Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

148 Praise the LORD from the heavens! Praise Him in the high places!

² Praise Him, all His angels! Praise Him, all His army!

³ Praise Him, Sun and Moon! Praise Him, all bright stars!

⁴ Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, and waters above the heavens!

⁵ Let them praise the Name of the LORD; for He commanded, and they were created.

⁶ And He has established them forever and ever. He has made an ordinance which shall not pass.

⁷ Praise the LORD from the Earth, you dragons and all depths:

⁸ fire and hail, snow and vapors, stormy wind — which execute His Word —

⁹ mountains and all hills, fruitful trees, and all cedars,10 beasts and all cattle, creeping things and feathered birds,

¹¹ kings of the Earth and all people, princes and all judges of the world,

¹² young men and maidens, also old men and children.

¹³ Let them praise the Name of the LORD; for only His Name is to be exalted. His praise is above the Earth and the heavens.

¹⁴ For He has exalted the horn of His people — a praise for all His saints, for the children of Israel — a people that is near to Him. Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD.

¹⁵ Thus says the LORD: “A voice was heard on high — a mourning and bitter weeping. Rachel, weeping for her children, refused to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.”

¹⁶ Thus says the LORD: “Restrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears, for your work shall be rewarded,” says the LORD, “and they shall come back from the land of the enemy.

¹⁷ “And there is hope in your future,” says the LORD, “that your children shall come back to their own borders.

¹³ After their departure, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, and take the Child and His mother, and flee into Egypt. And stay there until I bring you word. For Herod will seek the Child to destroy Him.”

¹⁴ So he arose and took the Child and His mother by night and departed into Egypt.

¹⁵ And they were there until the death of Herod, so that which was spoken from the Lord by the prophet might be fulfilled, which says, “Out of Egypt have I called my Son.”

¹⁶ Then Herod, seeing that he had been mocked by the wise men, was exceedingly enraged. And he sent forth and had put to death all the male children in Bethlehem and the surrounding territory who were two years old and under (according to the time which he had carefully determined from the wise men).

¹⁷ Then that which was spoken by the Prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled, which says,

¹⁸ “A voice was heard in Ramah - mourning and weeping and howling greatly - Rachel weeping for her children. And she would not be comforted, because they were no more.”