Genesis 24
Isaac and Rebekah
1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.
2 So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh,
3 and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son Isaac from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell;†
4 but you shall go to my land where I was born, and to my tribe, and take from there a wife for my son Isaac.”
5 And the servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then take your son back to the land you came from?”
6 But Abraham said to him, “Beware that you do not take my son back there.
7 The Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, who took me from my father’s house and from the land where I was born, and who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, ‘To you and your seed I give this land,’ He will send His Angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.†
8 And if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be released from this oath; only do not take my son back there.Ӡ
9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his lord, and swore to him concerning this matter.
10 Then the servant took ten of his lord’s camels and some of all his goods and departed, and he went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor.
11 And he made his camels kneel down outside the city by a well of water at evening time, the time when women go out to draw water.
12 Then he said, “O Lord, the God of my lord Abraham, give me success this day, and show mercy to my lord Abraham.†
13 Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.
14 Now let it be that the virgin to whom I say, ‘Let down your pitcher that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink’—let her be the one You appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know You have shown mercy to my lord.”†
15 Thus it happened, before he finished speaking, that behold, Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her pitcher on her shoulder.
16 Now the virgin was very beautiful to behold, and she was a virgin, for no man had known her. She went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up.
17 Then the servant ran to meet her and said, “Let me drink a little water from your pitcher.”
18 So she said, “Drink, my lord.” Then she quickly let her pitcher down to her hand, and gave him a drink.
19 When she finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will also draw water for your camels, until they finish drinking.”
20 Thus she quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough, ran back to the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.
21 And the man, wondering at her, remained silent so as to know whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not.
22 So it was, when the camels finished drinking, the man took golden earrings, each a drachma in weight, and two bracelets for her wrists, ten pieces of gold in their weight,
23 and said, “Whose daughter are you? Tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to lodge?”
24 So she said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, Milcah’s son, whom she bore to Nahor.”
25 Moreover she said to him, “We have both straw and feed enough, and room to lodge.”
26 Then the man bowed down his head and worshiped the Lord.
27 And he said, “Blessed is the Lord, the God of my lord Abraham, who has not allowed His righteousness and His truth to forsake my lord. As for me, being on the way, the Lord led me to the house of my lord’s brethren.”†
28 So the young woman ran and told her mother’s household these things.
29 Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban, and he ran out to the man by the well.
30 So it came to pass, when he saw the earrings and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and when he heard the words of his sister Rebekah, saying, “Thus the man spoke to me,” that he went to the man, as he stood by the camels at the well.
31 Laban said to him, “Come in, O blessed of the Lord! Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels.”
32 Then the man came to the house and unloaded the camels, and provided straw and feed for the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men with him.
33 Bread was then set before them to eat, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told my business.” And he said, “Speak on.”
34 So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant.
35 The Lord has blessed my lord greatly, and he has become great; and He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys.
36 And Sarah my lord’s wife bore a son to my lord when he was old; and to him he has given all he has.
37 Now my lord made me swear an oath, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I sojourn;
38 but you shall go to my father’s house and to my tribe, and take a wife for my son.’
39 And I said to my lord, ‘Perhaps the woman will not return with me.’
40 But he said to me, ‘The Lord, before whom I walk, will send His Angel with you and prosper your way; and you shall take a wife for my son from my tribe and from my father’s house.
41 You will be clear from this oath when you arrive at my tribe; for if they will not give her to you, then you will be released from my oath.’
42 “So I came to the well today and said, ‘O Lord, the God of my lord Abraham, if You will now prosper the way I go,
43 behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass that when the daughters of the men come to draw water, and the virgin to whom I will say, “Give me a little water from your pitcher to drink,”
44 and she says to me, “Drink, and I will draw for your camels also,”—let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for His own servant Isaac; and in this I will know You have dealt mercifully with my lord Abraham.’
45 But before I finished speaking in my mind, there was Rebekah, coming out with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down to the well and drew water And I said to her, ‘Let me drink.’
