Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

⁵ Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God,

⁶ who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that therein is, who keepeth truth for ever;

⁷ who executeth judgment for the oppressed, who giveth food to the hungry; the Lord looseth the prisoners.

⁸ The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind; the Lord raiseth them that are bowed down; the Lord loveth the righteous.

⁹ The Lord preserveth the strangers, He relieveth the fatherless and the widow; but the way of the wicked He turneth upside down.

¹⁰ The Lord shall reign for ever, even Thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the Lord!

2 And Hannah prayed and said, “My heart rejoiceth in the Lord; mine horn is exalted in the Lord. My mouth is enlarged over mine enemies, because I rejoice in Thy salvation.

² There is none holy as the Lord, for there is none besides Thee; neither is there any rock like our God.

³ Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogance come out of your mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed.

⁴ “The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.

⁵ They that were full have hired out themselves for bread, and they that were hungry ceased hungering, so that the barren hath borne seven, and she that hath many children is waxed feeble.

⁶ “The Lord killeth and maketh alive; He bringeth down to the grave and bringeth up.

⁷ The Lord maketh poor and maketh rich; He bringeth low and lifteth up.

⁸ He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes and to make them inherit the throne of glory. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’S, and He hath set the world upon them.

3 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene,

² Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the Word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.

³ And he came into all the country about the Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins,

⁴ as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.

⁵ Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth;

⁶ and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”

⁷ Then said he to the multitude who came forth to be baptized by him, “O generation of vipers! Who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

⁸ Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say among yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say unto you, that God is able from these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

⁹ And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees. Every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire.”

¹⁰ And the people asked him, saying, “What shall we do then?”

¹¹ He answered and said unto them, “He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none. And he that hath meat, let him do likewise.”

¹² Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, “Master, what shall we do?”

¹³ And he said unto them, “Exact no more than that which is appointed you.”

¹⁴ And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, “And what shall we do?” And he said unto them, “Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.”

¹⁵ And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts whether John was the Christ or not,

¹⁶ John answered, saying unto them all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I cometh, the straps of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose. He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire.

¹⁷ His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor and will gather the wheat into His garner; but the chaff He will burn with fire unquenchable.”

¹⁸ And with many other exhortations preached he unto the people.