Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

⁶⁸ Blessed be [the] Lord the God of Israel, because he has visited and wrought redemption for his people,

⁶⁹ and raised up a horn of deliverance for us in the house of David his servant;

⁷⁰ as he spoke by [the] mouth of his holy prophets, who have been since the world began;

⁷¹ deliverance from our enemies and out of the hand of all who hate us;

⁷² to fulfil mercy with our fathers and remember his holy covenant,

⁷³ [the] oath which he swore to Abraham our father,

⁷⁴ to give us, that, saved out of the hand of our enemies, we should serve him without fear

⁷⁵ in piety and righteousness before him all our days.

⁷⁶ And *thou*, child, shalt be called [the] prophet of [the] Highest; for thou shalt go before the face of [the] Lord to make ready his ways;

⁷⁷ to give knowledge of deliverance to his people by [the] remission of their sins

⁷⁸ on account of [the] bowels of mercy of our God; wherein [the] dayspring from on high has visited us,

⁷⁹ to shine upon them who were sitting in darkness and in [the] shadow of death, to guide our feet into [the] way of peace.

⁵ And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against the false swearers, and against those that oppress the hired servant in [his] wages, the widow and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger [from his right], and fear not me, saith Jehovah of hosts.

⁶ For I Jehovah change not, and ye, sons of Jacob, are not consumed.

⁷ Since the days of your fathers have ye departed from my statutes, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith Jehovah of hosts. But ye say, Wherein shall we return?

⁸ Will a man rob God? But ye rob me. And ye say, Wherein do we rob thee? [In] tithes and heave-offerings.

⁹ Ye are cursed with a curse; and me ye rob, [even] this whole nation.

¹⁰ Bring the whole tithe into the treasure-house, that there may be food in my house, and prove me now herewith, saith Jehovah of hosts, if I open not to you the windows of the heavens, and pour you out a blessing, till there be no place for it.

¹¹ And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast its fruit before the time in the field, saith Jehovah of hosts.

¹² And all nations shall call you blessed; for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith Jehovah of hosts.

¹² But I would have you know, brethren, that the circumstances in which I am have turned out rather to the furtherance of the glad tidings,

¹³ so that my bonds have become manifest [as being] in Christ in all the praetorium and to all others;

¹⁴ and that the most of the brethren, trusting in [the] Lord through my bonds, dare more abundantly to speak the word of God fearlessly.

¹⁵ Some indeed also for envy and strife, but some also for good will, preach the Christ.

¹⁶ These indeed out of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the glad tidings;

¹⁷ but those out of contention, announce the Christ, not purely, supposing to arouse tribulation for my bonds.

¹⁸ What is it then? at any rate, in every way, whether in pretext or in truth, Christ is announced; and in this I rejoice, yea, also I will rejoice;