Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
A King Will Come and a Remnant Will Prosper
2 (5:1) As for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,[a]
seemingly insignificant[b] among the clans of Judah—
from you a king will emerge who will rule over Israel on my behalf,[c]
one whose origins[d] are in the distant past.[e]
3 So the Lord[f] will hand the people of Israel[g] over to their enemies[h]
until the time when the woman in labor[i] gives birth.[j]
Then the rest of the king’s[k] countrymen will return
to be reunited with the people of Israel.[l]
4 He will assume his post[m] and shepherd the people[n] by the Lord’s strength,
by the sovereign authority of the Lord his God.[o]
They will live securely,[p] for at that time he will be honored[q]
even in the distant regions of[r] the earth.
5 He will give us peace.[s]
Should the Assyrians try to invade our land
and attempt to set foot in our fortresses,[t]
we will send[u] against them seven[v] shepherd-rulers,[w]
make that eight commanders.[x]
Mary’s Hymn of Praise
“My soul exalts[c] the Lord,[d]
47 and my spirit has begun to rejoice[e] in God my Savior,
48 because he has looked upon the humble state of his servant.[f]
For[g] from now on[h] all generations will call me blessed,[i]
49 because he who is mighty[j] has done great things for me, and holy is his name;
50 from[k] generation to generation he is merciful[l] to those who fear[m] him.
51 He has demonstrated power[n] with his arm; he has scattered those whose pride wells up from the sheer arrogance[o] of their hearts.
52 He has brought down the mighty[p] from their thrones, and has lifted up those of lowly position;[q]
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,[r] and has sent the rich away empty.[s]
54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering[t] his mercy,[u]
55 as he promised[v] to our ancestors,[w] to Abraham and to his descendants[x] forever.”
Psalm 80[a]
For the music director, according to the shushan-eduth style;[b] a psalm of Asaph.
80 O Shepherd of Israel, pay attention,
you who lead Joseph like a flock of sheep.
You who sit enthroned above the cherubim,[c] reveal your splendor.[d]
2 In the sight of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh reveal[e] your power.
Come and deliver us.[f]
3 O God, restore us.
Smile on us.[g] Then we will be delivered.[h]
4 O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies,[i]
how long will you remain angry at your people while they pray to you?[j]
5 You have given them tears as food;[k]
you have made them drink tears by the measure.[l]
6 You have made our neighbors dislike us,[m]
and our enemies insult us.
7 O God of Heaven’s Armies,[n] restore us.
Smile on us.[o] Then we will be delivered.[p]
5 So when he came into the world, he said,
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me.
6 “Whole burnt offerings and sin-offerings you took no delight in.
7 “Then I said, ‘Here I am:[a] I have come—it is written of me in the scroll of the book—to do your will, O God.’”[b]
8 When he says above, “Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sin-offerings you did not desire nor did you take delight in them”[c] (which are offered according to the law), 9 then he says, “Here I am: I have come to do your will.”[d] He does away with[e] the first to establish the second. 10 By his will[f] we have been made holy through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Mary and Elizabeth
39 In those days[a] Mary got up and went hurriedly into the hill country, to a town of Judah,[b] 40 and entered Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When[c] Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped[d] in her[e] womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.[f] 42 She[g] exclaimed with a loud voice,[h] “Blessed are you among women,[i] and blessed is the child[j] in your womb! 43 And who am I[k] that the mother of my Lord should come and visit me? 44 For the instant[l] the sound of your greeting reached my ears,[m] the baby in my womb leaped for joy.[n] 45 And blessed[o] is she who believed that[p] what was spoken to her by[q] the Lord would be fulfilled.”[r]
Mary’s Hymn of Praise
“My soul exalts[c] the Lord,[d]
47 and my spirit has begun to rejoice[e] in God my Savior,
48 because he has looked upon the humble state of his servant.[f]
For[g] from now on[h] all generations will call me blessed,[i]
49 because he who is mighty[j] has done great things for me, and holy is his name;
50 from[k] generation to generation he is merciful[l] to those who fear[m] him.
51 He has demonstrated power[n] with his arm; he has scattered those whose pride wells up from the sheer arrogance[o] of their hearts.
52 He has brought down the mighty[p] from their thrones, and has lifted up those of lowly position;[q]
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,[r] and has sent the rich away empty.[s]
54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering[t] his mercy,[u]
55 as he promised[v] to our ancestors,[w] to Abraham and to his descendants[x] forever.”
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