Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 116

¹⁰ Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, for all the goods of his master were in his hand. And he arose and went to the city of Nahor in Aram Naharaim. ¹¹ He made his camels kneel down outside the city by a well of water in the evening when the women came out to draw water.

¹² Then he said, “O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, please let me have success this day and show kindness to my master Abraham. ¹³ See, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. ¹⁴ Let it be that the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Please lower your pitcher, that I may drink,’ and she shall say, ‘Drink, and I will give your camels water also’—let her be the one that You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. Then I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.”

¹⁵ Before he had finished speaking, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milkah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with a pitcher on her shoulder. ¹⁶ The young woman was very beautiful to look at, a virgin, and no man had ever been with her. 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 So she said, “Drink, my lord.” Then she quickly let down her pitcher to her hand and gave him a drink.

¹⁹ When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.” ²⁰ Then she quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough and ran to the well to draw water and drew for all his camels. ²¹ The man, gazing at her, remained silent, trying to discern whether the Lord had made his journey a success or not.

²² When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold nose ring of half a shekel weight^[a] and two bracelets for her wrists of ten shekels weight^[b] in gold, ²³ and said, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to lodge?”

²⁴ She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milkah, whom she bore to Nahor.” ²⁵ Again she said to him, “We have both straw and provision enough, and room in which to lodge.”

²⁶ Then the man bowed down his head and worshipped the Lord. ²⁷ And he said, “Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master. As for me, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s relatives.”

²⁸ So the young woman ran and told her mother’s household of these things. ²⁹ Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban, and Laban ran out to the man at the well. ³⁰ When he saw the nose ring and bracelets on his sister’s hands and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, “This is what the man said to me,” he went to the man who stood by the camels at the well. ³¹ And he said, “Come in, blessed of the Lord. Why do you stand outside? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.”

³² So the man came to the house. Then he unloaded his camels and gave straw and provision to the camels and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. ³³ He then set food before him to eat, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told about my errand.”

And he said, “Speak on.”

³⁴ So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant. ³⁵ The Lord has greatly blessed my master, and he has become wealthy. He has given him flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and male and female servants, and camels and donkeys. ³⁶ Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master when she was old, and he has given to him all that he has. ³⁷ My master made me swear, saying, ‘You must not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live. ³⁸ But you shall go to my father’s house, and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son.’

³⁹ “So I said to my master, ‘Perhaps the woman will not follow me.’

⁴⁰ “Then he said to me, ‘The Lord, before whom I walk, will send His angel with you and prosper your way, and you will take a wife for my son from my relatives and from my father’s house. ⁴¹ You will be free from my oath, when you come to my family, if they will not give her to you; then you will be released from my oath.’

⁴² “So today I came to the well and said, ‘O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, if You will now give me success in my task; ⁴³ I am standing by the well of water, and let it be that when the virgin comes forth to draw water, and I say to her, “Please give me a little water from your pitcher to drink,” ⁴⁴ and she says to me, “Drink, and I will also draw for your camels,” let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master’s son.’

⁴⁵ “Before I had finished speaking in my heart, there was Rebekah coming out with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down to the well and drew water. Then I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’

⁴⁶ “She then quickly let down her pitcher from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I will give your camels a drink also.’ So I drank, and she gave the camels a drink also.

⁴⁷ “Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’

“And she said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milkah bore for him.’

“So I put the nose ring on her nose and the bracelets on her wrists. ⁴⁸ And I bowed down my head and worshipped the Lord, and blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the right way to take the daughter of my master’s brother for his son. ⁴⁹ And now if you will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.”

⁵⁰ Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “This thing comes from the Lord; we cannot speak to you bad or good. ⁵¹ Here is Rebekah before you; take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has spoken.”

⁵² When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he worshipped the Lord, bowing himself to the earth.

The Tradition of the Elders^(A)

7 The Pharisees and certain scribes who came from Jerusalem gathered around Him. ² When they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, ritually unwashed hands, they found fault. ³ For the Pharisees and all the Jews, unless they wash their hands ritually, do not eat, keeping the tradition of the elders. ⁴ When they come from the market, unless they wash, they do not eat. And there are many other traditions which they have received and observe, such as the washing of cups and pitchers and bronze vessels and dining couches.

⁵ So the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?”

⁶ He answered, “Well has Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written:

⁸ For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.”

⁹ And He said to them, “You full well reject the commandment of God so that you may keep your own tradition. ¹⁰ For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’^[b] and, ‘Whoever curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’^{[c] 11} But you say, ‘If a man says to his father or mother, “It is Corban,” that is to say, “What you would have profited from me is a gift to God,” he shall be free.’ ¹² Then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, ¹³ making the word of God of no effect through your tradition, which you have delivered. And you do many similar things.”