Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 48
A Song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
1 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised
in the city of our God, in His holy mountain.
2 Beautiful in elevation,
the joy of the whole earth,
is Mount Zion, on the sides of the north,
the city of the great King.
3 God is known in her citadels
as a refuge.
4 For the kings were assembled,
they passed by together.
5 They saw it, and so they were astounded;
they were alarmed, they hurried away.
6 Trembling seized them there,
and pain like a woman in labor;
7 You break the ships of Tarshish
with an east wind.
8 As we have heard,
so have we seen
in the city of the Lord of Hosts,
in the city of our God;
God will establish it forever. Selah
9 We have thought of Your lovingkindness, O God,
in the midst of Your temple.
10 According to Your name, O God,
so is Your praise to the ends of the earth;
Your right hand is full of righteousness.
11 May Mount Zion rejoice,
may the daughters of Judah be glad,
because of Your judgments.
12 Walk about Zion, and go round about her;
count her towers;
13 mark well her bulwarks;
consider her citadels;
that you may tell it to the generation following.
14 For this God is our God forever and ever;
He will be our guide even to death.
24 And when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go as other times to seek for enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness. 2 Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel dwelling in their tents by their tribes, and the Spirit of God came on him. 3 He took up his proverb and said:
“Balaam the son of Beor has said,
and the man whose eyes are open has said,
4 he has said, who heard the words of God,
who saw the vision of the Almighty,
falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:
5 “How lovely are your tents, O Jacob,
and your tabernacles, O Israel!
6 “Like palm trees are they spread out,
like gardens by the river’s side,
like the aloe plant, which the Lord has planted,
and like cedar trees beside the waters.
7 He will pour the water out of his buckets,
and his seed will be in many waters.
“His king will be higher than Agag,
and his kingdom will be exalted.
8 “God brings him out of Egypt;
he has the horns of a wild ox;
he will eat up the nations, his enemies,
and will break their bones,
and pierce them through with his arrows.
9 He crouches, he lies down as a lion, and as a lion,
who will stir him up?
“Blessed is he who blesses you,
and cursed is he who curses you.”
10 The anger of Balak was inflamed against Balaam, and he struck his hands together. And Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, and indeed, you have certainly blessed them these three times. 11 Now flee to your own place. I thought to promote you to great honor. But certainly, the Lord has kept you back from honor.”
12 Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not speak to your messengers which you sent to me, saying, 13 ‘If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the mouth of the Lord, to do either good or bad of my own mind. But what the Lord speaks, I will speak’? 14 And now, I am going to my people. Come, I will advise you what this people will do to your people in the latter days.”
The Birth of Jesus Foretold
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel came to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored. The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women.”
29 When she saw him, she was troubled by his words, and considered in her mind what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 Listen, you will conceive in your womb and bear a Son and shall call His name JESUS. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest. And the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. And of His kingdom there will be no end.”
34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”
35 The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you. Therefore the Holy One who will be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Listen, your cousin Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age. And this is the sixth month with her who was declared barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible.”
38 Mary said, “I am the servant of the Lord. May it be unto me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.