Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Isaiah’s Announcement
7 I will tell about the Lord’s mercies,
about the praises of the Lord,
about all that the Lord has done for us,
about his great goodness to the house of Israel,
which he performed for them according to his abundant compassion,
and according to his great mercy.
8 He said, “Surely they are my people,
children who will not deal falsely,”
so he became their Savior.
9 In all their anguish he felt anguish,[a]
and the Angel of his Presence saved them.
In his love and in his pity he himself redeemed them,
and he took them up and carried them all the days of old.
Psalm 148
Praise Him, All Creation
Praise Him, All Creation
1 Praise the Lord.[a]
Praise From the Heavens
Praise the Lord from the heavens.
Praise him in the heights.
2 Praise him, all his angels.
Praise him, all his armies.
3 Praise him, sun and moon.
Praise him, all you bright stars.
4 Praise him, you highest heavens
and you waters which are above the heavens.
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
because he commanded, and they were created.
6 He caused them to stand forever and ever.
He gave a decree, and it will not pass away.
Praise From the Earth
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
great sea creatures and all the depths,
8 fire and hail, snow and fog,
storm winds that obey his word,
9 mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
10 wild animals and all cattle,
crawling creatures and flying birds,
11 kings of the earth and all peoples,
officials and all judges on earth,
12 young men and also young women,
old people with young people.
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted.
His splendor is above the earth and the heavens.
14 He has raised up a horn[b] for his people—
the praise of all his favored ones—
for the children of Israel, the people close to him.
Praise the Lord.
A Merciful and Faithful High Priest
10 Certainly it was fitting for God (the one for whom and through whom everything exists), in leading many sons to glory, to bring the author of their salvation to his goal through sufferings. 11 For he who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified all have one Father. For that reason, he is not ashamed to call them brothers.[a] 12 He says:
I will declare your name to my brothers.
Within the congregation I will sing your praise.[b]
13 And again:
I will trust in him.[c]
And again:
Here I am and the children God has given me.[d]
14 Therefore, since the children share flesh and blood,[e] he also shared the same flesh and blood, so that through death he could destroy the one who had the power of death (that is, the Devil) 15 and free those who were held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death. 16 For surely he was not concerned with helping angels but with helping Abraham’s offspring.[f] 17 For this reason, he had to become like his brothers in every way, in order that he would be a merciful and faithful high priest in the things pertaining to God, so that he could pay[g] for the sins of the people. 18 Indeed, because he suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Flight to Egypt
13 After the Wise Men were gone, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to Joseph in a dream. He said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, because Herod will search for the child in order to kill him.”
14 Joseph got up, took the child and his mother during the night, and left for Egypt. 15 He stayed there until the death of Herod. This happened to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”[a]
Herod Kills the Boys
16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Wise Men, he was furious. He issued orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and in all the surrounding countryside, from two years old and under. This was in keeping with the exact time he had learned from the Wise Men. 17 Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:
18 A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children,
and she refused to be comforted,
because they are no more.[b]
Return to Nazareth
19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. The angel said, 20 “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to kill the child are dead.”
21 Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus, Herod’s son, had succeeded his father as ruler in Judea, he was afraid to go there. Since he had been warned in a dream, he went to the region of Galilee. 23 When he arrived there, he settled in a city called Nazareth. So what was spoken through the prophets was fulfilled: “He will be called a Nazarene.”[c]
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.