Old Testament

Book of Ruth 1.6-9,14-18

A reading from the book of Ruth.                                      1:6-9, 14-18

So she set out from the place where she had been living, she and her two daughters-in-law, and they went on their way to go back to the land of Judah.

But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back each of you to your mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me.

The Lord grant that you may find security, each of you in the house of your husband.” Then she kissed them, and they wept aloud.

Then they wept aloud again. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.

So she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.”

But Ruth said, “Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; Where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God.

Where you die, I will die– there will I be buried. May the Lord do thus and so to me, and more as well, if even death parts me from you!”

When Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her.

This is the word of the Lord

Book of Ruth 2.16-17

A reading from the Book of Ruth.                                   1:16 – 17.

Where you go, I will go; where you live, I will live; your people shall be my people and your God my God. Where you die, I will die there will I be buried.  I declare before the Lord that nothing but death will part me from you.

This is the Word of the Lord.

Ecclesiasticus 6.14-16

A reading from the Book of Ecclesiasticus.                             6:14.16

A faithful friend is a sure shelter.  Whoever finds one has found a rare treasure. A faithful friend is someone beyond price; there is no treasuring his worth.  A faithful friend is the elixir of life and those who fear the Lord will find one.  Whoever fears the Lord makes true friends, for as a person is, so is his friends.

This is the word of the Lord.

All: Thanks be to God.

Genesis-1.26-28,31

A reading from the book of Genesis                                 1.26-28, 31

God said, ‘Let us make man in our own image, in the likeness of ourselves, and let them be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven, the cattle, all the wild animals and all the creatures that creep along the ground.’

God created man in the image of himself,

in the image of God he created him,

male and female he created them.

God blessed them, saying to them, ‘Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. Be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven and all the living creatures that move on earth.’

God saw all he had made, and indeed it was very good. Evening came and morning came: the sixth day.

This is the word of the Lord

Genesis 2.18-24

A reading from the Book of Genesis                                         2.18-24

 

Then God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.”

So out of the ground  God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.

The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper as his partner.

So God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.

And the rib that God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.

Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called Woman, for out of Man this one was taken.”

Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.

This is the word of the Lord

Genesis 24.48-51,58-67

 

A reading from the book of Genesis                         24:48-51, 58-67

Abraham’s Servant said to Laban, I blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me by the right way to obtain the daughter of my master’s kinsman for his son. 49 Now then, if you will deal loyally and truly with my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so that I may turn either to the right hand or to the left.”

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

58 And they called Rebekah, and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” She said, “I will.” 59 So they sent away their sister Rebekah and her nurse along with Abraham’s servant and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her,

“May you, our sister, become
    thousands of myriads;
may your offspring gain possession
    of the gates of their foes.”

61 Then Rebekah and her maids rose up, mounted the camels, and followed the man; thus the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.

62 Now Isaac had come from Negeb. 63 Isaac went out in the evening to walk[b] in the field; and looking up, he saw camels coming. 64 And Rebekah looked up, and when she saw Isaac, she slipped quickly from the camel, 65 and said to the servant, “Who is the man over there, walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took her veil and covered herself. 66 And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 67 Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent. He took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

This is the Word of the Lord

Isaiah 43.1-4

A reading from the Prophet Isaiah                                   43:1 – 4.

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel. Because you are precious in my sight, and I love you, Do not fear, for I am with you.

This is the word of the Lord.

C. Thanks be to God.

 

Isaiah 61.10-11

A reading from the Prophet Isaiah                                             61.10-11

 

I delight greatly in the Lord: My soul rejoices in my God.

For he has clothed me with garments of salvation, and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

 

For as the soil makes the young plant come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all the nations.

