Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 126

A Song of ^[a]Ascents.

¹ When the Lord brought back the captives [who returned] to Zion, we were like those who dream [it seemed so unreal].^(A)

² Then were our mouths filled with laughter, and our tongues with singing. Then they said among the nations, The Lord has done great things for them.

³ The Lord has done great things for us! We are glad!

⁴ Turn to freedom our captivity and restore our fortunes, O Lord, as the streams in the South (the Negeb) [are restored by the torrents].

⁵ They who sow in tears shall reap in joy and singing.

⁶ He who goes forth bearing seed and weeping [at needing his precious supply of grain for sowing] shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

¹⁸ In that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of [the Hebrews of] Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord of hosts. One of them will be called the City of the Sun or Destruction.

¹⁹ In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the Lord at its border.

²⁰ And it will be a sign and a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they will cry to the Lord because of oppressors, and He will send them a savior, even a mighty one, and he will deliver them.^(A)

²¹ And the Lord will make Himself known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know (have knowledge of, be acquainted with, give heed to, and cherish) the Lord in that day and will worship with sacrifices of animal and vegetable offerings; they will vow a vow to the Lord and perform it.

²² And the Lord shall smite Egypt, smiting and healing it; and they will return to the Lord, and He will listen to their entreaties and heal them.

²³ In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian will come into Egypt and the Egyptian into Assyria; and the Egyptians will worship [the Lord] with the Assyrians.

²⁴ In that day Israel shall be the third, with Egypt and with Assyria [in a Messianic league], a blessing in the midst of the earth,

²⁵ Whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying, Blessed be Egypt My people and Assyria the work of My hands and Israel My heritage.

² May grace (God’s favor) and peace (which is ^[a]perfect well-being, all necessary good, all spiritual prosperity, and ^[b]freedom from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts) be multiplied to you in [the full, personal, ^[c]precise, and correct] knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

³ For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [^[d]full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue).

⁴ By means of these He has bestowed on us His precious and exceedingly great promises, so that through them you may escape [by flight] from the moral decay (rottenness and corruption) that is in the world because of covetousness (lust and greed), and become sharers (partakers) of the divine nature.

⁵ For this very reason, ^[e]adding your diligence [to the divine promises], employ every effort in ^[f]exercising your faith to develop virtue (excellence, resolution, Christian energy), and in [exercising] virtue [develop] knowledge (intelligence),

⁶ And in [exercising] knowledge [develop] self-control, and in [exercising] self-control [develop] steadfastness (patience, endurance), and in [exercising] steadfastness [develop] godliness (piety),

⁷ And in [exercising] godliness [develop] brotherly affection, and in [exercising] brotherly affection [develop] Christian love.

⁸ For as these qualities are yours and increasingly abound in you, they will keep [you] from being idle or unfruitful unto the [^[g]full personal] knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

⁹ For whoever lacks these qualities is blind, [^[h]spiritually] shortsighted, ^[i]seeing only what is near to him, and has become oblivious [to the fact] that he was cleansed from his old sins.

¹⁰ Because of this, brethren, be all the more solicitous and eager to make sure (to ratify, to strengthen, to make steadfast) your calling and election; for if you do this, you will never stumble or fall.

¹¹ Thus there will be richly and abundantly provided for you entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

¹² So I intend always to remind you about these things, although indeed you know them and are firm in the truth that [you] now [hold].

¹³ I think it right, as long as I am in this tabernacle (tent, body), to stir you up by way of remembrance,

¹⁴ Since I know that the laying aside of this body of mine will come speedily, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me.

¹⁵ Moreover, I will diligently endeavor [to see to it] that [even] after my departure (decease) you may be able at all times to call these things to mind.