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
and disarm[a] kings,(C)
to open doors before him,
and even city 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 am the Lord.
I am the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.(G)
4 I call you by your name,
for the sake of my servant Jacob(H)
and Israel my chosen one.
I give a name to you,
though you do not know me.
5 I am the Lord, 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 the Lord, and there is no other.
7 I form light and create darkness,(L)
I make success and create disaster;(M)
I am the Lord, who does all these things.
Psalm 96(A)
King of the Earth
1 Sing a new song to the Lord;
let the whole earth sing to the Lord.(B)
2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
proclaim his salvation from day to day.(C)
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his wondrous 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 celebrate.
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, making mention of you constantly in our prayers. 3 We recall, in the presence of our God and Father,(D) your work produced by faith,(E) your labor motivated by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.(F) 4 For we know, brothers and sisters loved(G) by God,(H) that he has chosen you,(I) 5 because our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit,(J) and with full assurance. You know how we lived among you(K) for your benefit, 6 and you yourselves 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 word of the Lord 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 So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians.(B) “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are truthful and teach truthfully the way of God. You don’t care what anyone thinks nor do you show partiality.[b](C) 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar(D) or not?”
18 Perceiving their malicious intent, Jesus said, “Why are you testing me, hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin used for the tax.” They brought him a denarius.[c] 20 “Whose image and inscription is this?” he asked them.
21 “Caesar’s,” they said to him.
Then he said to them, “Give, then, 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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