Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
65 1 A praise and thanksgiving unto God by the faithful, who are signified by Zion, 4 For the choosing, preservation, and governance of them, 9 And for the plentiful blessings poured forth upon all the earth, but especially toward his Church.
To him that excelleth. A Psalm or song of David.
1 O God, [a]praise waiteth for thee in Zion, and unto thee shall the vow be performed.
2 Because thou hearest the prayer, unto thee shall all [b]flesh come.
3 Wicked deeds [c]have prevailed against me: but thou wilt be merciful unto our transgressions.
4 Blessed is he, whom thou choosest and causest to come to thee: he shall dwell in thy courts, and we shall be satisfied with the pleasures of thine House, even of thine holy Temple.
5 O God of our salvation, thou wilt [d]answer us with fearful signs in thy righteousness, O thou the hope of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are far off in the [e]Sea.
6 He establisheth the mountains by his power: and is girded about with strength.
7 He appeaseth the [f]noise of the seas, and the noise of the waves thereof, and the tumults of the people.
8 They also that dwell in the uttermost parts of the earth, shall be afraid of thy signs; thou shalt make [g]the East and the West to rejoice.
9 Thou [h]visitest the earth, and waterest it; thou makest it very rich: the [i]river of God is full of water, thou preparest them corn; for so thou appointest [j]it.
10 Thou [k]waterest abundantly the furrows thereof; thou causest the rain to descend into the valleys thereof; thou makest it soft with showers, and blessest the bud thereof.
11 Thou crownest the year with thy goodness, and thy steps drop fatness.
12 They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: and the hills shall be compassed with gladness.
13 The pastures are clad with sheep; the valleys also shall be covered with corn; therefore they shout for joy, [l]and sing.
Joel
1 1 A prophecy against the Jews. 2 He exhorteth the people to prayer and fasting for the misery that was at hand.
1 The word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Pethuel.
2 Hear ye this, O [a]Elders, and hearken ye all inhabitants of the land, whether [b]such a thing hath been in your days, or yet in the days of your fathers.
3 Tell you your children of it, and let your children show to their children, and their children, to another generation.
4 That which is left of the palmerworm, hath the grasshopper eaten, and the residue of the grasshopper hath the cankerworm eaten, and the residue of the cankerworm hath the caterpillar eaten.
5 Awake ye [c]drunkards, and weep and howl all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine, for it shall be pulled from your mouth.
6 Yea, [d]a nation cometh upon my land, mighty and without number, whose teeth are like the teeth of a lion, and he hath the jaws of a great lion.
7 He maketh my vine waste, and pilleth off the bark of my fig tree: he maketh it bare, and casteth it down: the branches thereof are made white.
8 Mourn like a virgin girded with sackcloth, for the [e]husband of her youth.
9 The meat offering and the drink offering is [f]cut off from the house of the Lord: the Priests the Lord’s ministers mourn.
10 The field is wasted: the land mourneth: for the corn is destroyed: [g]the new wine is dried up, and the oil is decayed.
11 Be ye ashamed, O husbandmen: howl, O ye vinedressers for the wheat and for the barley, because the harvest of the field is perished.
12 The vine is dried up, and the fig tree is decayed: the pomegranate tree and the palm tree, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field are withered: surely the joy is withered away from the sons of men.
13 [h]Gird yourselves and lament ye Priests: howl ye ministers of the altar: come, and lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering, and the drink offering is taken away from the house of your God.
14 Sanctify you a fast: call a solemn assembly: gather the Elders, and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry unto the Lord,
15 Alas: for the day, for the [i]day of the Lord is at hand, and it cometh as a destruction from the Almighty.
16 Is not the meat cut off before our eyes? and joy, and gladness from the house of our God?
17 The seed is rotten under their clods: the garners are destroyed: the barns are broken down, for the corn is withered.
18 How did the beasts mourn! the herds of cattle pine away, because they have no pasture, and the flocks of sheep are destroyed.
19 O Lord, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burnt up all the trees of the field.
20 The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the river of waters are dried up, and the [j]fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
3 1 He foretelleth the dangerous times that are to ensue: 9 but with the certain hope of victory, 10 he encourageth him to the combat, 14 setting out especially the trial of sound doctrine.
1 This [a]know also, that in the (A)last days shall come perilous times.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, cursed speakers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, [b]unholy,
3 Without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, intemperate, fierce, no lovers at all of them which are good,
4 Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God,
5 Having a show of godliness, but have denied the power thereof: [c]turn away therefore from such.
6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive simple women laden with sins, and led with divers lusts,
7 Which women are ever learning, and are never able to come to the acknowledging of the truth.
8 (B)And as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth, men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.
9 [d]But they shall prevail no longer: for their madness shall be evident unto all men, as theirs also was.
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