Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 87[a]
Zion the True Birthplace
1 (A)A psalm of the Korahites. A song.
I
His foundation is on holy mountains,
2 The Lord loves the gates[b] of Zion
more than any dwelling in Jacob.
3 Glorious things are said of you,
O city of God!
Selah
II
4 Rahab and Babylon I count
among those who know me.
See, Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia,
“This one was born there.”
5 [c]And of Zion it will be said:
“Each one was born in it.”(B)
The Most High will establish it;(C)
6 the Lord notes in the register of the peoples:
“This one was born there.”(D)
Selah
7 So singers and dancers:
“All my springs are in you.”(E)
8 Lead out the people, blind though they have eyes,
deaf though they have ears.
9 Let all the nations gather together,
let the peoples assemble!
Who among them could have declared this,
or announced to us the earlier things?[a]
Let them produce witnesses to prove themselves right,
that one may hear and say, “It is true!”
10 You are my witnesses[b]—oracle of the Lord—
my servant whom I have chosen
To know and believe in me
and understand that I am he.
Before me no god was formed,
and after me there shall be none.
11 I, I am the Lord;
there is no savior but me.
12 It is I who declared, who saved,
who announced, not some strange god among you;
You are my witnesses—oracle of the Lord.
I am God,
13 yes, from eternity I am he;
There is none who can deliver from my hand:
I act and who can cancel it?(A)
13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I glory in my ministry(A) 14 in order to make my race jealous and thus save some of them. 15 For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16 [a]If the firstfruits are holy, so is the whole batch of dough; and if the root is holy, so are the branches.(B)
17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in their place and have come to share in the rich root of the olive tree,(C) 18 do not boast against the branches. If you do boast, consider that you do not support the root; the root supports you.(D) 19 Indeed you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is so. They were broken off because of unbelief, but you are there because of faith. So do not become haughty, but stand in awe.(E) 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, [perhaps] he will not spare you either.(F) 22 See, then, the kindness and severity of God: severity toward those who fell, but God’s kindness to you, provided you remain in his kindness; otherwise you too will be cut off.(G) 23 And they also, if they do not remain in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.(H) 24 For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated one, how much more will they who belong to it by nature be grafted back into their own olive tree.
God’s Irrevocable Call.[b] 25 I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers, so that you will not become wise [in] your own estimation: a hardening has come upon Israel in part, until the full number of the Gentiles comes in,(I) 26 and thus all Israel will be saved,(J) as it is written:(K)
“The deliverer will come out of Zion,
he will turn away godlessness from Jacob;
27 and this is my covenant with them
when I take away their sins.”(L)
28 In respect to the gospel, they are enemies on your account; but in respect to election, they are beloved because of the patriarchs.(M) 29 For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.(N)
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.