Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
10 I will (A)rejoice greatly in the Lord,
My soul will exult in (B)my God;
For He has (C)clothed me with garments of salvation,
He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness,
As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,
And (D)as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the (E)earth brings forth its sprouts,
And as a garden causes the things sown in it to spring up,
So the Lord [a]God will (F)cause (G)righteousness and praise
To spring up before all the nations.
Zion’s Glory and New Name
62 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep quiet,
Until her (H)righteousness goes forth like brightness,
And her (I)salvation like a torch that is burning.
2 The (J)nations will see your righteousness,
And all kings your glory;
And you will be called by a new (K)name
Which the mouth of the Lord will designate.
3 You will also be a (L)crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
And a royal [b]diadem in the hand of your God.
The Whole Creation Invoked to Praise the Lord.
148 [a]Praise [b]the Lord!
Praise the Lord (A)from the heavens;
Praise Him (B)in the heights!
2 Praise Him, (C)all His angels;
Praise Him, (D)all His hosts!
3 Praise Him, sun and moon;
Praise Him, all stars of light!
4 Praise Him, [c](E)highest heavens,
And the (F)waters that are above the heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
For (G)He commanded and they were created.
6 He has also (H)established them forever and ever;
He has made a (I)decree which will not pass away.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
(J)Sea monsters and all (K)deeps;
8 (L)Fire and hail, (M)snow and (N)clouds;
(O)Stormy wind, (P)fulfilling His word;
9 (Q)Mountains and all hills;
Fruit (R)trees and all cedars;
10 (S)Beasts and all cattle;
(T)Creeping things and winged fowl;
11 (U)Kings of the earth and all peoples;
Princes and all judges of the earth;
12 Both young men and virgins;
Old men and children.
4 But when (A)the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, (B)born of a woman, born (C)under [a]the Law, 5 so that He might redeem those who were under [b]the Law, that we might receive the adoption as (D)sons. 6 Because you are sons, (E)God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “(F)Abba! Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and (G)if a son, then an heir [c]through God.
22 (A)And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “(B)Every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, “(C)A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
25 And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was (D)righteous and devout, (E)looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And (F)it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not (G)see death before he had seen the Lord’s [a]Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, [b](H)to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, 28 then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,
29 “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace,
(I)According to Your word;
30 For my eyes have (J)seen Your salvation,
31 Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 (K)A Light [c]of revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”
33 And His father and (L)mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary (M)His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for (N)the fall and [d]rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed— 35 and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
36 And there was a (O)prophetess, [e]Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of (P)the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in [f]years (Q)and had lived with her husband seven years after her [g]marriage, 37 and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with (R)fastings and prayers. 38 At that very [h]moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were (S)looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
Return to Nazareth
39 When they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to (T)their own city of Nazareth. 40 (U)The Child continued to grow and become strong, [i]increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.