Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
The Magnificat
46 And Mary said:
“(A)My soul [a](B)exalts the Lord,
47 And (C)my spirit has rejoiced in (D)God my Savior.
48 “For (E)He has had regard for the humble state of His [b]bondslave;
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 [c]upon generation after generation
Toward those who fear Him.
51 “(H)He has done [d]mighty deeds with His arm;
He has scattered those who were proud in the [e]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,
[f]In remembrance of His mercy,
55 (K)As He spoke to our fathers,
(L)To Abraham and his [g]descendants forever.”
Samuel Is Born to Hannah
19 Then they arose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord, and returned again to their house in (A)Ramah. And Elkanah [a]had relations with Hannah his wife, and (B)the Lord remembered her. 20 It came about [b]in due time, after Hannah had conceived, that she gave birth to a son; and she named him Samuel, saying, “(C)Because I have asked him of the Lord.”
21 Then the man Elkanah (D)went up with all his household to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and pay his vow. 22 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “I will not go up until the child is weaned; then I will (E)bring him, that he may appear before the Lord and (F)stay there forever.” 23 (G)Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best [c]to you. Remain until you have weaned him; only (H)may the Lord confirm His word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him. 24 Now when she had weaned him, (I)she took him up with her, with a three-year-old bull and one ephah of flour and a jug of wine, and brought him to (J)the house of the Lord in Shiloh, although the child was young. 25 Then (K)they slaughtered the bull, and (L)brought the boy to Eli. 26 She said, “Oh, my lord! (M)As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you, praying to the Lord. 27 (N)For this boy I prayed, and the Lord has given me my petition which I asked of Him. 28 (O)So I have also [d]dedicated him to the Lord; as long as he lives he is [e]dedicated to the Lord.” And (P)he worshiped the Lord there.
A Better Ministry
8 Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a (A)high priest, who has taken His seat at (B)the right hand of the throne of the (C)Majesty in the heavens, 2 a (D)minister [a]in the sanctuary and [b]in the (E)true [c]tabernacle, which the Lord (F)pitched, not man. 3 For every (G)high priest is appointed (H)to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer. 4 Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who (I)offer the gifts according to the Law; 5 who serve (J)a copy and (K)shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses [d]was (L)warned by God when he was about to erect the [e]tabernacle; for, “(M)See,” He says, “that you make all things according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.” 6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the (N)mediator of (O)a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.
A New Covenant
7 For (P)if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second. 8 For finding fault with them, He says,
“(Q)Behold, days are coming, says the Lord,
[f]When I will effect (R)a new covenant
With the house of Israel and with the house of Judah;
9 (S)Not like the covenant which I made with their fathers
On the day when I took them by the hand
To lead them out of the land of Egypt;
For they did not continue in My covenant,
And I did not care for them, says the Lord.
10 “(T)For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
After those days, says the Lord:
[g]I will put My laws into their minds,
And I will write them (U)on their hearts.
And I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.
11 “(V)And they shall not teach everyone his fellow citizen,
And everyone his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
For (W)all will know Me,
From [h]the least to the greatest of them.
12 “(X)For I will be merciful to their iniquities,
(Y)And I will remember their sins no more.”
13 [i]When He said, “(Z)A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. (AA)But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is [j]ready to disappear.
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