Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

From the Rising of the Sun

Psalm 113

¹¹ Then he made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at evening time, the time for the going out to draw water.

¹² “Adonai, the God of Abraham my master,” he said, “please make something happen before me today, and show loyalty to Abraham my master. ¹³ Look, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are going out to draw water. ¹⁴ Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please tip your jar so that I may drink,’ and she will say, ‘Drink—and I’ll also water your camels’—let her be the one You have appointed for your servant Isaac. So by this I’ll know that You have shown graciousness to my master.”

¹⁵ Now before he had finished speaking, behold there was Rebekah (who was born to Bethuel son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother) going out with her jar on her shoulder. ¹⁶ Now the young woman was very good looking, a girl of marriageable age, and she was a virgin. She went down to the spring and filled her jar and came up. ¹⁷ Then the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me sip a little water from your jar.”

¹⁸ So she said, “Drink, my lord,” and she quickly lowered her jar onto her hand and gave him a drink. ¹⁹ Now when she finished giving him a drink, she said, “I’ll also draw water for your camels until they’ve finished drinking.” ²⁰ So she quickly poured out her jug into the trough, ran back to the well to draw water, and drew water for all his camels, ²¹ while the man continued to pay close attention to her, keeping silent in order to know whether or not Adonai had made his way successful.

²² Now after the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a nose ring of gold weighing a half-shekel and two bracelets on her hands weighing ten shekels of gold. ²³ “Whose daughter are you?” he said. “Please tell me. Is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”

²⁴ She said to him, “I’m the daughter of Bethuel, son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.” ²⁵ She also said to him, “There’s both straw and plenty of feed with us, as well as room to spend the night.”

²⁶ Then the man bowed down and worshipped Adonai, ²⁷ and he said, “Blessed be Adonai, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His loyalty and His truth toward my master. As for me, Adonai has guided me in the way to the house of my master’s brothers.”

⁹ Let a widow be listed only if she is at least sixty, was the wife of one husband, ¹⁰ well known for good deeds, if she raised children, if she showed hospitality, if she washed the feet of the kedoshim, if she helped those in trouble, and if she devoted herself to every good work.

¹¹ But refuse younger widows; for when their sensual desires draw them away from the Messiah, they want to get married— ¹² facing judgment because they have set aside their previous pledge. ¹³ And at the same time, they also learn to be idle, going around from house to house—and not just idle, but also gossipers and busybodies, saying things they should not. ¹⁴ Therefore, I want the younger widows to get married, have children, manage a household, and give no opportunity to the enemy for slander. ¹⁵ For some have already gone astray after satan. ¹⁶ If any woman of faith has widows in need, let her help them and not let the community be burdened, so it may help the real widows.