Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

126 A Song of the Ascents. In Jehovah's turning back [to] the captivity of Zion, We have been as dreamers.

² Then filled [with] laughter is our mouth, And our tongue [with] singing, Then do they say among nations, `Jehovah did great things with these.'

³ Jehovah did great things with us, We have been joyful.

⁴ Turn again, O Jehovah, [to] our captivity, As streams in the south.

⁵ Those sowing in tears, with singing do reap,

⁶ Whoso goeth on and weepeth, Bearing the basket of seed, Surely cometh in with singing, bearing his sheaves!

⁸ He brought out a blind people who have eyes, And deaf ones who have ears.

⁹ All the nations have been gathered together, And the peoples are assembled, Who among them declareth this, And former things causeth us to hear? They give their witnesses, And they are declared righteous, And they hear and say, `Truth.'

¹⁰ Ye [are] My witnesses, an affirmation of Jehovah, And My servant whom I have chosen, So that ye know and give credence to Me, And understand that I [am] He, Before Me there was no God formed, And after Me there is none.

¹¹ I -- I [am] Jehovah, And besides Me there is no saviour.

¹² I -- I declared, and saved, and proclaimed, And there is no stranger with you, And ye [are] My witnesses, an affirmation of Jehovah, And I [am] God.

¹³ Even from the day I [am] He, And there is no deliverer from My hand, I work, and who doth turn it back?

¹⁴ Thus said Jehovah, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: `For your sake I have sent to Babylon, And caused bars to descend -- all of them, And the Chaldeans, whose song [is] in the ships.

¹⁵ I [am] Jehovah, your Holy One, Creator of Israel, your King.'

²⁵ And I thought [it] necessary Epaphroditus -- my brother, and fellow-workman, and fellow-soldier, and your apostle and servant to my need -- to send unto you,

²⁶ seeing he was longing after you all, and in heaviness, because ye heard that he ailed,

²⁷ for he also ailed nigh to death, but God did deal kindly with him, and not with him only, but also with me, that sorrow upon sorrow I might not have.

²⁸ The more eagerly, therefore, I did send him, that having seen him again ye may rejoice, and I may be the less sorrowful;

²⁹ receive him, therefore, in the Lord, with all joy, and hold such in honour,

³⁰ because on account of the work of the Christ he drew near to death, having hazarded the life that he might fill up your deficiency of service unto me.

3 As to the rest, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord; the same things to write to you to me indeed is not tiresome, and for you [is] sure;