Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
113 Hallelujah!
You servants of the Lord, praise him.
Praise the name of the Lord.
2 Thank the name of the Lord now and forever.
3 From where the sun rises to where the sun sets,
the name of the Lord should be praised.
4 The Lord is high above all the nations.
His glory is above the heavens.
5 Who is like the Lord our God?
He is seated on his high throne.
6 He bends down to look at heaven and earth.
7 He lifts the poor from the dust.
He lifts the needy from a garbage heap.
8 He seats them with influential people,
with the influential leaders of his people.
9 He makes a woman who is in a childless home
a joyful mother.
Hallelujah!
Abraham’s Servant Finds a Wife for Isaac
11 The servant had the camels kneel down outside the city by the well. It was evening, when the women would go out to draw water. 12 Then he prayed, “Lord, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today. Show your kindness to Abraham. 13 Here I am standing by the spring, and the girls of the city are coming out to draw water. 14 I will ask a girl, ‘May I please have a drink from your jar?’ If she answers, ‘Have a drink, and I’ll also water your camels,’ let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. This way I’ll know that you’ve shown your kindness to my master.”
15 Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel, son of Milcah, who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. 16 The girl was a very attractive virgin. No man had ever had sexual intercourse with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came back.
17 The servant ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a drink of water.”
18 “Drink, sir,” she said. She quickly lowered her jar to her hand and gave him a drink. 19 When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I’ll also keep drawing water for your camels until they’ve had enough to drink.” 20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the water trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels. 21 The man was silently watching her to see whether or not the Lord had made his trip successful.
22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a fifth of an ounce and two gold bracelets weighing four ounces. 23 He asked, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me whether there is room in your father’s house for us to spend the night.”
24 She answered him, “I’m the daughter of Bethuel, son of Milcah and Nahor. 25 We have plenty of straw and feed ⌞for your camels⌟ and room for you to spend the night.”
26 The man knelt, bowing to the Lord with his face touching the ground. 27 He said, “Praise the Lord, the God of my master Abraham. The Lord hasn’t failed to be kind and faithful to my master. The Lord has led me on this trip to the home of my master’s relatives.”
9 Any widow who had only one husband and is at least 60 years old should be put on your list ⌞of widows⌟. 10 People should tell about the good things she has done: raising children, being hospitable, taking care of believers’ needs, helping the suffering, or always doing good things.
11 Don’t include younger widows ⌞on your list⌟. Whenever their natural desires become stronger than their devotion to Christ, they’ll want to marry. 12 They condemn themselves by rejecting the Christian faith, the faith they first accepted. 13 At the same time, they learn to go around from house to house since they have nothing else to do. Not only this, but they also gossip and get involved in other people’s business, saying things they shouldn’t say.
14 So I want younger widows to marry, have children, manage their homes, and not give the enemy any chance to ridicule them. 15 Some of them have already turned away to follow Satan. 16 If any woman is a believer and has relatives who are widows, she should help them. In this way the church is not burdened and can help widows who have no families.
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