Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Hymn of Praise
12 And (A)in that day you will say:
“O Lord, I will praise You;
Though You were angry with me,
Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me.
2 Behold, God is my salvation,
I will trust and not be afraid;
(B)‘For (C)Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song;
He also has become my salvation.’ ”
3 Therefore with joy you will draw (D)water
From the wells of salvation.
4 And in that day you will say:
(E)“Praise the Lord, call upon His name;
(F)Declare His deeds among the peoples,
Make mention that His (G)name is exalted.
5 (H)Sing to the Lord,
For He has done excellent things;
This is known in all the earth.
6 (I)Cry out and shout, O inhabitant of Zion,
For great is (J)the Holy One of Israel in your midst!”
Healing for the Backslider
14 And one shall say,
(A)“Heap it up! Heap it up!
Prepare the way,
Take the stumbling block out of the way of My people.”
15 For thus says the High and Lofty One
Who inhabits eternity, (B)whose name is Holy:
(C)“I dwell in the high and holy place,
(D)With him who has a contrite and humble spirit,
(E)To revive the spirit of the humble,
And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
16 (F)For I will not contend forever,
Nor will I always be angry;
For the spirit would fail before Me,
And the souls (G)which I have made.
17 For the iniquity of (H)his covetousness
I was angry and struck him;
(I)I hid and was angry,
(J)And he went on [a]backsliding in the way of his heart.
18 I have seen his ways, and (K)will heal him;
I will also lead him,
And restore comforts to him
And to (L)his mourners.
19 “I create (M)the fruit of the lips:
Peace, peace (N)to him who is far off and to him who is near,”
Says the Lord,
“And I will heal him.”
20 (O)But the wicked are like the troubled sea,
When it cannot rest,
Whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
21 “There(P) is no peace,”
Says my God, “for the wicked.”
God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness
18 (A)For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and (B)unrighteousness of men, who [a]suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because (C)what may be known of God is [b]manifest [c]in them, for (D)God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world (E)His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and [d]Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but (F)became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 (G)Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the (H)incorruptible (I)God into an image made like [e]corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
24 (J)Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, (K)to dishonor their bodies (L)among themselves, 25 who exchanged (M)the truth of God (N)for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.