Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
8 This is what the Lord says:
“At a (A)favorable time I answered You,
And on a day of salvation I helped You;
And I will (B)watch over You and (C)make You a covenant of the people,
To [a](D)restore the land, to give as inheritances the deserted hereditary lands;
9 Saying to those who are (E)bound, ‘[b]Go free,’
To those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’
They will feed along the roads,
And their pasture will be on all (F)bare heights.
10 They will (G)not hunger or thirst,
Nor will the scorching (H)heat or sun strike them down;
For (I)He who has compassion on them will (J)lead them,
And He will guide them to (K)springs of water.
11 I will make all (L)My mountains a road,
And My (M)highways will be raised up.
12 Behold, these will come (N)from afar;
And behold, these will come from the (O)north and from the west,
And these from the land of Aswan.”
13 (P)Shout for joy, you heavens! And rejoice, you earth!
Break forth into joyful shouting, mountains!
For the (Q)Lord has comforted His people
And will (R)have compassion on His afflicted.
Promise to Zion
14 But Zion said, “The Lord has abandoned me,
And the Lord has forgotten me.”
15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child
And have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget, but (S)I will not forget you.
16 Behold, I have (T)inscribed you on the palms of My hands;
Your (U)walls are continually before Me.
Childlike Trust in the Lord.
A Song of Ascents, of David.
131 Lord, my heart is not (A)proud, nor my eyes (B)arrogant;
Nor do I [a]involve myself in (C)great matters,
Or in things (D)too [b]difficult for me.
2 I have certainly (E)soothed and quieted my soul;
Like a weaned (F)child resting [c]against his mother,
My soul [d]within me is like a weaned child.
3 Israel, (G)wait for the Lord
(H)From this time on and forever.
Servants of Christ
4 This is the way any person is to regard us: as (A)servants of Christ and (B)stewards of (C)the mysteries of God. 2 In this case, moreover, it is required [a]of stewards that one be found trustworthy. 3 But to me it is an insignificant matter that I would be examined by you, or by any human [b]court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. 4 For I (D)am not aware of anything against myself; however I am not (E)vindicated by this, but the one who examines me is the Lord. 5 Therefore (F)do not go on [c]passing judgment before [d]the time, but wait (G)until the Lord comes, who will both (H)bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of human hearts; and then (I)praise will come to each person from God.
24 “(A)No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and [a](B)wealth.
The Cure for Anxiety
25 “(C)For this reason I say to you, [b]do not be (D)worried about your [c]life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 (E)Look at the birds of the sky, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather crops into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more important than they? 27 And which of you by (F)worrying can (G)add a single [d]day to his [e]life’s span? 28 And why are you (H)worried about clothing? Notice how the lilies of the field grow; they do not labor nor do they spin thread for cloth, 29 yet I say to you that not even (I)Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the (J)grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? (K)You of little faith! 31 Do not (L)worry then, saying, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear for clothing?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for (M)your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But [f]seek first [g]His kingdom and His righteousness, and (N)all these things will be [h]provided to you.
34 “So do not (O)worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will [i]worry about itself. [j]Each day has enough trouble of its own.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.