◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary) / Isaiah 45:1-7 (An earthly ruler works God’s will); Psalm 96:1-9 [10-13] (God’s glory among the nations); 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 (Thanksgiving for the church at Thessalonica); Matthew 22:15-22 (A teaching about the emperor and God) (New Catholic Bible)

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October 18, 2026

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Daily Bible readings that follow the church liturgical year, with thematically matched Old and New Testament readings.

Duration: 1245 days

Isaiah 45:1-7

Chapter 45

¹^[a]Thus says the Lord to his anointed,
    to Cyrus whose right hand I have grasped,
to subdue nations before him
    and to remove the armor of kings,
opening doors before him
    and leaving no gates barred:
²I myself will advance before you
    and level the mountains;
I will tear down bronze gates^[b]
    and cut through bars of iron.
³I will give you treasures concealed in darkness
    and riches hidden away in secret places,
so that you may know that I am the Lord,
    the God of Israel who calls you by your name.
⁴For the sake of my servant Jacob
    and of Israel my chosen one,
I have called you by your name,
    and I have given you a title,
    even though you do not know me.
⁵I am the Lord and there is no other;
    there is no god besides me.
I am the Lord who armed you
    even though you did not know me,
⁶so that it may be acknowledged from east to west
    that there is no god besides me.
    I am the Lord, and there is no other.
⁷I form the light and create the darkness;
    prosperity and disaster depend upon my will;
    I, the Lord, do all these things.

Psalm 96:1-9

Psalm 96^[a]

God, Sovereign and Judge of the Universe

¹Sing to the Lord a new song;^[b]
    sing to the Lord, all the earth.
²Sing to the Lord and bless his name;
    proclaim his salvation^[c] day after day.
³Declare his glory^[d] among the nations,
    his wondrous deeds to every people.
⁴For great is the Lord and worthy of all praise;
    he is more to be feared^[e] than all other gods.
⁵The gods of the nations are merely idols,
    but it was the Lord who made the heavens.^[f]
⁶Majesty and splendor surround him;
    power and beauty^[g] are in his sanctuary.
⁷Render to the Lord, you families of nations,
    render to the Lord glory and power.^[h]
⁸Render to the Lord the glory due to his name;
    bring an offering and enter his courts.^[i]
⁹Worship^[j] the Lord in the splendor of his holiness;
    tremble before him, all the earth.

Footnotes

Psalm 96:1 Partially cited in 1 Chr 16:23-33, this hymn is comprised of Old Testament reminiscences, especially from the Psalter and Isaiah (e.g., Ps 42:10; Isa 55:12). The peoples and nations of which it speaks were originally the neighbors who attempted to prevent Israel from becoming established in Canaan; later, they were all the peoples of the world who failed to recognize the one true God. Israel, which had been saved at the time of the Judges and brought back from an exile through which she had suffered a kind of annihilation, had experienced the Lord’s deliverance more than once. She could well bear witness before the whole world of the power and superiority of the one sole God: the Lord had created the world and had given his people new life.
All peoples are invited to acknowledge him as the sovereign Master; all are summoned to the liturgy, to adoration. Deep emotion will grip the entire universe when God comes as Judge; he who has brought into being an unshakable world will establish all human beings in justice and righteousness.
This song of universal joy is always new with the newness of God himself; the New Testament (see Acts 17:31; Rev 19:11) refers to verse 13 in announcing the final coming of Christ on the day of judgment, when he will make all things new. Thus, by means of it, Christians call upon the whole universe to praise God the Father as well as the risen Jesus, whom the Father has made “Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36), “leader and Savior” (Acts 5:31), and “ruler of the kings of the earth” (Rev 1:5).
According to the superscription in the Septuagint and Vulgate, this psalm was sung at the dedication of the post-Exilic temple. Its Messianic content made it suitable for that occasion.
Psalm 96:1 New song: see note on Ps 33:3. All the earth: see note on Ps 9:2; see also Pss 97:1; 100:1.
Psalm 96:2 Salvation: the psalmist does not specify the precise nature of the “salvation” he mentions (see note on Ps 67:3-4). Most likely, it included all God’s acts in redemptive history: creation and redemption (vv. 2, 11-12; see Ps 136:4-25). The People of God must assume the lead by praising the Lord (bless his name—see note on Ps 5:12) every day.
Psalm 96:3 Glory: see note on Ps 85:10. Wondrous deeds: see note on Ps 9:2.
Psalm 96:4 The Lord is great and worthy to receive praise and reverence (to be feared) because he alone is God and there is no other (see Ps 115).
Psalm 96:5 Made the heavens: since the Lord made the heavens, which were supposedly the home of the gods, it follows that he is far greater than all the gods; but he is also greater because they are nothing more than idols.
Psalm 96:6 The Lord is surrounded by personifications of divine attributes (majesty and splendor . . . power and beauty) that extol his universal kingship.
Psalm 96:7 The psalmist makes use of Ps 29:1f, eliminating any allusion to the theme of “heavenly beings” (i.e., “sons of God”) and accentuating the universalist tone (see Ps 47:10; Zec 14:17). All peoples are specifically summoned to pledge their obedience to the Lord.
Psalm 96:8 Courts: i.e., of the temple where the Lord dwells (see Ps 84:3, 11; 2 Ki 21:5; 23:11f). The psalmist may have been thinking of the outermost court of the temple, which was the court of the Gentiles.
Psalm 96:9 The psalmist calls for the people to worship the Lord, i.e., give him their reverence, submission, and awe because of the splendor of his holiness (see Pss 29:2; 99; 110:3; 1 Chr 16:29).

