The Lord Is My Light and My Salvation

Of David.

Judah Profaned the Covenant

¹⁰ Have we not all ^(A)one Father? Has not ^(B)one God created us? Why then are we ^(C)faithless to one another, profaning the covenant of our fathers? ¹¹ Judah has been ^(D)faithless, and abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem. For ^(E)Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the Lord, which he loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god. ¹² May the Lord cut off from the tents of Jacob any descendant^[a] of the man who does this, who ^(F)brings an offering to the Lord of hosts!

¹³ And this second thing you do. ^(G)You cover the Lord's altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. ^14 (H)But you say, “Why does he not?” Because the Lord ^(I)was witness between you and the wife of your youth, ^(J)to whom ^(K)you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. ^15 (L)Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union?^[b] And what was the one God^[c] seeking?^{[d] (M)}Godly offspring. So guard yourselves^[e] in your spirit, and let none of you be ^(N)faithless to the wife of your youth. ¹⁶ “For ^(O)the man who does not love his wife but divorces her,^[f] says the Lord, the God of Israel, covers^[g] his garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and ^(P)do not be faithless.”

The Messenger of the Lord

^17 (Q)You have wearied the Lord with your words. ^(R)But you say, “How have we wearied him?” ^(S)By saying, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights in them.” Or by asking, ^(T)“Where is the God of justice?”

3 ^(U)“Behold, I send ^(V)my messenger, and ^(W)he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord ^(X)whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and ^(Y)the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.

Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

^5 (A)In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah,^{[a] (B)}of ^(C)the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. ⁶ And they were both ^(D)righteous before God, walking ^(E)blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. ⁷ But they had no child, because ^(F)Elizabeth was barren, and ^(G)both were advanced in years.

⁸ Now ^(H)while he was serving as priest before God when ^(I)his division was on duty, ⁹ according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot ^(J)to enter ^(K)the temple of the Lord and burn incense. ¹⁰ And the whole multitude of the people ^(L)were praying ^(M)outside at the hour of incense. ¹¹ And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of ^(N)the altar of incense. ¹² And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and ^(O)fear fell upon him. ¹³ But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for ^(P)your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and ^(Q)you shall call his name John. ¹⁴ And you will have joy and gladness, and many will ^(R)rejoice at his birth, ¹⁵ for he will be ^(S)great before the Lord. And ^(T)he must not drink wine or strong ^(U)drink, and ^(V)he will be ^(W)filled with the Holy Spirit, ^(X)even from his mother's womb. ¹⁶ And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, ¹⁷ and ^(Y)he will go before him ^(Z)in the spirit and power of Elijah, ^(AA)to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and ^(AB)the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, ^(AC)to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”