Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
The Lord, an Abundant Helper.
146 [a]Praise [b]the Lord!
(A)Praise the Lord, my soul!
2 I will praise the Lord (B)while I live;
I will (C)sing praises to my God while I [c]have my being.
3 (D)Do not trust in noblemen,
In [d]mortal (E)man, in whom there is (F)no salvation.
4 His (G)spirit departs, he (H)returns to [e]the earth;
On that very day his (I)plans perish.
5 (J)Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
Whose (K)hope is in the Lord his God,
6 Who (L)made heaven and earth,
The (M)sea and everything that is in them;
Who (N)keeps [f]faith forever;
7 Who (O)executes justice for the oppressed;
Who (P)gives food to the hungry.
The Lord (Q)frees the prisoners.
8 The Lord (R)opens the eyes of those who are blind;
The Lord (S)raises up those who are bowed down;
The Lord (T)loves the righteous.
9 The Lord (U)watches over strangers;
He [g](V)supports the fatherless and the widow,
But He [h]thwarts (W)the way of the wicked.
10 The Lord will (X)reign forever,
Your God, Zion, to all generations.
[i]Praise [j]the Lord!
The Blindness of the People
14 “(A)I have kept silent for a long time,
I have kept still and restrained Myself.
Now like a woman in labor I will groan,
I will both gasp and pant.
15 I will (B)lay waste the mountains and hills
And wither all their vegetation;
I will (C)turn the rivers into coastlands
And dry up the ponds.
16 I will (D)lead those who are blind by a way they have not known,
In paths they have not known I will guide them.
I will (E)turn darkness into light before them
And (F)uneven land into plains.
These are the things I will do,
And I will (G)not leave them undone.”
17 They will be turned back and be (H)utterly put to shame,
Who trust in [a]idols,
Who say to cast metal images,
“You are our gods.”
18 (I)Hear, you who are deaf!
And look, you who are blind, so that you may see.
19 Who is blind but My (J)servant,
Or so deaf as My (K)messenger whom I send?
Who is so blind as one who is [b](L)at peace with Me,
Or so blind as the servant of the Lord?
20 (M)You have seen many things, but you do not retain them;
Your ears are open, but no one hears.
21 The Lord was pleased for His righteousness’ sake
To make the Law (N)great and glorious.
9 For this reason we also, (A)since the day we heard about it, (B)have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the [a](C)knowledge of His will in all spiritual (D)wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you will (E)walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, [b](F)to please Him in all respects, (G)bearing fruit in every good work and [c]increasing in the [d]knowledge of God; 11 (H)strengthened with all power, according to [e]His glorious might, [f]for the attaining of all perseverance and [g]patience; (I)joyously 12 giving thanks to (J)the Father, who has qualified us [h]to share in (K)the inheritance of the [i]saints in (L)light.
The Incomparable Christ
13 [j]For He rescued us from the [k](M)domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of [l](N)His beloved Son, 14 (O)in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
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