Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

126 A Song of the Ascents. In Jehovah's turning back [to] the captivity of Zion, We have been as dreamers.

² Then filled [with] laughter is our mouth, And our tongue [with] singing, Then do they say among nations, `Jehovah did great things with these.'

³ Jehovah did great things with us, We have been joyful.

⁴ Turn again, O Jehovah, [to] our captivity, As streams in the south.

⁵ Those sowing in tears, with singing do reap,

⁶ Whoso goeth on and weepeth, Bearing the basket of seed, Surely cometh in with singing, bearing his sheaves!

³ Strengthen ye the feeble hands, Yea, the stumbling knees strengthen.

⁴ Say to the hastened of heart, `Be strong, Fear not, lo, your God; vengeance cometh, The recompence of God, He Himself doth come and save you.'

⁵ Then opened are eyes of the blind, And ears of the deaf are unstopped,

⁶ Then leap as a hart doth the lame, And sing doth the tongue of the dumb, For broken up in a wilderness have been waters, And streams in a desert.

⁷ And the mirage hath become a pond, And the thirsty land fountains of waters, In the habitation of dragons, Its place of couching down, a court for reed and rush.

¹⁸ And the disciples of John told him about all these things,

¹⁹ and John having called near a certain two of his disciples, sent unto Jesus, saying, `Art thou he who is coming, or for another do we look?'

²⁰ And having come near to him, the men said, `John the Baptist sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he who is coming, or for another do we look?'

²¹ And in that hour he cured many from sicknesses, and plagues, and evil spirits, and to many blind he granted sight.

²² And Jesus answering said to them, `Having gone on, report to John what ye saw and heard, that blind men do see again, lame do walk, lepers are cleansed, deaf do hear, dead are raised, poor have good news proclaimed;

²³ and happy is he whoever may not be stumbled in me.'

²⁴ And the messengers of John having gone away, he began to say unto the multitudes concerning John: `What have ye gone forth to the wilderness to look on? a reed by the wind shaken?

²⁵ but what have ye gone forth to see? a man in soft garments clothed? lo, they in splendid apparellings, and living in luxury, are in the houses of kings!

²⁶ `But what have ye gone forth to see? a prophet? Yes, I say to you, and much more than a prophet:

²⁷ this is he concerning whom it hath been written, Lo, I send my messenger before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee;

²⁸ for I say to you, a greater prophet, among those born of women, than John the Baptist there is not; but the least in the reign of God is greater than he.'

²⁹ And all the people having heard, and the tax-gatherers, declared God righteous, having been baptized with the baptism of John,

³⁰ but the Pharisees, and the lawyers, the counsel of God did put away for themselves, not having been baptized by him.