Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
5 How (A)blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
Whose (B)hope is in the Lord his God,
6 Who (C)made heaven and earth,
The (D)sea and all that is in them;
Who (E)keeps [a]faith forever;
7 Who (F)executes justice for the oppressed;
Who (G)gives food to the hungry.
The Lord (H)sets the prisoners free.
8 The Lord (I)opens the eyes of the blind;
The Lord (J)raises up those who are bowed down;
The Lord (K)loves the righteous;
9 The Lord [b](L)protects the [c]strangers;
He [d](M)supports the fatherless and the widow,
But He [e]thwarts (N)the way of the wicked.
10 The Lord will (O)reign forever,
Your God, O Zion, to all generations.
[f]Praise [g]the Lord!
Hannah’s Song of Thanksgiving
2 Then Hannah (A)prayed and said,
“My heart exults in the Lord;
(B)My [a]horn is exalted in the Lord,
My mouth [b]speaks boldly against my enemies,
Because (C)I rejoice in Your salvation.
2 “(D)There is no one holy like the Lord,
Indeed, (E)there is no one besides You,
(F)Nor is there any rock like our God.
3 “[c]Boast no more so very proudly,
(G)Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth;
(H)For the Lord is a God of knowledge,
(I)And with Him actions are weighed.
4 “(J)The bows of the mighty are shattered,
(K)But the feeble gird on strength.
5 “Those who were full hire themselves out for bread,
But those who were hungry cease to hunger.
(L)Even the barren gives birth to seven,
But (M)she who has many children languishes.
6 “(N)The Lord kills and makes alive;
(O)He brings down to [d]Sheol and raises up.
7 “(P)The Lord makes poor and rich;
(Q)He brings low, He also exalts.
8 “(R)He raises the poor from the dust,
(S)He lifts the needy from the ash heap
(T)To make them sit with nobles,
And inherit a seat of honor;
(U)For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
And He set the world on them.
John the Baptist Preaches
3 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when (A)Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and (B)Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, 2 in the high priesthood of (C)Annas and (D)Caiaphas, (E)the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. 3 And he came into all (F)the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins; 4 as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,
“(G)The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
‘Make ready the way of the Lord,
Make His paths straight.
5 ‘(H)Every ravine will be filled,
And every mountain and hill will be [a]brought low;
The crooked will become straight,
And the rough roads smooth;
6 (I)And all [b]flesh will (J)see the salvation of God.’”
7 So he began saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, “(K)You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and (L)do not begin to say [c]to yourselves, ‘(M)We have Abraham for our father,’ for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. 9 Indeed the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; so (N)every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
10 And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “(O)Then what shall we do?” 11 And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two tunics is to (P)share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.” 12 And some (Q)tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” 13 And he said to them, “[d]Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.” 14 Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, “And what about us, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or (R)accuse anyone falsely, and (S)be content with your wages.”
15 Now while the people were in a state of expectation and all were [e]wondering in their hearts about John, (T)as to whether he was [f]the Christ, 16 (U)John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you [g]with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His (V)winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with (W)unquenchable fire.”
18 So with many other exhortations he preached the gospel to the people.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.