Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

To the chief Musician. A Song: a Psalm.

66 Shout aloud unto God, all the earth:

² Sing forth the glory of his name, make his praise glorious;

³ Say unto God, How terrible are thy works! because of the greatness of thy strength, thine enemies come cringing unto thee.

⁴ All the earth shall worship thee, and sing psalms unto thee: they shall sing forth thy name. Selah.

⁵ Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in [his] doings toward the children of men.

⁶ He turned the sea into dry [land]; they went through the river on foot: there did we rejoice in him.

⁷ He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes observe the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.

⁸ Bless our God, ye peoples, and make the voice of his praise to be heard;

⁹ Who hath set our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved.

⁴⁷ Therefore behold, days are coming when I will punish the graven images of Babylon; and her whole land shall be put to shame, and all her slain shall fall in the midst of her.

⁴⁸ And the heavens and the earth, and all that is therein, shall shout aloud over Babylon; for out of the north the spoilers shall come against her, saith Jehovah.

⁴⁹ As Babylon caused the slain of Israel to fall, so at Babylon shall fall the slain of all the earth.

⁵⁰ Ye that have escaped the sword, go, stand not still: remember Jehovah from afar, and let Jerusalem come into your mind.

⁵¹ —We are put to shame, for we have heard reproach; confusion hath covered our face: for strangers are come into the sanctuaries of Jehovah's house.

⁵² —Therefore behold, days come, saith Jehovah, that I will punish her graven images; and throughout her land the wounded shall groan.

⁵³ Though Babylon should mount up to the heavens, and though she should fortify the height of her strength, yet from me shall spoilers come unto her, saith Jehovah.

⁵⁴ The sound of a cry [cometh] from Babylon, and great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans;

⁵⁵ for Jehovah spoileth Babylon, and he will destroy out of her the great voice; and their waves roar like great waters, the noise of their voice resoundeth.

⁵⁶ For the spoiler is come against her, against Babylon, and her mighty men are taken; their bows are broken in pieces; for Jehovah, the God of recompences, will certainly requite.

⁵⁷ And I will make drunk her princes, and her wise men, her governors, and her rulers, and her mighty men; and they shall sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the King, whose name is Jehovah of hosts.

⁵⁸ Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly laid bare, and her high gates shall be burned with fire; so that the peoples will have laboured in vain, and the nations for the fire: and they shall be weary.

8 But we make known to you, brethren, the grace of God bestowed in the assemblies of Macedonia;

² that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty has abounded to the riches of their [free-hearted] liberality.

³ For according to [their] power, I bear witness, and beyond [their] power, [they were] willing of their own accord,

⁴ begging of us with much entreaty [to give effect to] the grace and fellowship of the service which [was to be rendered] to the saints.

⁵ And not according as we hoped, but they gave themselves first to the Lord, and to us by God's will.

⁶ So that we begged Titus that, according as he had before begun, so he would also complete as to you this grace also;

⁷ but even as ye abound in every way, in faith, and word, and knowledge, and all diligence, and in love from you to us, that ye may abound in this grace also.