Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

⁶⁸ “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, because He has visited and redeemed His people!

⁶⁹ “And He has raised up the Horn of Salvation unto us, in the House of His servant David,

⁷⁰ “as He spoke by the mouth of His Holy Prophets. Who were, since the world began, saying,

⁷¹ ‘deliverance from our enemies, and from the hands of all that hate us.’

⁷² “So that He might show mercy towards our fathers, and remember His Holy Covenant -

⁷³ “the oath, which He swore to our father, Abraham -

⁷⁴ “that he would grant to us. So that we, being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, should serve him without fear

⁷⁵ “all the days of our life, in holiness and righteousness before him.

⁷⁶ “And you, child, shall be called the Prophet of the Most High. For you shall go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,

⁷⁷ “to give knowledge of salvation to His people, by the remission of their sins

⁷⁸ “through the tender mercy of our God (whereby the Dayspring from on high has visited us),

⁷⁹ “to give light to those who sit in darkness (and in the shadow of death), and to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

¹³ “Your words have been stout against Me,” says the LORD, “yet you say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’

¹⁴ “You have said, ‘It is in vain to serve God,’ and, ‘What profit is it that we have kept His Commandment and that we walked humbly before the LORD of Hosts?

¹⁵ ‘Therefore, we count the proud blessed. Even those who work wickedness are set up. And those who tempt God, yea, they are delivered.’”

¹⁶ Then those who feared the LORD spoke, everyone to his neighbor. And the LORD listened and heard it. And a Book of Remembrance was written before Him for those who feared the LORD, and who thought upon His Name.

¹⁷ “And they shall be Mine,” says the LORD of Hosts, “on that Day that I shall make them My possession. And I will spare them, as a man spares his own son who serves him.”

¹⁸ Then you shall return and discern between the righteous and wicked, between him who serves God and him who does not serve Him.

¹⁸ What then? Christ is still preached in all manner of ways, whether under a pretense or sincerely. And I rejoice in that! Indeed, and I will rejoice!

¹⁹ For I know that this shall cause my deliverance (through your prayer and by the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ)

²⁰ as I fervently expect and hope that in nothing shall I be ashamed. But that with all confidence (as always) so now Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death.

²¹ For, to me, Christ is life and death is gain.

²² But if living in the flesh brings fruit from my labor, what shall I choose? I do not know!

²³ For I am caught between both desiring to be released and to be with Christ (which is best of all).

²⁴ Nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.

²⁵ And of this I am sure: that I shall stay and continue with you all for the progress and joy of your faith,

²⁶ so that by my coming to you again your boasting in Jesus Christ may abound through me.