Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
The Servant of the Lord
49 “Listen to me, you coastlands!
Pay[a] attention, you people[b] from far away!
The Lord called me from the womb;
while I was still in my mother’s body,
he pronounced my name.
2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword;
he hid me in the shadow of his hands.[c]
He made me like a polished arrow
and hid me away in his quivers.[d]
3 He said to me: ‘You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will glorify myself.’
4 “I[e] said: ‘I’ve labored for nothing.
I’ve exhausted my strength on futility and on[f] emptiness.’
Yet surely my recompense is with the Lord,
and my reward is with my God.
5 “And now, says the Lord,
who formed you[g] from the womb as his servant
to bring Jacob back to him
so that Israel might be gathered[h] to him—
and I am honored in the Lord’s sight
and my God has been my help[i]—
6 he says: “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant,
to raise up the tribes of Israel[j]
and bring back those of Jacob[k] I have preserved.
I’ll also make you as a light to the nations,
to be my salvation to the ends[l] of the earth.
To the Director: A Davidic Psalm.
Prayer for Help and Praise to God
40 I waited expectantly[a] for the Lord,
and he took notice of me
and heard my cry.
2 He plucked me out of a pit of confusion,[b]
even out of the quicksand;
he placed my feet on a rock
and established my steps.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
praise to our God!
Many will watch and be in awe,
and they will place their trust in the Lord.
4 How blessed is that strong person
who places his trust in the Lord,
and who has not acknowledged the proud
nor resorted to lies.
5 Lord, my God,
You have done great things:
marvelous works and your thoughts toward us.
There is no one who compares to you!
I will try to recite your actions,[c]
even though there are too many to number.
6 You take no delight in sacrifices and offerings—
you have prepared my ears to listen—[d]
you require no burnt offerings or sacrifices for sin.
7 Then I said, “Here I am! I have come!
In the scroll of the book it is written about me.
8 I delight to do your will, my God.
Your Law is part of my inner being.”
9 In the great congregation I have proclaimed the righteous good news.
Behold, I did not seal my lips, Lord, as you know.
10 I have not ignored[e] your righteousness in my heart;
instead, I have proclaimed your faithfulness and deliverance.
I have not concealed your gracious love and truthfulness
from the great congregation.
11 Lord, do not withhold your mercy[f] from me,
for your gracious love and truthfulness will keep me safe continuously.
Paul Greets the Church in Corinth
1 From:[a] Paul, called to be an apostle of the Messiah[b] Jesus[c] by the will of God, and from our brother Sosthenes.
2 To: God’s church in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified by the Messiah[d] Jesus and called to be holy,[e] together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah[f]—their Lord[g] and ours.
3 May grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah,[h] be yours!
You are Rich
4 I always thank my[i] God for you because of the grace of God given you by the Messiah[j] Jesus. 5 For by him you have become rich in every way—in speech and knowledge of every kind— 6 while our testimony about the Messiah[k] has been confirmed among you. 7 Therefore, you don’t lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus the Messiah[l] to be revealed. 8 He will keep you strong until the end, so that you will be blameless on the Day of our Lord Jesus the Messiah.[m] 9 Faithful is the God by whom you were called into fellowship with his Son Jesus the Messiah,[n] our Lord.
29 The next day, John[a] saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one about whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks above me, because he existed before me.’ 31 I didn’t recognize him, but I came baptizing with[b] water so that he might be revealed to Israel.”
32 John also testified, “I saw the Spirit coming down from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I didn’t recognize him, but the one who sent me to baptize with[c] water told me, ‘The person on whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining is the one who baptizes with[d] the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen this and have testified that this is the Son[e] of God.”
The First Disciples
35 The next day, John was standing there again with two of his disciples. 36 As he watched Jesus walk by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” 37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.
38 But when Jesus turned around and saw them following, he asked them, “What are you looking for?”
They asked him, “Rabbi,” (which is translated “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”
39 He told them, “Come and see!” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon.[f]
40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus.[g] 41 The first thing Andrew[h] did was to find his brother Simon and say to him, “We have found the Anointed One!”[i] (which is translated “Messiah”).[j]
42 He led Simon[k] to Jesus. Jesus looked at him intently and said, “You are Simon, John’s son.[l] You will be called Cephas!”[m] (which is translated “Peter”).[n]
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