Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
8 Thus says the Lord,
“In a (A)favorable time I have answered You,
And in a day of salvation I have helped You;
And I will (B)keep You and (C)give You for a covenant of the people,
To [a](D)restore the land, to make them inherit the desolate heritages;
9 Saying to those who are (E)bound, ‘Go forth,’
To those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’
Along the roads they will feed,
And their pasture will be on all (F)bare heights.
10 “They will (G)not hunger or thirst,
Nor will the scorching (H)heat or sun strike them down;
For (I)He who has compassion on them will (J)lead them
And will guide them to (K)springs of water.
11 “I will make all (L)My mountains a road,
And My (M)highways will be raised up.
12 “Behold, these will come (N)from afar;
And lo, these will come from the (O)north and from the west,
And these from the land of Sinim.”
13 (P)Shout for joy, O heavens! And rejoice, O earth!
Break forth into joyful shouting, O mountains!
For the (Q)Lord has comforted His people
And will (R)have compassion on His afflicted.
Promise to Zion
14 But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me,
And the Lord has forgotten me.”
15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child
And have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget, but (S)I will not forget you.
16 “Behold, I have (T)inscribed you on the palms of My hands;
Your (U)walls are continually before Me.
Childlike Trust in the Lord.
A Song of Ascents, of David.
131 O Lord, my heart is not (A)proud, nor my eyes [a](B)haughty;
Nor do I [b]involve myself in (C)great matters,
Or in things (D)too [c]difficult for me.
2 Surely I have (E)composed and quieted my soul;
Like a weaned (F)child rests [d]against his mother,
My soul is like a weaned child [e]within me.
3 O Israel, (G)hope in the Lord
(H)From this time forth and forever.
Servants of Christ
4 Let a man regard us in this manner, as (A)servants of Christ and (B)stewards of (C)the mysteries of God. 2 In this case, moreover, it is required [a]of stewards that one be found trustworthy. 3 But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human [b]court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. 4 For I (D)am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this (E)acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord. 5 Therefore (F)do not go on [c]passing judgment before [d]the time, but wait (G)until the Lord comes who will both (H)bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s (I)praise will come to him from God.
24 “(A)No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and [a](B)wealth.
The Cure for Anxiety
25 “(C)For this reason I say to you, [b]do not be (D)worried about your [c]life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 (E)Look at the birds of the [d]air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 And who of you by being (F)worried can (G)add a single [e]hour to his [f]life? 28 And why are you (H)worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29 yet I say to you that not even (I)Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the (J)grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? (K)You of little faith! 31 Do not (L)worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for (M)your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But [g]seek first [h]His kingdom and His righteousness, and (N)all these things will be [i]added to you.
34 “So do not (O)worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will [j]care for itself. [k]Each day has enough trouble of its own.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.