Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
68 “(A)Blessed be the [a]Lord God of Israel,
For He visited and accomplished (B)redemption for His people,
69 And raised up a (C)horn of salvation for us
In the house of David (D)His servant—
70 (E)As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets (F)from of old—
71 [b](G)Salvation (H)from our enemies,
And from the hand of all who hate us,
72 (I)To show mercy toward our fathers,
(J)And to remember His holy covenant,
73 (K)The oath which He swore to Abraham our father,
74 To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,
75 (L)In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.
76 And you, child, will be called the (M)prophet of (N)the Most High,
For you will go on (O)before the [c]Lord to (P)make ready His ways,
77 To give to His people the knowledge of salvation
[d]By (Q)the forgiveness of their sins,
78 Because of the tender mercy of our God,
With which (R)the Sunrise from on high will visit us,
79 (S)To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To direct our feet into the (T)way of peace.”
Arrogant Words
13 “Your words have been strong against Me,” says Yahweh. “But you say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’ 14 You have said, ‘It is (A)worthless to serve God; and what (B)gain is it that we have kept His charge and that we have walked in mourning before Yahweh of hosts? 15 So now we (C)call the arrogant blessed; not only are the doers of wickedness built up, but they also test God and (D)escape.’”
The Book of Remembrance
16 Then those who [a]feared Yahweh spoke to one another, and Yahweh (E)gave heed and heard it, and a (F)book of remembrance was written before Him for those who [b]fear Yahweh and who think upon His name. 17 “And they will be (G)Mine,” says Yahweh of hosts, “on the (H)day that I [c]prepare My [d](I)own treasured possession, and I will [e]spare them as a man [f](J)spares his own son who serves him.” 18 So you will return and (K)see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.
18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice.
Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that (A)this will turn out for my salvation (B)through your [a]prayers and the provision of (C)the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20 according to my (D)earnest expectation and (E)hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with (F)all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be (G)magnified in my body, (H)whether by life or by death.
To Live Is Christ
21 For to me, (I)to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 [b]But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean (J)fruitful labor for me; and I do not know what I will choose. 23 But I am hard-pressed [c]between the two, having the (K)desire to depart and (L)be with Christ, for that is very much better, 24 yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. 25 (M)And convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy [d]in the faith, 26 so that your reason for (N)boasting may abound in Christ Jesus in me, through my coming to you again.
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