Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Lord an Abundant Helper.
146 [a]Praise [b]the Lord!
(A)Praise the Lord, O my soul!
2 I will praise the Lord (B)while I live;
I will (C)sing praises to my God while I have my being.
3 (D)Do not trust in princes,
In [c]mortal (E)man, in whom there is (F)no salvation.
4 His (G)spirit departs, he (H)returns to [d]the earth;
In that very day his (I)thoughts perish.
5 How (J)blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
Whose (K)hope is in the Lord his God,
6 Who (L)made heaven and earth,
The (M)sea and all that is in them;
Who (N)keeps [e]faith forever;
7 Who (O)executes justice for the oppressed;
Who (P)gives food to the hungry.
The Lord (Q)sets the prisoners free.
8 The Lord (R)opens the eyes of the blind;
The Lord (S)raises up those who are bowed down;
The Lord (T)loves the righteous;
9 The Lord [f](U)protects the [g]strangers;
He [h](V)supports the fatherless and the widow,
But He [i]thwarts (W)the way of the wicked.
10 The Lord will (X)reign forever,
Your God, O Zion, to all generations.
[j]Praise [k]the Lord!
The Blindness of the People
14 “(A)I have kept silent for a long time,
I have kept still and restrained Myself.
Now like a woman in labor I will groan,
I will both gasp and pant.
15 “I will (B)lay waste the mountains and hills
And wither all their vegetation;
I will (C)make the rivers into coastlands
And dry up the ponds.
16 “I will (D)lead the blind by a way they do not know,
In paths they do not know I will guide them.
I will (E)make darkness into light before them
And (F)rugged places into plains.
These are the things I will do,
And I will (G)not leave them undone.”
17 They will be turned back and be (H)utterly put to shame,
Who trust in [a]idols,
Who say to molten images,
“You are our gods.”
18 (I)Hear, you deaf!
And look, you blind, that you may see.
19 Who is blind but My (J)servant,
Or so deaf as My (K)messenger whom I send?
Who is so blind as he that is [b](L)at peace with Me,
Or so blind as the servant of the Lord?
20 (M)You have seen many things, but you do not observe them;
Your ears are open, but none hears.
21 The Lord was pleased for His righteousness’ sake
To make the law (N)great and glorious.
9 For this reason also, (A)since the day we heard of it, (B)we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the [a](C)knowledge of His will in all spiritual (D)wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you will (E)walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, [b](F)to please Him in all respects, (G)bearing fruit in every good work and [c]increasing in the [d]knowledge of God; 11 (H)strengthened with all power, according to [e]His glorious might, [f]for the attaining of all steadfastness and [g]patience; (I)joyously 12 giving thanks to (J)the Father, who has qualified us [h]to share in (K)the inheritance of the [i]saints in (L)Light.
The Incomparable Christ
13 [j]For He rescued us from the [k](M)domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of [l](N)His beloved Son, 14 (O)in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.