Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
45 The Lord says this to Cyrus, His anointed,(A)
whose right hand I have grasped(B)
to subdue nations before him,
to disarm[a] kings,(C)
to open the doors before him
and the gates will not be shut:
2 “I will go before you
and level the uneven places;[b](D)
I will shatter the bronze doors
and cut the iron bars in two.(E)
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness
and riches from secret places,(F)
so that you may know that I, Yahweh,
the God of Israel call you by your name.(G)
4 I call you by your name,
because of Jacob My servant(H)
and Israel My chosen one.
I give a name to you,
though you do not know Me.
5 I am Yahweh, and there is no other;(I)
there is no God but Me.(J)
I will strengthen[c] you,
though you do not know Me,
6 so that all may know from the rising of the sun to its setting
that there is no one but Me.(K)
I am Yahweh, and there is no other.
7 I form light and create darkness,(L)
I make success and create disaster;(M)
I, Yahweh, do all these things.
Psalm 96(A)
King of the Earth
1 Sing a new song to the Lord;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.(B)
2 Sing to Yahweh, praise His name;
proclaim His salvation from day to day.(C)
3 Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonderful works among all peoples.(D)
10 Say among the nations: “The Lord reigns.(A)
The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken.(B)
He judges the peoples fairly.”(C)
11 Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and all that fills it resound.(D)
12 Let the fields and everything in them exult.
Then all the trees of the forest will shout for joy(E)
13 before the Lord, for He is coming—
for He is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness
and the peoples with His faithfulness.(F)
Greeting
1 Paul, Silvanus,[a](A) and Timothy:(B)
To the church of the Thessalonians(C) in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace to you and peace.[b]
Thanksgiving
2 We always thank God for all of you, remembering you constantly in our prayers. 3 We recall, in the presence of our God and Father,(D) your work of faith,(E) labor of love, and endurance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ,(F) 4 knowing your election,(G) brothers loved(H) by God.(I) 5 For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit,(J) and with much assurance. You know what kind of men we were among you(K) for your benefit, 6 and you became imitators of us and of the Lord when, in spite of severe persecution, you welcomed the message(L) with joy from the Holy Spirit. 7 As a result, you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia(M) and Achaia.(N) 8 For the Lord’s message rang out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place that your faith[c](O) in God has gone out. Therefore, we don’t need to say anything, 9 for they themselves report[d] what kind of reception(P) we had from you: how you turned(Q) to God from idols(R) to serve the living(S) and true(T) God 10 and to wait(U) for His Son(V) from heaven, whom He raised from the dead(W)—Jesus, who rescues us(X) from the coming wrath.(Y)
God and Caesar
15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to trap Him by what He said.[a](A) 16 They sent their disciples to Him, with the Herodians.(B) “Teacher,” they said, “we know that You are truthful and teach truthfully the way of God. You defer to no one, for You don’t show partiality.[b](C) 17 Tell us, therefore, what You think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar(D) or not?”
18 But perceiving their malice, Jesus said, “Why are you testing Me, hypocrites? 19 Show Me the coin used for the tax.” So they brought Him a denarius. 20 “Whose image and inscription is this?” He asked them.
21 “Caesar’s,” they said to Him.
Then He said to them, “Therefore give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”(E) 22 When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left Him and went away.
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