Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

35 The land that was desolate and impassable shall be glad, and the wilderness shall rejoice, and shall flourish like the lily.

² It shall bud forth and blossom, and shall rejoice with joy and praise: the glory of Libanus is given to it: the beauty of Carmel, and Saron, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the beauty of our God.

³ Strengthen ye the feeble hands, and confirm the weak knees.

⁴ Say to the fainthearted: Take courage, and fear not: behold your God will bring the revenge of recompense: God himself will come and will save you.

⁵ Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.

⁶ Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall be free: for waters are broken out in the desert, and streams in the wilderness.

⁷ And that which was dry land, shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water. In the dens where dragons dwell before, shall rise up the verdure of the reed and the bulrush.

⁸ And a path and a way shall be there, and it shall be called the holy way: the unclean shall not pass over it, and this shall be unto you a straight way, so that fools shall not err therein.

⁹ No lion shall be there, nor shall any mischievous beast go up by it, nor be found there: but they shall walk there that shall be delivered.

¹⁰ And the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and shall come into Sion with praise, and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.

⁵ Great is our Lord, and great is his power: and of his wisdom there is no number.

⁶ The Lord lifteth up the meek, and bringeth the wicked down even to the ground.

⁷ Sing ye to the Lord with praise: sing to our God upon the harp.

⁸ Who covereth the heaven with clouds, and prepareth rain for the earth. Who maketh grass to grow on the mountains, and herbs for the service of men.

⁹ Who giveth to beasts their food: and to the young ravens that call upon him.

¹⁰ He shall not delight in the strength of the horse: nor take pleasure in the legs of a man.

⁴⁶ And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord.

⁴⁷ And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

⁴⁸ Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

⁴⁹ Because he that is mighty, hath done great things to me; and holy is his name.

⁵⁰ And his mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear him.

⁵¹ He hath shewed might in his arm: he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.

⁵² He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble.

⁵³ He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.

⁵⁴ He hath received Israel his servant, being mindful of his mercy:

⁵⁵ As he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed for ever.

⁷ Be patient therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth: patiently bearing till he receive the early and latter rain.

⁸ Be you therefore also patient, and strengthen your hearts: for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

⁹ Grudge not, brethren, one against another, that you may not be judged. Behold the judge standeth before the door.

¹⁰ Take, my brethren, for an example of suffering evil, of labour and patience, the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord.

² Now when John had heard in prison the works of Christ: sending two of his disciples he said to him:

³ Art thou he that art to come, or look we for another?

⁴ And Jesus making answer said to them: Go and relate to John what you have heard and seen.

⁵ The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead rise again, the poor have the gospel preached to them.

⁶ And blessed is he that shall not be scandalized in me.

⁷ And when they went their way, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: What went you out into the desert to see? a reed shaken with the wind?

⁸ But what went you out to see? a man clothed in soft garments? Behold they that are clothed in soft garments, are in the houses of kings.

⁹ But what went you out to see? a prophet? yea I tell you, and more than a prophet.

¹⁰ For this is he of whom it is written: Behold I send my angel before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee.

¹¹ Amen I say to you, there hath not risen among them that are born of women a greater than John the Baptist: yet he that is the lesser in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.