Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

To the Overcomer, A Song or Psalm.

¹ ¶ Make a joyful noise unto God, all the earth;

² sing forth the glory of his name; put glory into thy praise.

³ Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! Through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee.

⁴ All the earth shall worship thee and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.

⁵ Come and see the works of God; he is terrible in his doing toward the sons of men.

⁶ He turned the sea into dry land; they went through the river on foot; there did we rejoice in him.

⁷ He rules by his power for ever; his eyes watch the Gentiles; the rebellious shall not exalt themselves. Selah.

⁸ ¶ O bless our God, ye peoples, and make the voice of his praise to be heard.

⁹ It is he who placed our soul into life and did not suffer our feet to slip.

⁴⁷ Therefore, behold, the days come that I will visit the graven images of Babylon; and her whole land shall be ashamed, and all her dead shall fall in the midst of her.

⁴⁸ Then the heavens and the earth and all that is therein shall sing praises over Babylon; for the destroyers shall come unto her from the north, said the LORD.

⁴⁹ As Babylon has caused the dead of Israel to fall, so because of Babylon the dead of all the earth fell.

⁵⁰ Ye that have escaped the sword, go away, do not tarry: remember the LORD for many days, and remember Jerusalem.

⁵¹ We are ashamed, because we have heard the reproach; confusion has covered our faces; for strangers are come against the sanctuaries of the LORD’s house.

⁵² Therefore, behold, the days come, said the LORD, that I will visit her graven images; and through all her land the wounded unto death shall groan.

⁵³ Though Babylon should mount up to heaven, and though she should fortify her strength upon high, yet from me shall destroyers come unto her, said the LORD.

⁵⁴ The sound of a cry comes from Babylon, and great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans!

⁵⁵ Because the LORD destroys Babylon and takes out of her the many thunders, her waves shall roar; like many waters shall be the sound of their voice:

⁵⁶ because the destroyer is come against her, even upon Babylon, and her mighty men are taken, their bow is broken: for the LORD God of recompenses shall surely requite.

⁵⁷ And I will make drunk her princes, and her wise men, her captains, and her rulers, and her mighty men; and they shall sleep an eternal sleep and shall not wake, saith the King, whose name is the LORD of the hosts.

⁵⁸ Thus hath the LORD of the hosts said; The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly cast down, and her high gates shall be burned with fire; and peoples and nations shall labour in vain in the fire to save her, and they shall become weary.

8 ¶ Likewise, brethren, we make known unto you the grace of God bestowed on the congregations {Gr. ekklesia – called out ones} of Macedonia,

² how that in a great trial of tribulation the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.

³ For to their power, I bear record, and even beyond their power they were willing of themselves,

⁴ praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the grace and take upon us the fellowship of the ministry to the saints.

⁵ And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord and then unto us by the will of God.

⁶ Insomuch that we exhorted Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also complete among you the same grace also.

⁷ ¶ Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith and in word and in knowledge and in all diligence and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.