Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
5 Even the heavens praise your awesome deeds, Lord,
your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones.
6 For who in the skies compares to the Lord?
Who is like the Lord among the divine beings?
7 God is feared in the council of the holy ones,
revered by all those around him.
8 Lord God of the Heavenly Armies,
who is as mighty as you, Lord?
Your faithfulness surrounds you.
9 You rule over the majestic[a] sea;
when its waves surge,
you calm them.
10 You crushed the proud one[b] to death;
with your powerful arm
you scattered your enemies.
11 Heaven and the earth belong to you,
the world and everything it contains—
you established them.
12 The north and south—you created them;
Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name.
13 Your arm is strong;
your hand is mighty;
indeed, your right hand is victorious.[c]
14 Righteousness and justice make up
the foundation of your throne;
gracious love and truth meet before you.
15 How happy are the people who can worship joyfully![d]
Lord, they walk in the light of your presence.
16 In your name they rejoice all day long;
they exult in your justice.[e]
17 For you are their strength’s grandeur;
by your favor you exalted our power.[f]
18 Indeed, our shield belongs to the Lord,
and our king to the Holy One of Israel.
God’s Describes His Anointed
19 You spoke to your faithful[g] ones through a vision:[h]
“I will set a helper over[i] a warrior.
I will raise up a chosen one from the people.
20 I have found my servant David;
I have anointed him with my sacred oil,
21 with whom my power[j] will be firmly established;
for my arm will strengthen him.
22 No enemy will deceive him;
no wicked person[k] will afflict him.
23 I will crush his enemies before him
and strike those who hate him.
24 My faithfulness and gracious love will be with him,
and in my name his power[l] will be exalted.
25 I will place his hand[m] over the sea,
and his right hand[n] over the rivers.
26 He will announce to me
‘You are my father,
my God, and the rock of my salvation.’
27 “Indeed, I myself made him the firstborn,
the highest of the kings of the earth.
28 I will show[o] my gracious love toward him forever,
since my covenant is securely established with him.
29 I will establish his dynasty[p] forever,
and his throne as long as heaven endures.[q]
30 “But if his sons abandon my laws and
do not follow my ordinances,
31 if they profane my statutes;
and do not keep my commands,
32 then I will punish their disobedience with a rod
and their iniquity with lashes.
33 But I will not cut off[r] my gracious love from him,
and I will not stop being faithful.
34 I will not dishonor my covenant,
because I will not change what I have spoken.[s]
35 I have sworn by my holiness once for all:
I will not lie to David.
36 His dynasty[t] will last forever
and his throne will be like the sun before me.
37 It will be established forever like the moon,
a faithful witness in the sky.”
Deliverance for Zion
51 “Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,
you who seek the Lord!
Look to the rock from which you were cut,
to the quarry from which you were hewn.
2 Look to Abraham your father,
and to Sarah who gave you birth.
For when he was only one person I called him,
but I made him fruitful[a] and made him many.
3 For the Lord will have compassion on Zion,
have compassion on all her ruins.
He will make her wilderness like Eden,
and her deserts like the garden of the Lord.
Joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving, and the sound of singing.[b]
Sorrow and sighing will flee away.[c]
4 “Pay attention to me, my people!
Listen to me, my nation!
For instruction[d] will go out from me,
and my justice will become a light for the nations.[e]
I will quickly bring 5 my deliverance near;
my salvation is on the way.
His arm[f] will bring justice to[g] the nations;[h]
the coastlands will hope for him,[i]
and they will wait for his arm.[j]
6 “Lift up your eyes, you[k] heavens
and look to the earth beneath;
and see who created these.[l]
Its inhabitants will die just like this;[m]
but my salvation will be forever,
and my deliverance will never fail.
7 Listen to me, you who know righteousness,
you people who have my instruction[n] in their hearts.
Don’t fear the insults of mortals,
and don’t be dismayed at their hateful words.[o]
8 For moths will eat them up just like a garment,
and worms will devour them like wool;
but my deliverance will last[p] forever,
and my salvation to all generations.
9 “Awake! Awake! Clothe yourself with strength,
you arm[q] of the Lord!
Awake, as in days gone by,
as in generations of long ago.
Was it not you who split apart[r] Rehob,[s]
who pierced that sea monster through?[t]
10 Was it not you who dried up the sea,
the waters of the great deep,
who made a road in[u] the depths of the sea
so that the redeemed could cross over?”
A Promise of Return to the Land
11 “The scattered ones[v] of the Lord will return,
and they will enter Zion with singing.
Everlasting joy will be upon their heads;
they will attain joy and gladness,
and[w] sorrow and sighing will flee away.[x]
12 “I—yes, I—am the one who comforts you.
Who are you, that you are so afraid of humans who will die,
descendants of mere[y] men, who have been made[z] like grass?
13 As a result, you have forgotten the Lord who made you,
who stretched out the heavens
and laid the earth’s foundations,
and you live in constant fear every day
because of the oppressor’s fury,
since he’s ready to destroy.
Now where is the[aa] oppressor’s fury?
14 Distress[ab] will quickly be set free.
He won’t die in the Pit,[ac]
nor will he lack food.”
A Promise of Restoration
15 “For I am the Lord your God,
who churns up the sea, so that its waves roar,
‘The Lord of the Heavenly Armies is his name.’
16 I have put my words in your mouth
and have covered you with the shadow of my hand,
so that I could plant the heavens
and lay the earth’s foundations,
to say to Zion, ‘You are my people.’
Jesus, God’s Chosen Servant
15 When Jesus became aware of this, he left that place. Many crowds[a] followed him, and he healed all of them, 16 ordering them not to make him known. 17 This was to fulfill what was declared by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
18 “Here is my Servant whom I have chosen,
whom I love, and with whom I am pleased!
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will proclaim justice[b] to unbelievers.[c]
19 He will not quarrel or shout,
and no one will hear him shouting[d] in the streets.
20 He will not snap off a broken reed
or snuff out a smoldering wick
until he has brought justice[e] through to victory.
21 And in his name unbelievers[f] will hope.”[g]
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