Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Praise for the Lord’s Kindness

²⁸ Then Rebekah ran and told her mother’s family about all these things. ²⁹ She had a brother named Laban, who ran out to Abraham’s servant, who was still at the spring. ³⁰ Laban had heard what she had said and had seen the ring and the bracelets on his sister’s arms. So he ran out to the well, and there was the man standing by the camels at the spring. ³¹ Laban said, “Sir, you are welcome to come in; you don’t have to stand outside. I have prepared the house for you and also a place for your camels.”

³² So Abraham’s servant went into the house. After Laban unloaded the camels and gave them straw and food, he gave water to Abraham’s servant so he and the men with him could wash their feet. ³³ Then Laban gave the servant food, but the servant said, “I will not eat until I have told you why I came.”

So Laban said, “Then tell us.”

³⁴ He said, “I am Abraham’s servant. ³⁵ The Lord has greatly blessed my master in everything, and he has become a rich man. The Lord has given him many flocks of sheep, herds of cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, camels, and horses. ³⁶ Sarah, my master’s wife, gave birth to a son when she was old, and my master has given everything he owns to that son. ³⁷ My master had me make a promise to him and said, ‘Don’t get a wife for my son from the Canaanite girls who live around here. ³⁸ Instead, you must go to my father’s people and to my family. There you must get a wife for my son.’ ³⁹ I said to my master, ‘What if the woman will not come back with me?’ ⁴⁰ But he said, ‘I serve the Lord, who will send his angel with you and will help you. You will get a wife for my son from my family and my father’s people. ⁴¹ Then you will be free from the promise. But if they will not give you a wife for my son, you will be free from this promise.’

⁴² “Today I came to this spring. I said, ‘Lord, God of my master Abraham, please make my trip successful.

¹⁶ Jesus traveled to Nazareth, where he had grown up. On the Sabbath day he went to the synagogue, as he always did, and stood up to read. ¹⁷ The book of Isaiah the prophet was given to him. He opened the book and found the place where this is written:

²⁰ Jesus closed the book, gave it back to the assistant, and sat down. Everyone in the synagogue was watching Jesus closely. ²¹ He began to say to them, “While you heard these words just now, they were coming true!”

²² All the people spoke well of Jesus and were amazed at the words of grace he spoke. They asked, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”

²³ Jesus said to them, “I know that you will tell me the old saying: ‘Doctor, heal yourself.’ You want to say, ‘We heard about the things you did in Capernaum. Do those things here in your own town!’” ²⁴ Then Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, a prophet is not accepted in his hometown. ²⁵ But I tell you the truth, there were many widows in Israel during the time of Elijah. It did not rain in Israel for three and one-half years, and there was no food anywhere in the whole country. ²⁶ But Elijah was sent to none of those widows, only to a widow in Zarephath, a town in Sidon. ²⁷ And there were many with skin diseases living in Israel during the time of the prophet Elisha. But none of them were healed, only Naaman, who was from the country of Syria.”

²⁸ When all the people in the synagogue heard these things, they became very angry. ²⁹ They got up, forced Jesus out of town, and took him to the edge of the cliff on which the town was built. They planned to throw him off the edge, ³⁰ but Jesus walked through the crowd and went on his way.