 

This is the Word of the Lord

All:    Thanks be to God

 

Jeremiah 31.31-34

A reading from the prophet Jeremiah.                31:31-34

 

‘Look, the days are coming, Yahweh declares, when I shall make a new covenant with the House of Israel, but not like the covenant I made with their ancestors the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of Egypt, a covenant which they broke, even though I was their Master, Yahweh declares. No, this is the covenant I shall make with the House of Israel when those days have come, Yahweh declares. Within them I shall plant my Law, writing it on their hearts. Then I shall be their God and they will be my people. There will be no further need for everyone to teach neighbour or brother, saying, “Learn to know Yahweh!” No, they will all know me, from the least to the greatest, Yahweh declares, since I shall forgive their guilt and never more call their sin to mind.’

This is the Word of the Lord

 

Song of Songs 2.8-10.14.16. 8.6-7

A reading from the Song of Songs.                        2:8-10.14.16. 8:6-7

 

The voice of my beloved! Look, he comes, leaping upon the mountains, bounding over the hills. My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Look, there he stands behind our wall, gazing in at the windows, looking through the lattice. My beloved speaks and says to me: “Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away;  for now the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the covert of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely. My beloved is mine and I am his; he pastures his flock among the lilies. Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is strong as death, passion fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a raging flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If one offered for love all the wealth of his house, it would be utterly scorned.

 

This is the word of the Lord

Thanks be to God

 

Tobit 7.6-14

A reading from the book of Tobit                            7:6-14

 Raguel kissed Tobias and wept. He also spoke to him as follows, “Blessings on you, my child, son of a good and noble father![d] O most miserable of calamities that such an upright and beneficent man has become blind!” He then embraced his kinsman Tobias and wept. His wife Edna also wept for him, and their daughter Sarah likewise wept. Then Raguel[e]slaughtered a ram from the flock and received them very warmly.

When they had bathed and washed themselves and had reclined to dine, Tobias said to Raphael, “Brother Azariah, ask Raguel to give me my kinswoman[f] Sarah.” 10 But Raguel overheard it and said to the lad, “Eat and drink, and be merry tonight. For no one except you, brother, has the right to marry my daughter Sarah. Likewise I am not at liberty to give her to any other man than yourself, because you are my nearest relative. But let me explain to you the true situation more fully, my child. 11 I have given her to seven men of our kinsmen, and all died on the night when they went in to her. But now, my child, eat and drink, and the Lord will act on behalf of you both.” But Tobias said, “I will neither eat nor drink anything until you settle the things that pertain to me.” So Raguel said, “I will do so. She is given to you in accordance with the decree in the book of Moses, and it has been decreed from heaven that she be given to you. Take your kinswoman;[g] from now on you are her brother and she is your sister. She is given to you from today and forever. May the Lord of heaven, my child, guide and prosper you both this night and grant you mercy and peace.” 12 Then Raguel summoned his daughter Sarah. When she came to him he took her by the hand and gave her to Tobias,[h] saying, “Take her to be your wife in accordance with the law and decree written in the book of Moses. Take her and bring her safely to your father. And may the God of heaven prosper your journey with his peace.” 13 Then he called her mother and told her to bring writing material; and he wrote out a copy of a marriage contract, to the effect that he gave her to him as wife according to the decree of the law of Moses. 14 Then they began to eat and drink.

This the word of the Lord

Tobit 8.4-8

 A reading from the book of Tobit                                                       8.4-8 

On the evening of their Marriage, Tobias said to Sarah, ‘You and I must pray and implore our Lord that he grant us mercy and safety.” So she got up, and they began to pray and implore that they might be kept safe. Tobias began by saying,

“Blessed are you, O God of our ancestors,
    and blessed is your name in all generations forever.
Let the heavens and the whole creation bless you forever.
You made Adam, and for him you made his wife Eve
    as a helper and support.
    From the two of them the human race has sprung.
You said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone;
    let us make a helper for him like himself.’
 I now am taking this kinswoman of mine,
    not because of lust,
    but with sincerity.
Grant that she and I may find mercy
    and that we may grow old together.”

And they both said, “Amen, Amen.” Then they went to sleep for the night.

This is the word of the Lord