Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

130 O Lord, from the depths of despair I cry for your help: ² “Hear me! Answer! Help me!”

^3-4 Lord, if you keep in mind our sins, then who can ever get an answer to his prayers? But you forgive! What an awesome thing this is! ⁵ That is why I wait expectantly, trusting God to help, for he has promised. ⁶ I long for him more than sentinels long for the dawn.

⁷ O Israel, hope in the Lord; for he is loving and kind and comes to us with armloads of salvation. ⁸ He himself shall ransom Israel from her slavery to sin.

⁸ but for Israel good times will return. There will be heavy crops of fruit to prepare for my people’s return—and they will be coming home again soon! ⁹ See, I am for you, and I will come and help you as you prepare the ground and sow your crops. ¹⁰ I will greatly increase your population throughout all Israel, and the ruined cities will be rebuilt and filled with people. ¹¹ Not only the people, but your flocks and herds will also greatly multiply. O mountains of Israel, again you will be filled with homes. I will do even more for you than I did before. Then you shall know I am the Lord. ¹² My people will walk upon you once again, and you will belong to them again; and you will no longer be a place for burning their children on idol altars.’”

¹³ The Lord God says: “Now the other nations taunt you, saying, ‘Israel is a land that devours her people!’ ¹⁴ But they will not say this anymore. Your birthrate will rise, and your infant mortality rate will drop off sharply,” says the Lord. ¹⁵ “No longer will those heathen nations sneer, for you will no longer be a nation of sinners,” the Lord God says.

⁴⁴ Then he said, “When I was with you before, don’t you remember my telling you that everything written about me by Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must all come true?” ⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds to understand at last these many Scriptures! ⁴⁶ And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah must suffer and die and rise again from the dead on the third day; ⁴⁷ and that this message of salvation should be taken from Jerusalem to all the nations: There is forgiveness of sins for all who turn to me. ⁴⁸ You have seen these prophecies come true.

⁴⁹ “And now I will send the Holy Spirit^[a] upon you, just as my Father promised. Don’t begin telling others yet—stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”

⁵⁰ Then Jesus led them out along the road to Bethany,^[b] and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them, ⁵¹ and then began rising into the sky, and went on to heaven. ⁵² And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem filled with mighty joy, ⁵³ and were continually in the Temple, praising God.