Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

¹ ¶ Halelu-JAH. Praise, O ye slaves of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD.

² Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and for evermore.

³ From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, the LORD’s name is to be praised.

⁴ The LORD is high above all Gentiles and his glory above the heavens.

⁵ Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwells on high,

⁶ who humbles himself to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth!

⁷ He raises up the poor out of the dust and lifts the destitute out of the dunghill;

⁸ that he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.

⁹ He makes the barren woman to keep house and to be a joyful mother of sons. Halelu-JAH.

¹⁹ ¶ And these are the generations of Isaac, son of Abraham. Abraham begat Isaac;

²⁰ and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel, the Aramean of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Aramean.

²¹ And Isaac prayed unto the LORD for his wife because she was barren; and the LORD accepted him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.

²² And the sons struggled together within her; and she said, If this is so, why should I live? And she went to enquire of the LORD.

²³ And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of peoples shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.

²⁴ And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.

²⁵ And the first came out red, all over like a hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.

²⁶ And afterwards his brother came out with Esau’s heel grasped in his hand; and his name was called Jacob. And Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them.

²⁷ And the boys grew, and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was an upright man, remaining in the tents.

²⁸ And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his venison; but Rebekah loved Jacob.

¹⁵ who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature;

¹⁶ for by him were all things created, that are in the heavens and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they are thrones or dominions or principalities or powers: all things were created by him and in him;

¹⁷ And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the congregation, {Gr. ekklesia – called out ones} who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminence.

¹⁹ For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell

²⁰ and by him to reconcile all things unto himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross, {Gr. stauro – stake} whether they are the things in the earth or the things in the heavens.