Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
BOOK 2
Thirsting for God in Trouble and Exile.
For the choir director. A [a]Maskil of the sons of Korah.
42 As the deer [b]pants for the water brooks,
So my soul [c](A)pants for You, O God.
2 My soul (B)thirsts for God, for the (C)living God;
When shall I come and [d](D)appear before God?
3 My (E)tears have been my food day and night,
While they (F)say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember and I (G)pour out my soul within me.
For I (H)used to go along with the throng and [e]lead them in procession to the house of God,
With the voice of (I)joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival.
5 (J)Why are you [f](K)in despair, O my soul?
And why have you become (L)disturbed within me?
[g](M)Hope in God, for I shall [h]again praise [i]Him
For the [j](N)help of His presence.
6 O my God, my soul is [k]in despair within me;
Therefore I (O)remember You from (P)the land of the Jordan
And the [l]peaks of (Q)Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls;
All Your (R)breakers and Your waves have rolled over me.
8 The Lord will (S)command His lovingkindness in the daytime;
And His song will be with me (T)in the night,
A prayer to (U)the God of my life.
9 I will say to God (V)my rock, “Why have You forgotten me?
Why do I go (W)mourning [m]because of the (X)oppression of the enemy?”
10 As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries revile me,
While they (Y)say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
11 (Z)Why are you [n]in despair, O my soul?
And why have you become disturbed within me?
[o]Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him,
The [p]help of my countenance and my God.
The Coming Peace and Prosperity of Zion
8 Then the word of the Lord of hosts came, saying, 2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I am (A)exceedingly jealous for Zion, yes, with great wrath I am jealous for her.’ 3 Thus says the Lord, ‘I will return to Zion and will (B)dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of (C)Truth, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts will be called the Holy Mountain.’ 4 Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘(D)Old men and old women will again sit in the [a]streets of Jerusalem, each man with his staff in his hand because of [b]age. 5 And the [c]streets of the city will be filled with (E)boys and girls playing in its [d]streets.’ 6 Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘If it is [e](F)too difficult in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, will it also be [f](G)too difficult in My sight?’ declares the Lord of hosts. 7 Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Behold, I am going to save My people from the land of the [g](H)east and from the land of the [h]west; 8 and I will (I)bring them back and they will (J)live in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be (K)My people, and I will be their God in [i]truth and righteousness.’
9 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Let your hands be (L)strong, you who are listening in these days to these words from the mouth of the (M)prophets, those who spoke in the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid, to the end that the temple might be built. 10 For before those days there was (N)no wage for man or any wage for animal; and for him who went out or came in there was no [j](O)peace because of [k]his enemies, and I (P)set all men one against another. 11 But now I will (Q)not [l]treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ declares the Lord of hosts. 12 ‘For there will be (R)peace for the seed: the vine will yield its fruit, the land will yield its produce and the heavens will give their (S)dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit (T)all these things. 13 It will come about that just as you were a (U)curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you that you may become a (V)blessing. Do not fear; let your (W)hands be strong.’
14 “For thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Just as I (X)purposed to do harm to you when your fathers provoked Me to wrath,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘and I have not (Y)relented, 15 so I have again purposed in these days to (Z)do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. (AA)Do not fear! 16 These are the things which you should do: speak the (AB)truth to one another; (AC)judge with truth and judgment for peace in your [m]gates. 17 Also let none of you (AD)devise evil in your heart against another, and do not love [n](AE)perjury; for all these are what I (AF)hate,’ declares the Lord.”
Peter’s Mother-in-law and Many Others Healed
14 (A)When Jesus came into Peter’s [a]home, He saw his mother-in-law lying sick in bed with a fever. 15 He touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she got up and [b]waited on Him. 16 When evening came, they brought to Him many (B)who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and (C)healed all who were ill. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “(D)He Himself took our infirmities and [c]carried away our diseases.”
Jesus Casts Out Demons
28 (A)When He came to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were (B)demon-possessed met Him as they were coming out of the tombs. They were so extremely violent that no one could pass by that way. 29 And they cried out, saying, “[a](C)What business do we have with each other, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before [b]the time?” 30 Now there was a herd of many swine feeding at a distance from them. 31 The demons began to entreat Him, saying, “If You are going to cast us out, send us into the herd of swine.” 32 And He said to them, “Go!” And they came out and went into the swine, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the waters. 33 The herdsmen ran away, and went to the city and reported everything, [c]including what had happened to the (D)demoniacs. 34 And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw Him, (E)they implored Him to leave their region.
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