Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

⁴⁶ Mary said, `My heart is praising the Lord.

⁴⁷ And my spirit is happy because God has saved me.

⁴⁸ He has remembered his servant even though she is not a great person. From now on all people of all times will say God has blessed me.

⁴⁹ He who has all power has done a big work for me. His name is holy.

⁵⁰ `He is kind to people of all times who respect him.

⁵¹ He has shown how strong he is with his arm. He has taken away people who were proud in their hearts.

⁵² He has moved big rulers from power, and those that were not great he has made great.

⁵³ He has given hungry people good things to eat, and sent away the rich people with nothing.

⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel.

⁵⁵ He has remembered to be kind just as he said to our fathers of long ago. He promised to be kind to Abraham and his children's children for ever.'

¹¹ So remember that you were not born Jews. (They call you `The Uncircumcised').

¹² Remember you did not know Christ at that time. You were far away from the people of Israel. You had no part in the agreements which God promised to them. You had no hope and you were without God in this world.

¹³ At one time you were far away, but now you have been brought near to God by the blood [death] of Jesus Christ.

¹⁴ Christ has made peace between us. He has brought both Jews and non-Jews together into one people. He has broken down the wall that divided us.

¹⁵ In his own body Christ made an end of the law and its rules. He did this so that in him two peoples could become one. In this way, he made peace between us.

¹⁶ He did this so that by the cross he might bring both kinds of people back to God in one body. And by the cross he has stopped our hating each other.

¹⁷ He came and said that there is now peace. There is peace for you who were far away from God and for those who were near.

¹⁸ Because of what Christ has done, we can come to the Father by one Spirit.

¹⁹ So then you are no longer strangers or people far away. But you live with God's people and belong to God's family.

²⁰ God's family is like a house and you are part of the building. The apostles and prophets are like the lower walls of the house and you are the building on this foundation. Jesus Christ is the big stone at the corner.

²¹ He is the one who holds the whole house together, and it becomes a holy house belonging to the Lord.

²² You too are a part of this house. God himself lives in this house by his Spirit.