Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 27[a]
Trust in God
1 (A)Of David.
A
I
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The Lord is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
2 When evildoers come at me
to devour my flesh,[b](B)
These my enemies and foes
themselves stumble and fall.
3 Though an army encamp against me,
my heart does not fear;
Though war be waged against me,
even then do I trust.
II
4 One thing I ask of the Lord;
this I seek:
To dwell in the Lord’s house
all the days of my life,
To gaze on the Lord’s beauty,
to visit his temple.(C)
5 For God will hide me in his shelter
in time of trouble,(D)
He will conceal me in the cover of his tent;
and set me high upon a rock.
6 Even now my head is held high
above my enemies on every side!
I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and chant praise to the Lord.
B
I
7 Hear my voice, Lord, when I call;
have mercy on me and answer me.
8 “Come,” says my heart, “seek his face”;[c]
your face, Lord, do I seek!(E)
9 Do not hide your face from me;
do not repel your servant in anger.
You are my salvation; do not cast me off;
do not forsake me, God my savior!
10 Even if my father and mother forsake me,
the Lord will take me in.(F)
II
11 Lord, show me your way;
lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.(G)
12 Do not abandon me to the desire of my foes;
malicious and lying witnesses have risen against me.
13 I believe I shall see the Lord’s goodness
in the land of the living.[d](H)
14 Wait for the Lord, take courage;
be stouthearted, wait for the Lord!
Marriage and Divorce
10 [a](A)Have we not all one father?
Has not one God created us?
Why, then, do we break faith with each other,
profaning the covenant of our ancestors?
11 (B)Judah has broken faith; an abominable thing
has been done in Israel and in Jerusalem.
Judah has profaned the Lord’s holy place, which he loves,
and has married a daughter of a foreign god.[b]
12 May the Lord cut off from the man who does this
both witness and advocate from the tents of Jacob,
and anyone to bring an offering to the Lord of hosts!
13 This also you do: the altar of the Lord you cover
with tears, weeping, and groaning,
Because the Lord no longer takes note of your offering
or accepts it favorably from your hand.
14 (C)And you say, “Why?”—
Because the Lord is witness
between you and the wife of your youth
With whom you have broken faith,
though she is your companion, your covenanted wife.[c]
15 (D)Did he not make them one, with flesh and spirit?
And what does the One require? Godly offspring!
You should be on guard, then, for your life,
and do not break faith with the wife of your youth.
16 For I hate divorce,
says the Lord, the God of Israel,
And the one who covers his garment with violence,
says the Lord of hosts.
You should be on guard, then, for your life,
and you must not break faith.
Purification and Just Judgment
17 You have wearied the Lord with your words,
yet you say, “How have we wearied him?”
By saying, “All evildoers
are good in the sight of the Lord,
And he is pleased with them,”
or “Where is the just God?”
Chapter 3
The Messenger of the Covenant
II. The Infancy Narrative[a]
Announcement of the Birth of John. 5 In the days of Herod, King of Judea,[b] there was a priest named Zechariah of the priestly division of Abijah; his wife was from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.(A) 6 Both were righteous in the eyes of God, observing all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly. 7 But they had no child,[c] because Elizabeth was barren and both were advanced in years.(B) 8 Once when he was serving as priest in his division’s turn before God, 9 according to the practice of the priestly service, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to burn incense.(C) 10 Then, when the whole assembly of the people was praying outside at the hour of the incense offering, 11 the angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right of the altar of incense. 12 Zechariah was troubled by what he saw, and fear came upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid,[d] Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John.(D) 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of [the] Lord. He will drink neither wine nor strong drink.[e] He will be filled with the holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb,(E) 16 and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah[f] to turn the hearts of fathers toward children and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to prepare a people fit for the Lord.”(F)
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