Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

A Psalm or Song for the sons of Korah.

¹ ¶ His foundation is in mountains of holiness.

² The LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

³ Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah.

⁴ ¶ I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to those that know me; behold Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia; this one was born there.

⁵ And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man were born in her; and the highest himself shall establish her.

⁶ The LORD shall count when he writes up the peoples that this one was born there. Selah.

⁷ And singers and players on instruments in her shall say: all my springs are in thee.

⁸ ¶ Bring forth the people that is blind that have eyes and the deaf that have ears.

⁹ Let all the Gentiles be gathered together as one, and let the peoples be joined; who among them can declare this and show us former things? Let them bring forth their witnesses that they may be justified or let them hear and say, It is truth.

¹⁰ Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my slave whom I have chosen that ye may know and believe me and understand that I am he; before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

¹¹ I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.

¹² I have declared and have saved, and I have showed when there was no strange god among you; therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God.

¹³ Even before the day was I existed; and there is no one that can deliver out of my hand; if I work, who shall hinder it?

¹³ For (I call you Gentiles) inasmuch as I am truly the apostle of the Gentiles, my honorable ministry,

¹⁴ if in any manner I may provoke my nation to jealousy and cause some of them to be saved.

¹⁵ For if the casting away of them is the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?

¹⁶ For if the firstfruit is holy, so shall the rest be; and if the root is holy, so shall be the branches.

¹⁷ And if some of the branches were broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them and hath been made participant of the root and of the fatness of the olive tree,

¹⁸ do not boast against the branches. But if thou boast, know that thou dost not bear the root, but the root thee.

¹⁹ Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.

²⁰ Good; because of their unbelief they were broken off, but thou by faith art standing. Do not be highminded, but fear

²¹ that if God did not forgive the natural branches, neither shall he forgive thee.

²² Behold, therefore, the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity, but toward thee, goodness if thou continue in his goodness; otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

²³ And even them, if they do not continue in unbelief, shall be grafted in, for God is powerful enough to graft them in again.

²⁴ For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature and wert grafted contrary to nature into the good olive tree, how much more shall these, which are the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?

²⁵ For I would not, brethren, that ye ignore this mystery, that ye not be arrogant regarding yourselves: that blindness in part has happened in Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles are come in.

²⁶ And even if all Israel were saved, as it is written: There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall take away the ungodliness from Jacob;

²⁷ and this shall be my covenant unto them when I shall take away their sins.

²⁸ So that, as concerning the gospel, I have them for enemies for your sakes; but as touching the election of God, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes.

²⁹ For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.