Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Praise for Rescue from Enemies.
A Song of Ascents, of David.
124 “(A)Had it not been the Lord who was on our side,”
(B)Let Israel now say,
2 “Had it not been the Lord who was on our side
When men rose up against us,
3 Then they would have (C)swallowed us alive,
When their (D)anger was kindled against us;
4 Then the (E)waters would have engulfed us,
The stream would have [a]swept over our soul;
5 Then the (F)raging waters would have [b]swept over our soul.”
The Fertility of Zion
54 “(A)Shout for joy, O barren one, you who have borne no child;
Break forth into joyful shouting and cry aloud, you who have not travailed;
For the sons of the (B)desolate one will be (C)more numerous
Than the sons of the married woman,” says the Lord.
2 “(D)Enlarge the place of your tent;
[a]Stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, spare not;
Lengthen your (E)cords
And strengthen your (F)pegs.
3 “For you will (G)spread abroad to the right and to the left.
And your [b]descendants will (H)possess nations
And will (I)resettle the desolate cities.
4 “Fear not, for you will (J)not be put to shame;
And do not feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced;
But you will forget the (K)shame of your youth,
And the (L)reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.
5 “For your (M)husband is your Maker,
Whose name is the Lord of hosts;
And your (N)Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel,
Who is called the (O)God of all the earth.
6 “For the Lord has called you,
Like a wife (P)forsaken and grieved in spirit,
Even like a wife of one’s youth when she is rejected,”
Says your God.
7 “[c]For a (Q)brief moment I forsook you,
But with great compassion I will (R)gather you.
8 “In an [d](S)outburst of anger
I hid My face from you for a moment,
But with everlasting (T)lovingkindness I will (U)have compassion on you,”
Says the Lord your (V)Redeemer.
9 “For [e]this is like the days of Noah to Me,
When I swore that the waters of Noah
Would (W)not [f]flood the earth again;
So I have sworn that I will (X)not be angry with you
Nor will I rebuke you.
10 “For the (Y)mountains may be removed and the hills may shake,
But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you,
And My (Z)covenant of peace will not be shaken,”
Says (AA)the Lord who has compassion on you.
23 (A)Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the [a]Christ,’ or ‘[b]There He is,’ do not believe him. 24 For false Christs and (B)false prophets will arise and will [c]show great [d](C)signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even (D)the [e]elect. 25 Behold, I have told you in advance. 26 So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. 27 (E)For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the (F)coming of the (G)Son of Man be. 28 (H)Wherever the corpse is, there the [f]vultures will gather.
The Glorious Return
29 “But immediately after the (I)tribulation of those days (J)the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and (K)the stars will fall from [g]the sky, and the powers of [h]the heavens will be shaken. 30 And then (L)the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see (M)the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31 And (N)He will send forth His angels with (O)a great trumpet and they will gather together His [i](P)elect from (Q)the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
Parable of the Fig Tree
32 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; 33 so, you too, when you see all these things, [j]recognize that [k]He is near, right (R)at the [l]door. 34 Truly I say to you, (S)this [m]generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 (T)Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.