Zephaniah 3:14-20
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
A Song of Joy
14 Sing aloud, O daughter Zion;
shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter Jerusalem!(A)
15 The Lord has taken away the judgments against you;
he has turned away your enemies.
The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
you shall fear disaster no more.(B)
16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Do not fear, O Zion;
do not let your hands grow weak.(C)
17 The Lord, your God, is in your midst,
a warrior who gives victory;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will renew you[a] in his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing(D)
18 as on a day of festival.”[b]
I will remove disaster from you,[c]
so that you will not bear reproach for it.
19 I will deal with all your oppressors
at that time.
And I will save the lame
and gather the outcast,
and I will change their shame into praise
and renown in all the earth.(E)
20 At that time I will bring you home,
at the time when I gather you;
for I will make you renowned and praised
among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes
before your eyes, says the Lord.(F)
Psalm 85
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Psalm 85
Prayer for the Restoration of God’s Favor
To the leader. Of the Korahites. A Psalm.
1 Lord, you were favorable to your land;
you restored the fortunes of Jacob.(A)
2 You forgave the iniquity of your people;
you pardoned all their sin. Selah(B)
3 You withdrew all your wrath;
you turned from your hot anger.
4 Restore us again, O God of our salvation,
and put away your indignation toward us.
5 Will you be angry with us forever?
Will you prolong your anger to all generations?(C)
6 Will you not revive us again,
so that your people may rejoice in you?(D)
7 Show us your steadfast love, O Lord,
and grant us your salvation.
8 Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,
for he will speak peace to his people,
to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.[a](E)
9 Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him,
that his glory may dwell in our land.(F)
10 Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
righteousness and peace will kiss each other.(G)
11 Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
and righteousness will look down from the sky.
12 The Lord will give what is good,
and our land will yield its increase.(H)
13 Righteousness will go before him
and will make a path for his steps.(I)
Footnotes
- 85.8 Gk: Heb but let them not turn back to folly
Philippians 4:4-9
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
4 Rejoice[a] in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.[b](A) 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.(B) 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.(C) 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.(D)
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about[c] these things. 9 As for the things that you have learned and received and heard and noticed in me, do them, and the God of peace will be with you.(E)
Read full chapter
Luke 3:7-20
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
7 John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?(A) 8 Therefore, bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.(B) 9 Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”(C)
10 And the crowds asked him, “What, then, should we do?”(D) 11 In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none, and whoever has food must do likewise.”(E) 12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?”(F) 13 He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.”(G) 14 Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.”(H)
15 As the people were filled with expectation and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah,[a](I) 16 John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with[b] the Holy Spirit and fire.(J) 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”(K)
18 So with many other exhortations he proclaimed the good news to the people. 19 But Herod the ruler, who had been rebuked by him because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the evil things that Herod had done,(L) 20 added to them all by shutting up John in prison.
Read full chapterNew Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.