Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
6 Your throne is the very throne of God.
Your kingdom will last for ever and ever.
You will rule by treating everyone fairly.
7 You love what is right and hate what is evil.
So your God has placed you above your companions.
He has filled you with joy by pouring the sacred oil on your head.
8 Myrrh and aloes and cassia make all your robes smell good.
In palaces decorated with ivory
the music played on stringed instruments makes you glad.
9 Daughters of kings are among the women you honor.
At your right hand is the royal bride dressed in gold from Ophir.
10 Royal bride, listen and pay careful attention.
Forget about your people and the home you came from.
11 Let the king be charmed by your beauty.
Honor him. He is now your master.
12 The people of Tyre will come with gifts.
Wealthy people will try to gain your favor.
13 In her room, the princess looks glorious.
Her gown has gold threads running through it.
14 Dressed in beautiful clothes, she is led to the king.
Her virgin companions follow her.
They have been brought to be with her.
15 They are led in with joy and gladness.
They enter the palace of the king.
16 Your sons will rule just as your father and grandfather did.
You will make them princes through the whole land.
17 I will make sure that people will always remember you.
The nations will praise you for ever and ever.
The Lord Gives Zion a New Name
62 The Lord says, “For the good of Zion I will not keep silent.
For Jerusalem’s benefit I will not remain quiet.
I will not keep silent until what I will do for them
shines like the sunrise.
I will not remain quiet until they are saved
and shine like a blazing torch.
2 Jerusalem, the nations will see
that I have made everything right for you.
All their kings will see your glory.
You will be called by a new name.
I myself will give it to you.
3 You will be like a glorious crown in my strong hand.
You will be like a royal crown in my powerful hand.
4 People will not call you Deserted anymore.
They will no longer name your land Empty.
Instead, you will be called One the Lord Delights In.
Your land will be named Married One.
That’s because the Lord will take delight in you.
And your land will be married.
5 As a young man marries a young woman,
so your Builder will marry you.
As a groom is happy with his bride,
so your God will be full of joy over you.”
John the Baptist Is a Witness About Jesus
22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the countryside of Judea. There he spent some time with them. And he baptized people there. 23 John was also baptizing. He was at Aenon near Salim, where there was plenty of water. People were coming and being baptized. 24 This was before John was put in prison. 25 Some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew began to argue. They argued about special washings to make people “clean.” 26 They came to John and here is what they said to him. “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan River is baptizing people. He is the one you told us about. Everyone is going to him.”
27 John replied, “A person can receive only what God gives them from heaven. 28 You yourselves are witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah. I was sent ahead of him.’ 29 The bride belongs to the groom. The friend who helps the groom waits and listens for him. He is full of joy when he hears the groom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become more important. I must become less important.
31 “The one who comes from above is above everything. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks like someone from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above everything. 32 He is a witness to what he has seen and heard. But no one accepts what he says. 33 Anyone who has accepted it has said, ‘Yes. God is truthful.’ 34 The one whom God has sent speaks God’s words. That’s because God gives the Holy Spirit without limit. 35 The Father loves the Son and has put everything into his hands. 36 Anyone who believes in the Son has eternal life. Anyone who does not believe in the Son will not have life. God’s anger remains on them.”
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