Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
5 The heavens(A) praise your wonders, Lord,
your faithfulness too, in the assembly(B) of the holy ones.
6 For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord?
Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings?(C)
7 In the council(D) of the holy ones(E) God is greatly feared;
he is more awesome than all who surround him.(F)
8 Who is like you,(G) Lord God Almighty?(H)
You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.
9 You rule over the surging sea;
when its waves mount up, you still them.(I)
10 You crushed Rahab(J) like one of the slain;
with your strong arm you scattered(K) your enemies.
11 The heavens are yours,(L) and yours also the earth;(M)
you founded the world and all that is in it.(N)
12 You created the north and the south;
Tabor(O) and Hermon(P) sing for joy(Q) at your name.
13 Your arm is endowed with power;
your hand is strong, your right hand exalted.(R)
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;(S)
love and faithfulness go before you.(T)
15 Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,
who walk(U) in the light(V) of your presence, Lord.
16 They rejoice in your name(W) all day long;
they celebrate your righteousness.
17 For you are their glory and strength,(X)
and by your favor you exalt our horn.[a](Y)
18 Indeed, our shield[b](Z) belongs to the Lord,
our king(AA) to the Holy One of Israel.
19 Once you spoke in a vision,
to your faithful people you said:
“I have bestowed strength on a warrior;
I have raised up a young man from among the people.
20 I have found David(AB) my servant;(AC)
with my sacred oil(AD) I have anointed(AE) him.
21 My hand will sustain him;
surely my arm will strengthen him.(AF)
22 The enemy will not get the better of him;(AG)
the wicked will not oppress(AH) him.
23 I will crush his foes before him(AI)
and strike down his adversaries.(AJ)
24 My faithful love will be with him,(AK)
and through my name his horn[c] will be exalted.
25 I will set his hand over the sea,
his right hand over the rivers.(AL)
26 He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father,(AM)
my God, the Rock(AN) my Savior.’(AO)
27 And I will appoint him to be my firstborn,(AP)
the most exalted(AQ) of the kings(AR) of the earth.
28 I will maintain my love to him forever,
and my covenant with him will never fail.(AS)
29 I will establish his line forever,
his throne as long as the heavens endure.(AT)
30 “If his sons forsake my law
and do not follow my statutes,
31 if they violate my decrees
and fail to keep my commands,
32 I will punish their sin with the rod,
their iniquity with flogging;(AU)
33 but I will not take my love from him,(AV)
nor will I ever betray my faithfulness.
34 I will not violate my covenant
or alter what my lips have uttered.(AW)
35 Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness—
and I will not lie to David—
36 that his line will continue forever
and his throne endure before me like the sun;(AX)
37 it will be established forever like the moon,
the faithful witness in the sky.”(AY)
Everlasting Salvation for Zion
51 “Listen(A) to me, you who pursue righteousness(B)
and who seek(C) the Lord:
Look to the rock(D) from which you were cut
and to the quarry from which you were hewn;
2 look to Abraham,(E) your father,
and to Sarah, who gave you birth.
When I called him he was only one man,
and I blessed him and made him many.(F)
3 The Lord will surely comfort(G) Zion(H)
and will look with compassion on all her ruins;(I)
he will make her deserts like Eden,(J)
her wastelands(K) like the garden of the Lord.
Joy and gladness(L) will be found in her,
thanksgiving(M) and the sound of singing.
4 “Listen to me, my people;(N)
hear me,(O) my nation:
Instruction(P) will go out from me;
my justice(Q) will become a light to the nations.(R)
5 My righteousness draws near speedily,
my salvation(S) is on the way,(T)
and my arm(U) will bring justice to the nations.
The islands(V) will look to me
and wait in hope(W) for my arm.
6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
look at the earth beneath;
the heavens will vanish like smoke,(X)
the earth will wear out like a garment(Y)
and its inhabitants die like flies.
But my salvation(Z) will last forever,(AA)
my righteousness will never fail.(AB)
7 “Hear me, you who know what is right,(AC)
you people who have taken my instruction to heart:(AD)
Do not fear the reproach of mere mortals
or be terrified by their insults.(AE)
8 For the moth will eat them up like a garment;(AF)
the worm(AG) will devour them like wool.
But my righteousness will last forever,(AH)
my salvation through all generations.”
9 Awake, awake,(AI) arm(AJ) of the Lord,
clothe yourself with strength!(AK)
Awake, as in days gone by,
as in generations of old.(AL)
Was it not you who cut Rahab(AM) to pieces,
who pierced that monster(AN) through?
10 Was it not you who dried up the sea,(AO)
the waters of the great deep,(AP)
who made a road in the depths of the sea(AQ)
so that the redeemed(AR) might cross over?
11 Those the Lord has rescued(AS) will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;(AT)
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy(AU) will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.(AV)
12 “I, even I, am he who comforts(AW) you.
Who are you that you fear(AX) mere mortals,(AY)
human beings who are but grass,(AZ)
13 that you forget(BA) the Lord your Maker,(BB)
who stretches out the heavens(BC)
and who lays the foundations of the earth,
that you live in constant terror(BD) every day
because of the wrath of the oppressor,
who is bent on destruction?
For where is the wrath of the oppressor?(BE)
14 The cowering prisoners will soon be set free;(BF)
they will not die in their dungeon,
nor will they lack bread.(BG)
15 For I am the Lord your God,
who stirs up the sea(BH) so that its waves roar(BI)—
the Lord Almighty(BJ) is his name.
16 I have put my words in your mouth(BK)
and covered you with the shadow of my hand(BL)—
I who set the heavens in place,
who laid the foundations of the earth,(BM)
and who say to Zion, ‘You are my people.(BN)’”
God’s Chosen Servant
15 Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill.(A) 16 He warned them not to tell others about him.(B) 17 This was to fulfill(C) what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
18 “Here is my servant whom I have chosen,
the one I love, in whom I delight;(D)
I will put my Spirit on him,(E)
and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
19 He will not quarrel or cry out;
no one will hear his voice in the streets.
20 A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,
till he has brought justice through to victory.
21 In his name the nations will put their hope.”[a](F)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.