Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
2 “[a]But as for (A)you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Too little to be among the clans of Judah,
From (B)you One will go forth for Me to be (C)ruler in Israel.
[b]His goings forth are (D)from long ago,
From the days of eternity.”
3 Therefore He will (E)give them up until the time
When she (F)who is in labor has borne a child.
Then the (G)remainder of His brethren
Will return to the sons of Israel.
4 And He will arise and (H)shepherd His flock
In the strength of the Lord,
In the majesty of the name of the Lord His God.
And they will [c]remain,
Because [d]at that time He will be great
To the (I)ends of the earth.
5 This One (J)will be our peace.
When the (K)Assyrian invades our land,
When he tramples on our [e]citadels,
Then we will raise against him
Seven shepherds and eight leaders of men.
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 [b]bondslave;
For behold, from this time on all generations will count 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 [c]upon generation 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 heart.
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 away the rich empty-handed.
54 “He has given help to Israel His servant,
[f]In remembrance of His mercy,
55 (K)As He spoke to our fathers,
(L)To Abraham and his [g]descendants forever.”
God Implored to Rescue His People from Their Calamities.
For the choir director; set to [a]El Shoshannim; [b]Eduth. A Psalm of Asaph.
80 Oh, give ear, (A)Shepherd of Israel,
You who lead (B)Joseph like a flock;
You who (C)are enthroned above the cherubim, shine forth!
2 Before (D)Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, (E)stir up Your power
And come to save us!
3 O God, (F)restore us
And (G)cause Your face to shine upon us, [c]and we will be saved.
4 O (H)Lord God of hosts,
(I)How long will You [d]be angry with the prayer of Your people?
5 You have fed them with the (J)bread of tears,
And You have made them to drink tears in [e]large measure.
6 You make us [f]an object of contention (K)to our neighbors,
And our enemies laugh among themselves.
7 O God of hosts, restore us
And cause Your face to shine upon us, [g]and we will be saved.
5 Therefore, (A)when He comes into the world, He says,
“(B)Sacrifice and offering You have not desired,
But (C)a body You have prepared for Me;
6 (D)In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have taken no pleasure.
7 “(E)Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come
(In (F)the scroll of the book it is written of Me)
To do Your will, O God.’”
8 After saying above, “(G)Sacrifices and offerings and (H)whole burnt offerings and sacrifices (I)for sin You have not desired, nor have You taken pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the Law), 9 then He [a]said, “(J)Behold, I have come to do Your will.” He takes away the first in order to establish the second. 10 By [b]this will we have been (K)sanctified through (L)the offering of (M)the body of Jesus Christ (N)once for all.
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39 Now [a]at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to (A)the hill country, to a city of Judah, 40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was (B)filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And [b]how has it happened to me, that the mother of (C)my Lord would come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. 45 And (D)blessed is she who [c]believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her [d]by the Lord.”
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 [b]bondslave;
For behold, from this time on all generations will count 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 [c]upon generation 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 heart.
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 away the rich empty-handed.
54 “He has given help to Israel His servant,
[f]In remembrance of His mercy,
55 (K)As He spoke to our fathers,
(L)To Abraham and his [g]descendants forever.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.