Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Emmanuel. 10 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: 11 Ask for a sign from the Lord, your God; let it be deep as Sheol, or high as the sky![a] 12 But Ahaz answered, “I will not ask! I will not tempt the Lord!”[b] 13 Then he said: Listen, house of David! Is it not enough that you weary human beings? Must you also weary my God? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign;[c] the young woman, pregnant and about to bear a son, shall name him Emmanuel. 15 Curds and honey[d] he will eat so that he may learn to reject evil and choose good; 16 for before the child learns to reject evil and choose good, the land of those two kings whom you dread shall be deserted.
Psalm 80[a]
Prayer to Restore God’s Vineyard
1 For the leader; according to “Lilies.” Eduth.[b] A psalm of Asaph.
I
2 O Shepherd of Israel, lend an ear,
you who guide Joseph like a flock!
Seated upon the cherubim, shine forth(A)
3 upon Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh.
Stir up your power, and come to save us.
4 (B)O God, restore us;
light up your face and we shall be saved.
II
17 Those who would burn or cut it down—
may they perish at your rebuke.
18 May your hand be with the man on your right,[a]
with the son of man whom you made strong for yourself.
19 Then we will not withdraw from you;
revive us, and we will call on your name.
I. Address
Chapter 1
Greeting.[a] 1 Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus,[b] called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God,(A) 2 which he promised previously through his prophets in the holy scriptures,(B) 3 [c]the gospel about his Son, descended from David according to the flesh,(C) 4 but established as Son of God in power according to the spirit of holiness through resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.(D) 5 [d]Through him we have received the grace of apostleship, to bring about the obedience of faith, for the sake of his name, among all the Gentiles,(E) 6 among whom are you also, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ;(F) 7 to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy.[e] Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.(G)
18 Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,[a] but before they lived together, she was found with child through the holy Spirit. 19 Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,[b] yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. 20 (A)Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord[c] appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. 21 She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,[d] because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
which means “God is with us.” 24 When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. 25 He had no relations with her until she bore a son,[f] and he named him Jesus.(C)
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.