Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
The Coming Messiah
2 “But you, (A)Bethlehem (B)Ephrathah,
Though you are little (C)among the (D)thousands of Judah,
Yet out of you shall come forth to Me
The One to be (E)Ruler in Israel,
(F)Whose goings forth are from of old,
From [a]everlasting.”
3 Therefore He shall give them up,
Until the time that (G)she who is in labor has given birth;
Then (H)the remnant of His brethren
Shall return to the children of Israel.
4 And He shall stand and (I)feed[b] His flock
In the strength of the Lord,
In the majesty of the name of the Lord His God;
And they shall abide,
For now He (J)shall be great
To the ends of the earth;
5 And this One (K)shall be peace.
Judgment on Israel’s Enemies
When the Assyrian comes into our land,
And when he treads in our palaces,
Then we will raise against him
Seven shepherds and eight princely men.
The Song of Mary
46 And Mary said:
(A)“My soul [a]magnifies the Lord,
47 And my spirit has (B)rejoiced in (C)God my Savior.
48 For (D)He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth (E)all generations will call me blessed.
49 For He who is mighty (F)has done great things for me,
And (G)holy is His name.
50 And (H)His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
51 (I)He has shown strength with His arm;
(J)He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 (K)He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
53 He has (L)filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
54 He has helped His (M)servant Israel,
(N)In remembrance of His mercy,
55 (O)As He spoke to our (P)fathers,
To Abraham and to his (Q)seed forever.”
Prayer for Israel’s Restoration
To the Chief Musician. (A)Set to [a]“The Lilies.” A [b]Testimony of Asaph. A Psalm.
80 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
(B)You who lead Joseph (C)like a flock;
You who dwell between the cherubim, (D)shine forth!
2 Before (E)Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh,
Stir up Your strength,
And come and save us!
4 O Lord God of hosts,
(H)How long will You be angry
Against the prayer of Your people?
5 (I)You have fed them with the bread of tears,
And given them tears to drink in great measure.
6 You have made us a strife to our neighbors,
And our enemies laugh among themselves.
7 Restore us, O God of hosts;
Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved!
Christ’s Death Fulfills God’s Will(A)
5 Therefore, when He came into the world, He said:
(B)“Sacrifice and offering You did not desire,
But a body You have prepared for Me.
6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin
You had no pleasure.
7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—
In the volume of the book it is written of Me—
To do Your will, O God.’ ”
8 Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law), 9 then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, [a]O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. 10 (C)By that will we have been [b]sanctified (D)through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39 Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, (A)to a city of Judah, 40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was (B)filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, (C)“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 (D)Blessed is she who [a]believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”
The Song of Mary
46 And Mary said:
(A)“My soul [a]magnifies the Lord,
47 And my spirit has (B)rejoiced in (C)God my Savior.
48 For (D)He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth (E)all generations will call me blessed.
49 For He who is mighty (F)has done great things for me,
And (G)holy is His name.
50 And (H)His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
51 (I)He has shown strength with His arm;
(J)He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 (K)He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
53 He has (L)filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
54 He has helped His (M)servant Israel,
(N)In remembrance of His mercy,
55 (O)As He spoke to our (P)fathers,
To Abraham and to his (Q)seed forever.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.