Isaiah 42:1-9

Common English Bible

God’s servant described

42 But here is my servant, the one I uphold;
    my chosen, who brings me delight.
I’ve put my spirit upon him;
    he will bring justice to the nations.
²He won’t cry out or shout aloud
    or make his voice heard in public.
³He won’t break a bruised reed;
    he won’t extinguish a faint wick,
    but he will surely bring justice.
⁴He won’t be extinguished or broken
    until he has established justice in the land.
The coastlands await his teaching.

⁵God the Lord says—
    the one who created the heavens,
    the one who stretched them out,
    the one who spread out the earth and its offspring,
    the one who gave breath to its people
    and life to those who walk on it—
⁶I, the Lord, have called you for a good reason.
    I will grasp your hand and guard you,
    and give you as a covenant to the people,
    as a light to the nations,
⁷    to open blind eyes, to lead the prisoners from prison,
    and those who sit in darkness from the dungeon.
⁸I am the Lord;
    that is my name;
    I don’t hand out my glory to others
        or my praise to idols.
⁹The things announced in the past—look—they’ve already happened,
    but I’m declaring new things.
    Before they even appear,
    I tell you about them.

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Psalm 29

Common English Bible

Psalm 29

A psalm of David.

29 You, divine beings! Give to the Lord—
give to the Lord glory and power!
²Give to the Lord the glory due his name!
Bow down to the Lord in holy splendor!

³The Lord’s voice is over the waters;
    the glorious God thunders;
        the Lord is over the mighty waters.
⁴The Lord’s voice is strong;
    the Lord’s voice is majestic.
⁵The Lord’s voice breaks cedar trees—
    yes, the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon.
⁶He makes Lebanon jump around like a young bull,
    makes Sirion jump around like a young wild ox.
⁷The Lord’s voice unleashes fiery flames;
⁸    the Lord’s voice shakes the wilderness—
        yes, the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
⁹The Lord’s voice convulses the oaks,
    strips the forests bare,
        but in his temple everyone shouts, “Glory!”
¹⁰The Lord sits enthroned over the floodwaters;
    the Lord sits enthroned—king forever!

¹¹Let the Lord give strength to his people!
Let the Lord bless his people with peace!

Acts 10:34-43

Common English Bible

³⁴Peter said, “I really am learning that God doesn’t show partiality to one group of people over another. ³⁵Rather, in every nation, whoever worships him and does what is right is acceptable to him. ³⁶This is the message of peace he sent to the Israelites by proclaiming the good news through Jesus Christ: He is Lord of all! ³⁷You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism John preached. ³⁸You know about Jesus of Nazareth, whom God anointed with the Holy Spirit and endowed with power. Jesus traveled around doing good and healing everyone oppressed by the devil because God was with him. ³⁹We are witnesses of everything he did, both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, ⁴⁰but God raised him up on the third day and allowed him to be seen, ⁴¹not by everyone but by us. We are witnesses whom God chose beforehand, who ate and drank with him after God raised him from the dead. ⁴²He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

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Matthew 3:13-17

Common English Bible

Baptism of Jesus

¹³At that time Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan River so that John would baptize him. ¹⁴John tried to stop him and said, “I need to be baptized by you, yet you come to me?”

¹⁵Jesus answered, “Allow me to be baptized now. This is necessary to fulfill all righteousness.”

So John agreed to baptize Jesus. ¹⁶When Jesus was baptized, he immediately came up out of the water. Heaven was opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God coming down like a dove and resting on him. ¹⁷A voice from heaven said, “This is my Son whom I dearly love; I find happiness in him.”

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