Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
The Reign of the Righteous King.
A Psalm of Solomon.
72 Give the king (A)Your judgments, O God,
And (B)Your righteousness to the king’s son.
2 [a]May [b]he (C)judge Your people with righteousness
And [c](D)Your afflicted with justice.
3 [d]Let the mountains bring [e](E)peace to the people,
And the hills, in righteousness.
4 [f]May he (F)vindicate the [g]afflicted of the people,
Save the children of the needy
And crush the oppressor.
5 [h]Let them fear You (G)while the sun endures,
And [i]as long as the moon, throughout all generations.
6 [j]May he come down (H)like rain upon the mown grass,
Like (I)showers that water the earth.
7 In his days [k]may the (J)righteous flourish,
And (K)abundance of peace till the moon is no more.
8 May he also rule (L)from sea to sea
And from the River to the ends of the earth.
9 [l]Let (M)the nomads of the desert (N)bow before him,
And his enemies (O)lick the dust.
10 [m]Let the kings of (P)Tarshish and of the [n](Q)islands bring presents;
The kings of (R)Sheba and (S)Seba (T)offer [o]gifts.
11 [p]And let all (U)kings bow down before him,
All (V)nations serve him.
12 For he will (W)deliver the needy when he cries for help,
The [q]afflicted also, and him who has no helper.
13 He will have (X)compassion on the poor and needy,
And the [r]lives of the needy he will save.
14 He will [s](Y)rescue their [t]life from oppression and violence,
And their blood will be (Z)precious in his sight;
15 So may he live, and may the (AA)gold of Sheba be given to him;
And let [u]them pray for him continually;
Let [v]them bless him all day long.
16 May there be abundance of grain in the earth on top of the mountains;
Its fruit will wave like the cedars of (AB)Lebanon;
And may those from the city flourish like (AC)vegetation of the earth.
17 May his (AD)name endure forever;
May his name [w]increase [x](AE)as long as the sun shines;
And let men (AF)bless themselves by him;
(AG)Let all nations call him blessed.
18 (AH)Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,
Who alone (AI)works wonders.
19 And blessed be His (AJ)glorious name forever;
And may the whole (AK)earth be filled with His glory.
(AL)Amen, and Amen.
20 The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
7 For thus says the Lord,
“(A)Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob,
And shout among the [a](B)chief of the nations;
Proclaim, give praise and say,
‘O Lord, (C)save Your people,
The (D)remnant of Israel.’
8 “Behold, I am (E)bringing them from the north country,
And I will (F)gather them from the remote parts of the earth,
Among them the (G)blind and the (H)lame,
The woman with child and she who is in labor with child, together;
A great [b]company, they will return here.
9 “(I)With weeping they will come,
And by supplication I will lead them;
I will make them walk by (J)streams of waters,
On a straight path in which they will (K)not stumble;
For I am a (L)father to Israel,
And Ephraim is (M)My firstborn.”
10 Hear the word of the Lord, O nations,
And declare in the (N)coastlands afar off,
And say, “He who scattered Israel will (O)gather him
And keep him as a (P)shepherd keeps his flock.”
11 For the Lord has (Q)ransomed Jacob
And redeemed him from the hand of him who was (R)stronger than he.
12 “They will (S)come and shout for joy on the (T)height of Zion,
And they will be (U)radiant over the [c]bounty of the Lord—
Over the (V)grain and the new wine and the oil,
And over the young of the (W)flock and the herd;
And their life will be like a (X)watered garden,
And they will (Y)never languish again.
13 “Then the virgin will rejoice in the (Z)dance,
And the young men and the old, together,
For I will (AA)turn their mourning into joy
And will comfort them and give them (AB)joy for their sorrow.
14 “I will [d]fill the soul of the priests with [e]abundance,
And My people will be (AC)satisfied with My goodness,” declares the Lord.
The Deity of Jesus Christ
1 (A)In the beginning was (B)the Word, and the Word was (C)with God, and (D)the Word was God. 2 [a]He was in the beginning with God. 3 (E)All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 (F)In Him was life, and the life was (G)the Light of men. 5 (H)The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not [b]comprehend it.
The Witness John
6 There [c]came a man sent from God, whose name was (I)John. 7 [d]He came [e](J)as a witness, to testify about the Light, (K)so that all might believe through him. 8 [f](L)He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.
9 There was (M)the true Light [g]which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.
10 He was in the world, and (A)the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His [a]own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become (B)children of God, even (C)to those who believe in His name, 13 (D)who were [b]born, not of [c]blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
The Word Made Flesh
14 And (E)the Word (F)became flesh, and [d](G)dwelt among us, and (H)we saw His glory, glory as of [e]the only begotten from the Father, full of (I)grace and (J)truth. 15 John *(K)testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘(L)He who comes after me [f]has a higher rank than I, (M)for He existed before me.’” 16 For of His (N)fullness [g]we have all received, and [h]grace upon grace. 17 For (O)the Law was given through Moses; (P)grace and (Q)truth [i]were realized through Jesus Christ. 18 (R)No one has seen God at any time; (S)the only begotten God who is (T)in the bosom of the Father, (U)He has explained Him.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.