Mary's Song of Praise: The Magnificat

46 And Mary said,

(A)“My (B)soul (C)magnifies the Lord,
47     (D)and my (E)spirit rejoices in (F)God my Savior,
48 for (G)he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
    For behold, from now on all generations (H)will call me blessed;
49 for (I)he who is mighty (J)has done great things for me,
    and (K)holy is his name.
50 And (L)his mercy is for those who fear him
    from generation to generation.
51 (M)He has shown strength with his arm;
    (N)he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52 (O)he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
    (P)and exalted those of humble estate;
53 he has filled (Q)the hungry with good things,
    and the rich (R)he has sent away empty.
54 He has (S)helped (T)his servant Israel,
    (U)in remembrance of his mercy,
55 (V)as he spoke to our fathers,
    (W)to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

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46-55 And Mary said,

I’m bursting with God-news;
    I’m dancing the song of my Savior God.
God took one good look at me, and look what happened—
    I’m the most fortunate woman on earth!
What God has done for me will never be forgotten,
    the God whose very name is holy, set apart from all others.
His mercy flows in wave after wave
    on those who are in awe before him.
He bared his arm and showed his strength,
    scattered the bluffing braggarts.
He knocked tyrants off their high horses,
    pulled victims out of the mud.
The starving poor sat down to a banquet;
    the callous rich were left out in the cold.
He embraced his chosen child, Israel;
    he remembered and piled on the mercies, piled them high.
It’s exactly what he promised,
    beginning with Abraham and right up to now.

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17 (A)Your eyes will behold the king in his beauty;
    (B)they will see a land that stretches afar.
18 (C)Your heart will muse on the terror:
    “Where is he who counted, where is (D)he who weighed the tribute?
    Where is (E)he who counted the towers?”
19 (F)You will see no more the insolent people,
    the people (G)of an obscure speech that you cannot comprehend,
    stammering in a tongue that you cannot understand.
20 Behold Zion, the city of our appointed feasts!
    (H)Your eyes will see Jerusalem,
    an untroubled habitation, an (I)immovable tent,
whose stakes will never be plucked up,
    nor will any of its cords be broken.
21 But there the Lord in majesty will be for us
    a place of (J)broad rivers and streams,
(K)where no galley with oars can go,
    nor majestic ship can pass.
22 For the Lord is our (L)judge; the Lord is our (M)lawgiver;
    the Lord is our (N)king; he will save us.

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God Makes All the Decisions Here

17-19 Oh, you’ll see the king—a beautiful sight!
    And you’ll take in the wide vistas of land.
In your mind you’ll go over the old terrors:
    “What happened to that Assyrian inspector who condemned and confiscated?
And the one who gouged us of taxes?
    And that cheating moneychanger?”
Gone! Out of sight forever! Their insolence
    nothing now but a fading stain on the carpet!
No more putting up with a language you can’t understand,
    no more sounds of gibberish in your ears.

20-22 Just take a look at Zion, will you?
    Centering our worship in festival feasts!
Feast your eyes on Jerusalem,
    a quiet and permanent place to live.
No more pulling up stakes and moving on,
    no more patched-together lean-tos.
Instead, God! God majestic, God himself the place
    in a country of broad rivers and streams,
But rivers blocked to invading ships,
    off-limits to predatory pirates.
For God makes all the decisions here. God is our king.
    God runs this place and he’ll keep us safe.

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Jesus Is Coming

And he said to me, (A)“These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of (B)the spirits of the prophets, (C)has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”

“And behold, (D)I am coming soon. (E)Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

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Don’t Put It Away on the Shelf

6-7 The Angel said to me, “These are dependable and accurate words, every one. The God and Master of the spirits of the prophets sent his Angel to show his servants what must take place, and soon. And tell them, ‘Yes, I’m on my way!’ Blessed be the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

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18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: (A)if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in (B)the tree of life and in (C)the holy city, which are described in this book.

20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely (D)I am coming soon.” Amen. (E)Come, Lord Jesus!

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18-19 I give fair warning to all who hear the words of the prophecy of this book: If you add to the words of this prophecy, God will add to your life the disasters written in this book; if you subtract from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will subtract your part from the Tree of Life and the Holy City that are written in this book.

20 He who testifies to all these things says it again: “I’m on my way! I’ll be there soon!”

Yes! Come, Master Jesus!

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