Psalm 96:10-13

¹⁰Say among the nations, “The Lord is King.^[a]
    The world is firmly established, never to be moved.
    He will judge the peoples fairly.”
¹¹Let the heavens exult and the earth be glad;
    let the sea resound and all that fills it.
¹²Let the fields rejoice and all that is in them;
    let all the trees^[b] of the forest shout for joy
¹³before the Lord, for he is coming,
    coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with justice
    and the nations with equity.^[c]

1 Thessalonians 1

Salutation

Chapter 1

Address and Greeting. ¹Paul, Silvanus,^[a] and Timothy to the Church of Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: grace to you and peace.

Evangelization Is the Work of the Spirit^[b]

A Model for All Believers.^[c] ²We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers. ³We constantly remember before our God and Father your work of faith and your labor of love and your perseverance in hope^[d] in our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁴Brethren, beloved by God, we know that he has chosen you, ⁵because our gospel^[e] came to you not merely in words alone but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with profound conviction. And you are fully aware what sort of people we proved to be when we were among you for your sake.

⁶And you in turn became imitators^[f] of us and of the Lord, for despite great suffering you received the word with joy in the Holy Spirit, ⁷so that you became a model for all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.^[g]

⁸Not only has the word of the Lord rung forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but also your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore, we do not have the need to speak about it. ⁹For the people themselves report what kind of reception we had from you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God ¹⁰and await his Son from heaven whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who will deliver us from the wrath that is to come.

Footnotes

1 Thessalonians 1:1 Silvanus: the Roman form of the Hebrew name “Silas”; this man, along with Timothy, was a fellow worker with Paul in the Macedonian apostolate (see Acts 16–18). Church: ekklesia in Greek, it was originally used of the People of God in the Old Testament; it designates here the Messianic gathering convoked by Jesus. The term Church is further defined as those who are “in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Being in union with these two persons of the Deity means a new sphere of life, on an infinitely higher plane. Grace and peace: i.e., Messianic blessings that find their basis in both persons, the Father and Jesus Christ, Lord, as the basis for the community’s existence.
1 Thessalonians 1:2 This is a magnificent passage in which Paul describes his experience as a missionary in an important pagan city. He has had faith in the efficacy of the Gospel and its universal power. He has not hesitated to seek out pagans, those who were once thought to be excluded from God’s kingdom. The Spirit of Pentecost breathes everywhere.
1 Thessalonians 1:2 In the announcement of the Gospel and the success of his preaching, Paul recognizes the work of the Spirit. He rejoices at the vitality of this young Church. It is God who gives her the power to break away from the pagan life. What a radical change of life conversion entails for the converts! It means turning away from idols, i.e., from all that deceives, and toward the true God to serve him and to await the coming of Jesus Christ. In this very first passage of Christian literature the three divine Persons are named; also listed are the three characteristic virtues of the Christian life: faith, hope, and love. Behind the term wrath in v. 10 there is a whole theology of history (see Rom 1:18—4:25): all human beings are sinners; sin degrades and destroys the person who rejects love and justice. Punishment is a manifestation of God who judges. But by redeeming humanity from sin, Jesus has delivered it from the wrath; he takes away sin and death and gives life—this is the Christian certainty.
1 Thessalonians 1:3 Faith . . . love . . . hope: together with 1 Thes 5:8, this is the earliest mention of the three so-called theological virtues (see 1 Cor 13:13). The accent here is on eschatological hope in accord with the Letter’s emphasis on the Second Coming of Christ (see 1 Thes 1:10; 2:12, 19; 3:13; 4:13—5:11; 5:23).
1 Thessalonians 1:5 Our gospel: this is the Gospel of God the Father (1 Thes 2:8) who originated it and of Christ (1 Thes 3:2) who brought it forth by his atoning death. Paul, Silas, and Timothy had received it through faith and preached it to others. Power: a power residing in the Gospel itself (see Rom 1:16) and also coming from the Holy Spirit (see Rom 15:13, 18f; 1 Cor 2:4f), which delivered the Thessalonians from spiritual bondage.
1 Thessalonians 1:6 Imitators: all Christians are to imitate God (see Eph 5:1) and Christ (see 1 Cor 11:1) as well as their spiritual leaders (see 2 Thes 3:7, 9; 1 Tim 4:12; Tit 2:7; 1 Pet 5:3) and their fellow Christians (see 1 Thes 2:14; 1 Cor 4:6; 11:1), for all believers are one in Christ.
1 Thessalonians 1:7 In Macedonia and Achaia: the two Roman provinces in Greece. The phrase amounts to saying “in all Greece.”

Matthew 22:15-22

¹⁵God or Caesar.^[a] Then the Pharisees went off and made plans to trap him in what he said. ¹⁶They sent some of their disciples to him, along with the Herodians,^[b] and said, “Teacher, we know that you are truthful and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Nor are you concerned with anyone’s opinion for you do not care about people’s opinions. ¹⁷Tell us then what you think about this: Is it lawful or not for us to pay taxes to Caesar?”

¹⁸Jesus was aware of their malicious intent, and he said, “You hypocrites! Why are you trying to trap me? ¹⁹Show me the coin that is used for paying the tax.” When they brought him a denarius,^[c] ²⁰he asked them, “Whose image is this, and whose inscription?” ²¹They replied, “Caesar’s.” On hearing this, he said to them, “Give to Caesar what is due to Caesar, and to God what is due to God.”^[d] ²²Stunned on hearing this reply, they went away and left him alone.

New Catholic Bible (NCB)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Chapter 45

Footnotes

Psalm 96[a]

God, Sovereign and Judge of the Universe

Footnotes

Footnotes

Salutation

Chapter 1

Evangelization Is the Work of the Spirit[b]

Footnotes

Footnotes

Psalm 96^[a]

Evangelization Is the Work of the Spirit^[b]