Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
5 I will make your dynasty stand forever
and establish your throne through all ages.”(A)
Selah
II
6 The heavens praise your marvels, Lord,
your loyalty in the assembly of the holy ones.(B)
7 Who in the skies ranks with the Lord?
Who is like the Lord among the sons of the gods?[a](C)
8 A God dreaded in the council of the holy ones,
greater and more awesome than all those around him!
9 Lord, God of hosts, who is like you?
Mighty Lord, your faithfulness surrounds you.
10 You rule the raging sea;(D)
you still its swelling waves.
11 You crush Rahab[b] with a mortal blow;
with your strong arm you scatter your foes.
12 Yours are the heavens, yours the earth;
you founded the world and everything in it.(E)
13 [c]Zaphon and Amanus you created;
Tabor and Hermon rejoice in your name.
14 You have a mighty arm.
Your hand is strong; your right hand is ever exalted.
15 Justice and judgment are the foundation of your throne;
mercy and faithfulness march before you.(F)
16 Blessed the people who know the war cry,
who walk in the radiance of your face, Lord.
17 In your name they sing joyfully all the day;
they rejoice in your righteousness.(G)
18 You are their majestic strength;
by your favor our horn[d] is exalted.(H)
19 Truly the Lord is our shield,
the Holy One of Israel, our king!(I)
III
20 Then you spoke in vision;(J)
to your faithful ones you said:
“I have set a leader over the warriors;
I have raised up a chosen one from the people.
21 I have chosen David, my servant;
with my holy oil I have anointed him.
22 My hand will be with him;(K)
my arm will make him strong.
23 No enemy shall outwit him,
nor shall the wicked defeat him.
24 I will crush his foes before him,
strike down those who hate him.
25 My faithfulness and mercy will be with him;
through my name his horn will be exalted.
26 [e]I will set his hand upon the sea,
his right hand upon the rivers.
27 He shall cry to me, ‘You are my father,(L)
my God, the Rock of my salvation!’
28 I myself make him the firstborn,
Most High[f] over the kings of the earth.
29 Forever I will maintain my mercy for him;(M)
my covenant with him stands firm.
30 I will establish his dynasty forever,
his throne as the days of the heavens.
31 If his descendants forsake my teaching,(N)
do not follow my decrees,
32 If they fail to observe my statutes,
do not keep my commandments,
33 I will punish their crime with a rod
and their guilt with blows.
34 But I will not take my mercy from him,
nor will I betray my bond of faithfulness.(O)
35 I will not violate my covenant;
the promise of my lips I will not alter.(P)
36 By my holiness I swore once for all:(Q)
I will never be false to David.
37 [g]His dynasty will continue forever,(R)
his throne, like the sun before me.
Chapter 51
Exhortation to Trust in the Lord
1 Listen to me, you who pursue justice,
who seek the Lord;
Look to the rock from which you were hewn,
to the quarry[a] from which you were taken;(A)
2 Look to Abraham, your father,
and to Sarah, who gave you birth;
Though he was but one when I called him,
I blessed him and made him many.(B)
3 Yes, the Lord shall comfort Zion,
shall comfort all her ruins;
Her wilderness he shall make like Eden,
her wasteland like the garden of the Lord;
Joy and gladness shall be found in her,
thanksgiving and the sound of song.
4 Be attentive to me, my people;[b]
my nation, give ear to me.
For teaching shall go forth from me,
and my judgment, as light to the peoples.(C)
5 I will make my victory come swiftly;
my salvation shall go forth
and my arm shall judge the nations;
In me the coastlands shall hope,
and my arm they shall await.
6 Raise your eyes to the heavens,
look at the earth below;
Though the heavens vanish like smoke,
the earth wear out like a garment
and its inhabitants die like flies,
My salvation shall remain forever
and my victory shall always be firm.[c]
7 Hear me, you who know justice,
you people who have my teaching at heart:
Do not fear the reproach of others;
remain firm at their revilings.
8 They shall be like a garment eaten by moths,
like wool consumed by grubs;
But my victory shall remain forever,
my salvation, for all generations.(D)
9 Awake, awake, put on strength,
arm of the Lord!
Awake as in the days of old,
in ages long ago!
Was it not you who crushed Rahab,[d]
you who pierced the dragon?(E)
10 Was it not you who dried up the sea,
the waters of the great deep,[e]
You who made the depths of the sea into a way
for the redeemed to pass through?
11 Those whom the Lord has ransomed will return
and enter Zion singing,
crowned with everlasting joy;
They will meet with joy and gladness,
sorrow and mourning will flee.
12 I, it is I who comfort you.
Can you then fear mortals who die,
human beings who are just grass,
13 And forget the Lord, your maker,
who stretched out the heavens
and laid the foundations of earth?
All the day you are in constant dread
of the fury of the oppressor
When he prepares himself to destroy;
but where is the oppressor’s fury?
14 The captives shall soon be released;
they shall not die and go down into the pit,
nor shall they want for bread.
15 For I am the Lord, your God,
who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar;
the Lord of hosts by name.(F)
16 I have put my words into your mouth,
I covered you, shielded by my hand,
Stretching out the heavens,
laying the foundations of the earth,
saying to Zion: You are my people.
15 When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place. Many [people] followed him, and he cured them all,[a] 16 but he warned them not to make him known. 17 This was to fulfill what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet:
18 “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,(A)
my beloved in whom I delight;
I shall place my spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
19 He will not contend[b] or cry out,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.
20 A bruised reed he will not break,
a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory.
21 And in his name the Gentiles will hope.”[c]
Jesus and Beelzebul.[d]
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.