Malachi 3:1-4

New International Version

3 “I will send my messenger,^(A) who will prepare the way before me.^(B) Then suddenly the Lord^(C) you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant,^(D) whom you desire,^(E) will come,” says the Lord Almighty.

²But who can endure^(F) the day of his coming?^(G) Who can stand^(H) when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire^(I) or a launderer’s soap.^(J) ³He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver;^(K) he will purify^(L) the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.^(M) Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness,^(N) ⁴and the offerings^(O) of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.^(P)

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Luke 1:68-79

New International Version

⁶⁸“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,^(A)
    because he has come to his people and redeemed them.^(B)
⁶⁹He has raised up a horn^[a]^(C) of salvation for us
    in the house of his servant David^(D)
⁷⁰(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),^(E)
⁷¹salvation from our enemies
    and from the hand of all who hate us—
⁷²to show mercy to our ancestors^(F)
    and to remember his holy covenant,^(G)
⁷³    the oath he swore to our father Abraham:^(H)
⁷⁴to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
    and to enable us to serve him^(I) without fear^(J)
⁷⁵    in holiness and righteousness^(K) before him all our days.

⁷⁶And you, my child, will be called a prophet^(L) of the Most High;^(M)
    for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,^(N)
⁷⁷to give his people the knowledge of salvation
    through the forgiveness of their sins,^(O)
⁷⁸because of the tender mercy of our God,
    by which the rising sun^(P) will come to us from heaven
⁷⁹to shine on those living in darkness
    and in the shadow of death,^(Q)
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”^(R)

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Footnotes

Luke 1:69 Horn here symbolizes a strong king.

Philippians 1:3-11

New International Version

Thanksgiving and Prayer

³I thank my God every time I remember you.^(A) ⁴In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray^(B) with joy ⁵because of your partnership^(C) in the gospel from the first day^(D) until now, ⁶being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion^(E) until the day of Christ Jesus.^(F)

⁷It is right^(G) for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart^(H) and, whether I am in chains^(I) or defending^(J) and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. ⁸God can testify^(K) how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

⁹And this is my prayer: that your love^(L) may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,^(M) ¹⁰so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,^(N) ¹¹filled with the fruit of righteousness^(O) that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

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Luke 3:1-6

New International Version

John the Baptist Prepares the Way^(A)^(B)

3 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate^(C) was governor of Judea, Herod^(D) tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene— ²during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas,^(E) the word of God came to John^(F) son of Zechariah^(G) in the wilderness. ³He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.^(H) ⁴As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.
⁵Every valley shall be filled in,
    every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
    the rough ways smooth.
⁶And all people will see God’s salvation.’”^[a]^(I)