Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Exaltation of the Afflicted
61 The (A)Spirit of the Lord [a]God is upon me,
Because the Lord anointed me
To (B)bring good news to the (C)humble;
He has sent me to (D)bind up the brokenhearted,
To (E)proclaim [b]release to captives
And [c]freedom to prisoners;
2 To (F)proclaim the favorable year of the Lord
And the (G)day of vengeance of our God;
To (H)comfort all who mourn,
3 To (I)grant those who mourn in Zion,
Giving them a garland instead of ashes,
The (J)oil of gladness instead of mourning,
The cloak of praise instead of a disheartened spirit.
So they will be called [d](K)oaks of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.
4 Then they will (L)rebuild the ancient ruins,
They will raise up the former devastations;
And they will repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations.
8 For I, the Lord, (A)love justice,
I hate robbery [a]in the burnt offering;
And I will faithfully give them their reward,
And make an (B)everlasting covenant with them.
9 Then their offspring will be known among the nations,
And their descendants in the midst of the peoples.
All who see them will recognize them
Because they are the (C)offspring whom the Lord has blessed.
10 I will (D)rejoice greatly in the Lord,
My soul will be joyful in (E)my God;
For He has (F)clothed me with garments of salvation,
He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness,
As a groom puts on a turban,
And (G)as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the (H)earth produces its sprouts,
And as a garden causes the things sown in it to spring up,
So the Lord [b]God will (I)cause (J)righteousness and praise
To spring up before all the nations.
Thanksgiving for Return from Captivity.
A Song of Ascents.
126 When the Lord (A)brought back [a]the captives of Zion,
We were (B)like those who dream.
2 Then our (C)mouth was filled with laughter
And our (D)tongue with joyful shouting;
Then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has (E)done great things for them.”
3 The Lord has done great things for us;
We are (F)joyful.
Mary’s Song: The Magnificat
46 And Mary said:
“(A)My soul [a](B)exalts the Lord,
47 And (C)my spirit has rejoiced in (D)God my Savior.
48 For (E)He has had regard for the humble state of His bond-servant;
For behold, from now on all generations will [b]call me (F)blessed.
49 For the Mighty One has done great things for me;
And holy is His name.
50 (G)And His mercy is to generation [c]after generation
Toward those who fear Him.
51 (H)He has done [d]mighty deeds with His arm;
He has scattered those who were proud in the [e]thoughts of their hearts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
And has (I)exalted those who were humble.
53 (J)He has filled the hungry with good things,
And sent the rich away empty-handed.
54 He has given help to His servant Israel,
[f]In remembrance of His mercy,
55 (K)Just as He spoke to our fathers,
(L)To Abraham and his [g]descendants forever.”
16 (A)Rejoice always, 17 (B)pray without ceasing, 18 in everything (C)give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. 19 (D)Do not quench the Spirit, 20 do not utterly reject [a](E)prophecies, 21 but (F)examine everything; (G)hold firmly to that which is good, 22 abstain from every [b]form of evil.
23 Now (H)may the God of peace (I)Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your (J)spirit and soul and body be kept complete, (K)without blame at (L)the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 (M)Faithful is He who (N)calls you, and He also will do it.
The Testimony of John the Baptist
19 This is (A)the testimony of John, when (B)the Jews sent priests and Levites to him (C)from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 And he confessed and did not deny; and this is what he confessed: “(D)I am not the [a]Christ.” 21 And so they asked him, “What then? Are you (E)Elijah?” And he *said, “I am not.” “Are you (F)the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22 Then they said to him, “Who are you? Tell us, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am (G)the voice of one calling [b]out in the wilderness, ‘Make the way of the Lord straight,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”
24 And the messengers had been sent from the Pharisees. 25 They asked him, and said to him, “Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the [c]Christ, nor Elijah, nor (H)the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, saying, “(I)I baptize [d]in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. 27 It is (J)He who comes after me, of whom I am not worthy even to untie the (K)strap of His sandal.” 28 These things took place in Bethany (L)beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing people.
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