Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 126

The Return of the Captives

Heading
A song of the ascents.

The Captives Return

¹⁸ On that day five cities in Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear an oath to the Lord of Armies. One will be called the City of the Sun.^[a]

¹⁹ On that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the center of the land of Egypt, and a memorial pillar to the Lord at its border. ²⁰ There will be a sign and a witness to the Lord of Armies in the land of Egypt. They will cry to the Lord because of their oppressors, and he will send them a savior and a champion, and he will rescue them. ²¹ The Lord will make himself known to Egypt, and on that day the Egyptians will know the Lord. They will worship with sacrifices and offerings. They will swear a vow to the Lord, and they will fulfill it. ²² The Lord will strike Egypt, striking them and then healing them. They will return to the Lord, and he will hear their prayer, and he will heal them.

²³ On that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will come to Egypt, and the Egyptians will come to Assyria, and Egyptians will serve together with Assyrians.

²⁴ On that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing to the earth, ²⁵ because the Lord of Armies has blessed them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.”

² Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus^[a] our Lord.

Keep on Growing

³ His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own^[b] glory and excellence. ⁴ Through these he has given us his precious and great promises so that through them you may share in the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that sinful lust causes in the world.

⁵ And, for this very reason, after applying every effort, add moral excellence to your faith. To moral excellence, add knowledge. ⁶ To knowledge, add self-control. To self-control, add patient endurance. To patient endurance, add godliness. ⁷ To godliness, add brotherly affection. And to brotherly affection, add love. ⁸ For if you have these qualities and they are increasing, they are going to keep you from being idle or unfruitful in regard to your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ Indeed, the person who lacks these qualities is shortsighted and, in fact, blind, because he has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

Make Your Calling and Election Sure

¹⁰ Therefore, brothers,^[c] be more eager to make your calling and election sure for yourselves.^[d] For if you do these things, you will never stumble. ¹¹ In fact, in this way you will be richly supplied with an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

¹² That is why I intend^[e] always to keep reminding you of these things, even though you already know them and are established in the truth you now have. ¹³ I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to keep you wide awake by reminding you, ¹⁴ because I know that the putting off of my tent is going to happen soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. ¹⁵ I will also make every effort so that after my departure you always have a reminder of these things.