her pitcher upon her shoulder.

¹⁶ And the maid was very fair to look upon, a virgin and unknown by man. And she went down to the well and filled her pitcher and came up.

¹⁷ Then the servant ran to meet her, and said, “Please let me drink a little water from your pitcher.”

¹⁸ And she said, “Drink, sir.” And she hurried and let down her pitcher upon her hand and gave him drink.

¹⁹ And when she had given him drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have drunk enough.”

²⁰ And she speedily poured out her pitcher into the trough and ran back to the well to draw water; and she drew for all his camels.

²¹ So the man wondered at her, and held his peace, to know whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.

²² And when the camels had finished drinking, the man took a golden earring of half a shekel in weight, and two bracelets for her hands weighing ten shekels of gold.

²³ And he said, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to lodge in?”

²⁴ Then she said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.”

²⁵ Moreover, she said to him, “We have straw, also, and enough provision and room to lodge in.”

²⁶ And the man bowed himself and worshipped the LORD,

²⁷ and said, “Blessed be the LORD God of my master, Abraham; Who has not withdrawn His mercy and His truth from my master. When I was on the way, the LORD brought me to my master’s brother’s house.”

⁹ Do not let a widow under 60 years old be registered; who has been the wife of one husband

¹⁰ and has a reputation for good works (whether she has nourished her children, taken in strangers, washed the saints’ feet, ministered to those who were in adversity, and if she has constantly pursued every good work).

¹¹ But refuse the younger widows. For when their desires begin to draw them away from Christ, they will marry,

¹² having damnation because they have broken their first faith.

¹³ And also, being idle, they learn to go about from house to house. Indeed, not only are they idle, but also gossips and busybodies, speaking things which are not necessary.

¹⁴ Therefore, I desire that the younger women marry, and bear children, and govern the house, and give no opportunity for the adversary to speak evil.

¹⁵ For some have already turned back after Satan.

¹⁶ If any faithful man or faithful woman has widows, let them minister to them, and do not let the Church be charged, so that there may be enough for those who are true widows.