Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Lord Helps the Poor
113 Praise the Lord! Praise Him, O you who serve the Lord. Praise the name of the Lord. 2 Let the name of the Lord be honored, now and forever. 3 The name of the Lord is to be praised from the time the sun rises to when it sets. 4 The Lord is high above all nations. His shining-greatness is above the heavens.
5 Who is like the Lord our God? He sits on His throne on high. 6 He looks down upon the heavens and the earth. 7 He raises the poor from the dust. He lifts those in need from the ashes. 8 He makes them sit with rulers, with the rulers of His people. 9 He gives a home to the woman who could not give birth and makes her the mother of children. Praise the Lord!
28 Then the girl ran and told about all this to those in her mother’s house. 29 Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban. And Laban ran outside to the man at the well. 30 When he saw the gold objects his sister was wearing, and heard his sister Rebekah saying, “This is what the man said to me,” he went to the man. He saw him standing by the camels at the well. 31 Laban said, “Come in, you who receive good from the Lord! Why do you stand outside? I have made the house ready, and a place for the camels.” 32 So the man came into the house. Laban took the load off the camels, and gave them straw and food. He got water to wash the feet of Abraham’s servant and the feet of the men who were with him. 33 Then food was set in front of the man to eat. But he said, “I will not eat until I have told you why I came here.” Laban said, “Tell it.” 34 So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant. 35 And the Lord has brought much good to my boss. He has become rich. The Lord has given him flocks and cattle, silver and gold, men and women servants, and camels and donkeys. 36 My boss’s wife Sarah gave birth to my boss’s son when she was very old. And he has given him all he has.
37 “My boss made me promise, saying, ‘Do not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live. 38 But go to my father’s house, to those of my family, and take a wife for my son there.’ 39 I said to my owner, ‘What if the woman will not follow me?’ 40 He said to me, ‘The Lord, Whom I have always obeyed, will send His angel with you to make all go well during your visit there. You will take a wife for my son from those of my family and from my father’s house. 41 Then you will be free from your promise to me. When you come to those of my family, and if they do not give her to you, then you will be free from your promise to me.’
42 “So I came to the well today. I said, ‘O Lord, the God of my boss Abraham, may all go well during my visit here.
In Nazareth They Do Not Believe in Jesus
16 Jesus came to Nazareth where He had grown up. As He had done before, He went into the Jewish place of worship on the Day of Rest. Then He stood up to read. 17 Someone handed Him the book of the early preacher Isaiah. He opened it and found the place where it was written, 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me. He has put His hand on Me to preach the Good News to poor people. He has sent Me to heal those with a sad heart. He has sent Me to tell those who are being held that they can go free. He has sent Me to make the blind to see and to free those who are held because of trouble. 19 He sent Me to tell of the time when men can receive favor with the Lord.” (A)
20 Jesus closed the book. Then He gave it back to the leader and sat down. All those in the Jewish place of worship kept their eyes on Him. 21 Then He began to say to them, “The Holy Writings you have just heard have been completed today.”
22 They all spoke well of Jesus and agreed with the words He spoke. They said, “Is not this the son of Joseph?” 23 He said to them, “I wonder if you will tell this old saying to Me, ‘Doctor, heal Yourself. What You did in the city of Capernaum, do in Your own country!’” 24 He said, “A man who speaks for God is not respected in his own country. 25 It is true that there were many women whose husbands had died in the Jewish land when Elijah lived. For three and a half years there was no rain and there was very little food in the land. 26 Elijah was sent to none of them, but he was sent to a woman in the city of Zarephath in the land of Sidon. This woman’s husband had died. 27 There were many people in the Jewish land who had a bad skin disease when the early preacher Elisha lived. None of them was healed. But Naaman from the country of Syria was healed.”
28 All those in the Jewish place of worship were angry when they heard His words. 29 They got up and took Jesus out of town to the top of a high hill. They wanted to throw Him over the side. 30 But Jesus got away from among them and went on His way.
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