Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

A Song of degrees.

126 When Jehovah turned the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.

² Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with rejoicing: then said they among the nations, Jehovah hath done great things for them.

³ Jehovah hath done great things for us; [and] we are joyful.

⁴ Turn our captivity, O Jehovah, as the streams in the south.

⁵ They that sow in tears shall reap with rejoicing:

⁶ He goeth forth and weepeth, bearing seed for scattering; he cometh again with rejoicing, bearing his sheaves.

⁸ Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears.

⁹ Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the peoples be assembled: who among them declareth this, or causeth us to hear former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified; or let them hear, and say, [It is] truth.

¹⁰ Ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah, and my servant whom I have chosen; that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I [am] HE: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

¹¹ I, I [am] Jehovah; and besides me there is no saviour.

¹² It is I that have declared, and have saved, and have shewed, when there was no strange [god] among you; and ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah, that I [am] God.

¹³ Yea, since the day was, I [am] HE, and there is none that delivereth out of my hand: I will work, and who shall hinder it?

¹⁴ Thus saith Jehovah, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and have brought all of them down as fugitives, even the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships.

¹⁵ I [am] Jehovah, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.

²⁵ but I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow-workman and fellow-soldier, but your messenger and minister to my need,

²⁶ since he had a longing desire after you all, and was distressed because ye had heard that he was sick;

²⁷ for he was also sick close to death, but God had mercy on him, and not indeed on him alone, but also on me, that I might not have sorrow upon sorrow.

²⁸ I have sent him therefore the more diligently, that seeing him ye might again rejoice, and that *I* might be the less sorrowful.

²⁹ Receive him therefore in [the] Lord with all joy, and hold such in honour;

³⁰ because for the sake of the work he drew near even to death, venturing his life that he might fill up what lacked in your ministration toward me.

3 For the rest, my brethren, rejoice in [the] Lord: to write the same things to you, to me [is] not irksome, and for you safe.