46 And she made haste and let her pitcher down from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink.’ So I drank, and she gave the camels a drink also.
47 Then I asked her, and said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ And she said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him.’ So I put the earrings on her and the bracelets on her wrists.
48 “Thus being well pleased I worshiped the Lord, and blessed the Lord, the God of my lord Abraham, who led me in the way of truth, to take the daughter of my lord’s brother for his son.
49 Now if you will deal mercifully and justly with my lord, tell me. But if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.”
50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “The command comes from the Lord; we cannot speak to you either good or bad.
51 Here is Rebekah before you; take her and go, and let her be your lord’s son’s wife, as the Lord has spoken.”
52 And it came to pass, when Abraham’s servant heard their words, that he bowed to the earth and worshiped the Lord.
53 Then the servant brought out jewelry of silver and gold and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave gifts to her brother and her mother.
54 And he and the men with him ate and drank and stayed all night. Then they arose early in the morning, and he said, “Send me away to my lord.”
55 But her brother and her mother said, “Let the virgin remain with us about ten days; after that she may go.”
56 And he said to them, “Do not hinder me, since the Lord has prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my lord.”
57 So they said, “We will call the young woman and ask her personally.”
58 Then they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” She said, “I will go.”†
59 Thus they sent away Rebekah their sister and her goods and Abraham’s servant and those with him.
60 They blessed Rebekah their sister and said to her, “Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands of myriads, and may your seed possess the gates of their enemies.”
61 Then Rebekah and her maids arose, and rode on the camels and went with the man. So the servant took Rebekah and departed.
62 Now Isaac came through the desert to the Well of the Vision, for he dwelt in the South.†
63 Isaac then went out to meditate in the field in the evening, and he lifted his eyes and saw camels coming.
64 Then Rebekah lifted her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she dismounted from her camel;
65 for she had said to the servant, “Who is that man walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my lord.” So she took a veil and covered herself.
66 Now the servant told Isaac all the things he had done.
67 Thus Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother Sarah’s tent, and he took her and she became his wife. So he loved her, and was comforted concerning Sarah his mother.
Psalms 25
1 Of David. †Judge me, O Lord, for I walk in my innocence, And by hoping in the Lord, I shall not weaken.
2 Prove me, O Lord, and test me, Try my reins and my heart in the fire.
3 For Your mercy is before my eyes, And I was well-pleasing in Your truth.
4 I have not sat down with vain councils, Nor will I go in with those who transgress the law.
5 I hate the assembly of evildoers, And I will not sit with the ungodly.
6 I will wash my hands in innocence; So I will go about Your altar, O Lord,
7 That I may hear the voice of praise And tell of all Your wondrous works.
8 O Lord, I love the beauty of Your house, And the place where Your glory dwells.
9 Do not destroy my soul with the ungodly, Nor my life with men of blood,
10 In whose hands is lawlessness; Their right hand is full of bribes.
11 But as for me, I walk in my innocence; Redeem me and have mercy on me.
12 For my foot stands in uprightness; In the churches I will bless You, O Lord.
Proverbs of Solomon 5
Fornication or Marriage
1 My son, hold fast to wisdom And incline your ear to my words,
2 That you may guard good thinking; And I command you with the perception of my lips.
3 Do not join yourself to a base woman, For honey drips from the lips of a prostitute, Or for a season she is pleasing to your taste;
4 Afterward, however, you will find her more bitter than gall And sharper than a two-edged sword.
5 For feet lacking discernment lead those using her down into Hades with death; Her footsteps are not planted,
6 For she does not travel the ways of life; And her paths are slippery and not easy to discern.
Matthew 15
A Gentile with Great Faith
21 Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon.†
22 And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.”†
23 But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.”†
24 But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
25 Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”
26 But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”†
27 And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”
28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
Many More Healings
29 Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there.†
30 Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus’ feet, and He healed them.
31 So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.
Feeding the Four Thousand
32 Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.”†
33 Then His disciples said to Him, “Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?”
34 Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few little fish.”
35 So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.
36 And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.
37 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left.
38 Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.
39 And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala.