Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

96 Sing a new song to the Lord! Sing it everywhere around the world! ² Sing out his praises! Bless his name. Each day tell someone that he saves.

³ Publish his glorious acts throughout the earth. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does. ⁴ For the Lord is great beyond description and greatly to be praised. Worship only him among the gods! ⁵ For the gods of other nations are merely idols, but our God made the heavens! ⁶ Honor and majesty surround him; strength and beauty are in his Temple.

⁷ O nations of the world, confess that God alone is glorious and strong. ⁸ Give him the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come to worship him.^{[a] 9} Worship the Lord with the beauty of holy lives.^[b] Let the earth tremble before him.

³¹ “If a man is accused of doing something wrong and then, standing here before your altar, swears that he didn’t do it, ³² hear him in heaven and do what is right; judge whether or not he did it.

^33-34 “And when your people sin and their enemies defeat them, hear them from heaven and forgive them if they turn to you again and confess that you are their God. Bring them back again to this land which you have given to their fathers.

^35-36 “And when the skies are shut up and there is no rain because of their sin, hear them from heaven and forgive them when they pray toward this place and confess your name. And after you have punished them, help them to follow the good ways in which they should walk, and send rain upon the land that you have given your people.

³⁷ “If there is a famine in the land caused by plant disease or locusts or caterpillars, or if Israel’s enemies besiege one of her cities, or if the people are struck by an epidemic or plague—or whatever the problem is— ³⁸ then when the people realize their sin and pray toward this Temple, ³⁹ hear them from heaven and forgive and answer all who have made an honest confession; for you know each heart. ⁴⁰ In this way they will always learn to reverence you as they continue to live in this land that you have given their fathers.

³¹ Then he returned to Capernaum, a city in Galilee, and preached there in the synagogue every Saturday. ³² Here, too, the people were amazed at the things he said. For he spoke as one who knew the truth, instead of merely quoting the opinions of others as his authority.

³³ Once as he was teaching in the synagogue, a man possessed by a demon began shouting at Jesus, ³⁴ “Go away! We want nothing to do with you, Jesus from Nazareth. You have come to destroy us. I know who you are—the Holy Son of God.”

³⁵ Jesus cut him short. “Be silent!” he told the demon. “Come out!” The demon threw the man to the floor as the crowd watched, and then left him without hurting him further.

³⁶ Amazed, the people asked, “What is in this man’s words that even demons obey him?” ³⁷ The story of what he had done spread like wildfire throughout the whole region.