Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
The Joy of the Redeemed
35 The (A)wilderness and the desert will be delighted,
And the [a](B)Arabah will rejoice and flourish;
Like the crocus
2 It will (C)flourish profusely
And (D)rejoice with rejoicing and shout of joy.
The (E)glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
The majesty of (F)Carmel and Sharon.
They will see the (G)glory of Yahweh,
The majesty of our God.
3 (H)Strengthen limp hands, and give courage to the knees of the stumbling.
4 Say to those with an (I)anxious heart,
“Be strong, fear not.
Behold, your God will come with (J)vengeance;
The (K)recompense of God will come,
But He will (L)save you.”
5 Then the (M)eyes of the blind will be opened,
And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.
6 Then the (N)lame will leap like a deer,
And the (O)tongue of the mute will shout for joy.
For waters will break forth in the (P)wilderness
And streams in the [b]Arabah.
7 Then the [c]scorched land will become a pool
And the thirsty ground (Q)springs of water;
In the (R)haunt of jackals, its resting place,
Grass becomes reeds and rushes.
8 (S)And a [d]roadway will be there, (T)a highway,
And it will be called the Highway of (U)Holiness.
The unclean will not pass by on it,
But it will be for him who walks in that way,
And (V)ignorant fools will not wander on it.
9 No (W)lion will be there,
Nor will any vicious beast go up on it;
[e]These will not be found there.
But (X)the redeemed will walk there,
10 And (Y)the ransomed of Yahweh will return
And come with joyful shouting to Zion,
With everlasting gladness upon their heads.
They will [f]attain delight and gladness,
And (Z)sorrow and sighing will flee away.
5 How (A)blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
Whose (B)hope is in Yahweh his God,
6 Who (C)made heaven and earth,
The (D)sea and all that is in them;
Who (E)keeps truth forever;
7 Who (F)does justice for the oppressed;
Who (G)gives food to the hungry.
Yahweh (H)sets the prisoners free.
8 Yahweh (I)opens the eyes of the blind;
Yahweh (J)raises up those who are bowed down;
Yahweh (K)loves the righteous;
9 Yahweh (L)keeps the sojourners;
He [a](M)helps up the orphan and the widow,
But He bends (N)the way of the wicked.
10 Yahweh will (O)reign forever,
Your God, O Zion, [b]from generation to generation.
[c]Praise Yah!
Mary Magnifies the Lord
46 And Mary said:
“(A)My soul (B)magnifies the [a]Lord,
47 And (C)my spirit has rejoiced in (D)God my Savior.
48 For (E)He has looked upon the humble state of His slave,
For behold, from this time on, all generations will count me (F)blessed.
49 For the Mighty One has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
50 (G)And His mercy is [b]upon generation after generation
Toward those who fear Him.
51 (H)He has done a mighty deed with His arm;
He has scattered those who were proud in the [c]thoughts of their heart.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
And has (I)exalted those who were humble.
53 (J)He has filled the hungry with good things,
And sent away the rich empty-handed.
54 He has given help to Israel His servant,
[d]In remembrance of His mercy,
55 (K)As He spoke to our fathers,
(L)To Abraham and his seed forever.”
Patience and Perseverance
7 Therefore be patient, (A)brothers, (B)until the coming of the Lord. Behold, (C)the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the soil, being patient about it, until [a]it receives (D)the early and late rains. 8 (E)You too be patient; (F)strengthen your hearts, for (G)the coming of the Lord is (H)at hand. 9 (I)Do not groan, (J)brothers, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged. Behold, (K)the Judge is standing [b](L)right at the [c]door. 10 As an example, (M)brothers, of suffering and patience, take (N)the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
2 (A)Now when (B)John in prison heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to Him, “Are You (C)the One who is to come, or shall we look for someone else?” 4 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: 5 (D)the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the (E)poor have the [a]gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he [b]who (F)does not [c]take offense at Me.”
Jesus’ Tribute to John the Baptist
7 Now as these men were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, “What did you go out into (G)the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 [d]But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ [e]palaces! 9 [f]But what did you go out to see? (H)A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one who is more than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom it [g]is written,
11 Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is [i]least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
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