Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

⁶⁸ Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people. ⁶⁹ And he has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, ⁷⁰ just as he promised by the mouth of his holy prophets, who have been since the world began: ⁷¹ that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hands of all who hate us, ⁷² to fulfil the mercy promised to our fathers, to remember his holy covenant, ⁷³ and to perform the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, ⁷⁴ to give us, so that we, delivered out of the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear all the days of our life, ⁷⁵ in such holiness and righteousness as are accepted before him.

⁷⁶ And thou, child, shall be called the prophet of the Highest. For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways, ⁷⁷ and to give knowledge of salvation to his people for the remission of sins, ⁷⁸ through the tender mercy of our God, whereby the Dayspring from on high has visited us, ⁷⁹ to give light to those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

¹² I would you understood, brethren, that my trouble has served for the great furthering of the gospel. ¹³ For my bonds in Christ are manifest throughout all the judgment hall and in all other places, ¹⁴ and many of the brethren in the Lord are emboldened through my bonds, and dare to more freely speak the word without fear. ¹⁵ Some there are who preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, and some of goodwill. ¹⁶ The one part preach Christ out of rivalry, and not purely, supposing to add more adversity to my bonds, ¹⁷ but the other part out of love, because they see that I am set to defend the gospel. ¹⁸ What then? If only Christ be preached – whatever the way, whether through opportunism or of a true intent – I rejoice.