Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 72[a]
For[b] Solomon.
72 O God, grant the king the ability to make just decisions.[c]
Grant the king’s son[d] the ability to make fair decisions.[e]
2 Then he will judge[f] your people fairly,
and your oppressed ones[g] equitably.
3 The mountains will bring news of peace to the people,
and the hills will announce justice.[h]
4 He will defend[i] the oppressed among the people;
he will deliver[j] the children[k] of the poor
and crush the oppressor.
5 People will fear[l] you[m] as long as the sun and moon remain in the sky,
for generation after generation.[n]
6 He[o] will descend like rain on the mown grass,[p]
like showers that drench[q] the earth.[r]
7 During his days the godly will flourish;[s]
peace will prevail as long as the moon remains in the sky.[t]
The Lord Returns to Jerusalem
40 “Comfort, comfort my people,”
says your[a] God.
2 “Speak kindly to[b] Jerusalem and tell her
that her time of warfare is over,[c]
that her punishment is completed.[d]
For the Lord has made her pay double[e] for all her sins.”
3 A voice cries out,
“In the wilderness clear a way for the Lord;
build a level road[f] through the rift valley[g] for our God.
4 Every valley must be elevated,
and every mountain and hill leveled.
The rough terrain will become a level plain,
the rugged landscape a wide valley.
5 The splendor[h] of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people[i] will see it at the same time.
For[j] the Lord has decreed it.”[k]
6 A voice says, “Cry out!”
Another asks,[l] “What should I cry out?”
The first voice responds:[m] “All people are like grass,[n]
and all their promises[o] are like the flowers in the field.
7 The grass dries up,
the flowers wither,
when the wind sent by the Lord[p] blows on them.
Surely humanity[q] is like grass.
8 The grass dries up,
the flowers wither,
but the decree of our God is forever reliable.”[r]
9 Go up on a high mountain, O herald Zion.
Shout out loudly, O herald Jerusalem![s]
Shout, don’t be afraid!
Say to the towns of Judah,
“Here is your God!”
10 Look, the Sovereign Lord comes as a victorious warrior;[t]
his military power establishes his rule.[u]
Look, his reward is with him;
his prize goes before him.[v]
11 Like a shepherd he tends his flock;
he gathers up the lambs with his arm;
he carries them close to his heart;[w]
he leads the ewes along.
The Testimony of John the Baptist
19 Now[a] this was[b] John’s[c] testimony[d] when the Jewish leaders[e] sent[f] priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”[g] 20 He confessed—he did not deny but confessed—“I am not the Christ!”[h] 21 So they asked him, “Then who are you?[i] Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not!”[j] “Are you the Prophet?”[k] He answered, “No!” 22 Then they said to him, “Who are you? Tell us[l] so that we can give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23 John[m] said, “I am the voice of one shouting in the wilderness, ‘Make straight[n] the way for the Lord,’[o] as the prophet Isaiah said.” 24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.[p])[q] 25 So they asked John,[r] “Why then are you baptizing if you are not the Christ,[s] nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
26 John answered them,[t] “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not recognize,[u] 27 who is coming after me. I am not worthy[v] to untie the strap[w] of his sandal!” 28 These things happened in Bethany[x] across the Jordan River[y] where John was baptizing.
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