Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

5 Put off, O Jerusalem, the garment of thy mourning, and affliction: and put on the beauty, and honour of that everlasting glory which thou hast from God.

² God will clothe thee with the double garment of justice, and will set a crown on thy head of everlasting honour.

³ For God will shew his brightness in thee, to every one under heaven.

⁴ For thy name shall be named to thee by God for ever: the peace of justice, and honour of piety.

⁵ Arise, O Jerusalem, and stand on high: and look about towards the east, and behold thy children gathered together from the rising to the setting sun, by the word of the Holy One rejoicing in the remembrance of God.

⁶ For they went out from thee on foot, led by the enemies: but the Lord will bring them to thee exalted with honour as children of the kingdom.

⁷ For God hath appointed to bring down every high mountain, and the everlasting rocks, and to fill up the valleys to make them even with the ground: that Israel may walk diligently to the honour of God.

⁸ Moreover the woods, and every sweet-smelling tree have overshadowed Israel by the commandment of God.

⁹ For God will bring Israel with joy in the light of his majesty, with mercy, and justice, that cometh from him.

3 Behold I send my angel, and he shall prepare the way before my face. And presently the Lord, whom you seek, and the angel of the testament, whom you desire, shall come to his temple. Behold he cometh, saith the Lord of hosts.

² And who shall be able to think of the day of his coming? and who shall stand to see him? for he is like a refining fire, and like the fuller's herb:

³ And he shall sit refining and cleansing the silver, and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and shall refine them as gold, and as silver, and they shall offer sacrifices to the Lord in justice.

⁴ And the sacrifice of Juda and of Jerusalem shall please the Lord, as in the days of old, and in the ancient years.

⁶⁸ Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; because he hath visited and wrought the redemption of his people:

⁶⁹ And hath raised up an horn of salvation to us, in the house of David his servant:

⁷⁰ As he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets, who are from the beginning:

⁷¹ Salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us:

⁷² To perform mercy to our fathers, and to remember his holy testament,

⁷³ The oath, which he swore to Abraham our father, that he would grant to us,

⁷⁴ That being delivered from the hand of our enemies, we may serve him without fear,

⁷⁵ In holiness and justice before him, all our days.

⁷⁶ And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways:

⁷⁷ To give knowledge of salvation to his people, unto the remission of their sins:

⁷⁸ Through the bowels of the mercy of our God, in which the Orient from on high hath visited us:

⁷⁹ To enlighten them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death: to direct our feet into the way of peace.

³ I give thanks to my God in every remembrance of you,

⁴ Always in all my prayers making supplication for you all, with joy;

⁵ For your communication in the gospel of Christ from the first day until now.

⁶ Being confident of this very thing, that he, who hath begun a good work in you, will perfect it unto the day of Christ Jesus.

⁷ As it is meet for me to think this for you all, for that I have you in my heart; and that in my bands, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of my joy.

⁸ For God is my witness, how I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.

⁹ And this I pray, that your charity may more and more abound in knowledge, and in all understanding:

¹⁰ That you may approve the better things, that you may be sincere and without offence unto the day of Christ,

¹¹ Filled with the fruit of justice, through Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

3 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and Philip his brother tetrarch of Iturea, and the country of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilina;

² Under the high priests Annas and Caiphas; the word of the Lord was made unto John, the son of Zachary, in the desert.

³ And he came into all the country about the Jordan, preaching the baptism of penance for the remission of sins;

⁴ As it was written in the book of the sayings of Isaias the prophet: A voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.

⁵ Every valley shall be filled; and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight; and the rough ways plain;

⁶ And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.