Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
23 Be glad then, you children of Zion,
And (A)rejoice in the Lord your God;
For He has given you the [a]former rain faithfully,
And He (B)will cause the rain to come down for you—
The former rain,
And the latter rain in the first month.
24 The threshing floors shall be full of wheat,
And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.
25 “So I will restore to you the years (C)that the swarming [b]locust has eaten,
The crawling locust,
The consuming locust,
And the chewing locust,
My great army which I sent among you.
26 You shall (D)eat in plenty and be satisfied,
And praise the name of the Lord your God,
Who has dealt wondrously with you;
And My people shall never be put to (E)shame.
27 Then you shall know that I am (F)in the midst of Israel:
(G)I am the Lord your God
And there is no other.
My people shall never be put to shame.
God’s Spirit Poured Out
28 “And(H) it shall come to pass afterward
That (I)I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
(J)Your sons and your (K)daughters shall prophesy,
Your old men shall dream dreams,
Your young men shall see visions.
29 And also on My (L)menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
30 “And (M)I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth:
Blood and fire and pillars of smoke.
31 (N)The sun shall be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
(O)Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.
32 And it shall come to pass
That (P)whoever calls on the name of the Lord
Shall be [c]saved.
For (Q)in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be [d]deliverance,
As the Lord has said,
Among (R)the remnant whom the Lord calls.
Praise to God for His Salvation and Providence
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. A Song.
65 Praise is awaiting You, O God, in Zion;
And to You the [a]vow shall be performed.
2 O You who hear prayer,
(A)To You all flesh will come.
3 Iniquities prevail against me;
As for our transgressions,
You will (B)provide atonement for them.
4 (C)Blessed is the man You (D)choose,
And cause to approach You,
That he may dwell in Your courts.
(E)We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house,
Of Your holy temple.
5 By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us,
O God of our salvation,
You who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth,
And of the far-off seas;
6 Who established the mountains by His strength,
(F)Being clothed with power;
7 (G)You who still the noise of the seas,
The noise of their waves,
(H)And the tumult of the peoples.
8 They also who dwell in the farthest parts are afraid of Your signs;
You make the outgoings of the morning and evening [b]rejoice.
9 You [c]visit the earth and (I)water it,
You greatly enrich it;
(J)The river of God is full of water;
You provide their grain,
For so You have prepared it.
10 You water its ridges abundantly,
You settle its furrows;
You make it soft with showers,
You bless its growth.
11 You crown the year with Your goodness,
And Your paths drip with abundance.
12 They drop on the pastures of the wilderness,
And the little hills rejoice on every side.
13 The pastures are clothed with flocks;
(K)The valleys also are covered with grain;
They shout for joy, they also sing.
Paul’s Valedictory
6 For (A)I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of (B)my departure is at hand. 7 (C)I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me (D)the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous (E)Judge, will give to me (F)on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
16 At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. (A)May it not be charged against them.
The Lord Is Faithful
17 (B)But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, (C)so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered (D)out of the mouth of the lion. 18 (E)And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. (F)To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
9 Also He spoke this parable to some (A)who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee (B)stood and prayed thus with himself, (C)‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ 13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; (D)for everyone who exalts himself will be [a]humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.