Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

49 “Hear Me, O isles! And listen, you people from afar! The LORD has called Me from the womb and made mention of My Name from My mother’s belly.

² “And He has made My Mouth like a sharp sword. Under the shadow of His Hand has He hidden Me and made Me a chosen Shaft, hidden Me in His quiver,

³ “and said to Me, ‘You are My Servant, Israel, for I will be glorious in You.’

⁴ “And I said, ‘I have labored in vain. I have spent My strength in vain and for nothing. But My judgment is with the LORD, and My work with My God.’

⁵ “‘And now,’ says the LORD (Who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, so that I may bring Jacob back to him, though Israel is not gathered. I shall still be glorious in the eyes of the LORD. And My God shall be My strength),

⁶ “indeed He said, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the desolations of Israel. I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, so that You may be My Salvation to the ends of the world.’”

⁷ Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, His Holy One, to Him Who is despised in soul, to a nation that is abhorred, to a Servant of rulers: “Kings shall see and arise. And princes shall worship because of the LORD, Who is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, Who has chosen You.”

71 In You, O LORD, I trust. Let me never be ashamed.

² Rescue me and deliver me in Your righteousness. Incline Your ear to me and save me.

³ Be my Strong Rock, whereto I may always resort. You have given Commandment to save me; for You are my Rock, and my Fortress.

⁴ Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the evil and cruel man.

⁵ For You are my Hope, O LORD God; my Trust from my youth.

⁶ I have been upheld by You from the womb. You are He Who took me out of my mother’s core. My praise shall be of You always.

⁷ I have become, as it were, a monster to many; but You are my sure Trust.

⁸ Let my mouth be filled with Your praise, with Your Glory, every day.

⁹ Do not cast me off in the time of old age. Do not forsake me when my strength fails.

¹⁰ For my enemies speak of me; and those who lay in wait for my soul take their counsel together,

¹¹ saying, “God has forsaken him. Pursue and take him, for there is no one to deliver him.”

¹² Do not go far from me, O God. My God, hasten to help me!

¹³ Let those who are against my soul be confounded and consumed. Let those who seek my hurt be covered with reproach and confusion.

¹⁴ But I will wait continually and will praise You more and more.

¹⁸ For the preaching of the cross is to those who perish, foolishness. But to us who are saved, it is the power of God.

¹⁹ For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will cast away the understanding of the prudent.”

²⁰ Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this world? Has not God made the wisdom of this world foolishness?

²¹ For since, in the wisdom of God, the world in its own wisdom did not know God, it pleased God, by the foolishness of preaching, to save those who believe;

²² seeing also that the Jews require a sign, and the Grecians seek after wisdom.

²³ But we preach Christ crucified, indeed a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Grecians.

²⁴ But to those who are called, both of the Jews and Grecians, we preach Christ: the power of God and the wisdom of God.

²⁵ For the foolishness of God is wiser than man, and the weakness of God is stronger than man.

²⁶ For brothers, you see your calling: how that not many are wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble.

²⁷ But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. And God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the mighty things.

²⁸ And vile things of the world, and things which are despised, God has chosen, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are.

²⁹ That no flesh should boast in His presence.

³⁰ But you are of Him in Christ Jesus, Who, out of God, is made wisdom and righteousness to us, and sanctification, and redemption.

³¹ That it may be as it is written, ‘The one who boasts, let him boast in the Lord’.

²⁰ Now, there were certain Greeks among them who came up to worship at the Feast.

²¹ And they came to Philip, who was of Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.”

²² Philip came and told Andrew. And then Andrew and Philip came and told Jesus.

²³ And Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man must be glorified.

²⁴ “Truly, truly I say to you, unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it brings forth much fruit.

²⁵ “The one who loves his life, shall lose it. And the one who hates his life in this world, shall keep it to life eternal.

²⁶ “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me. For where I am, there My servant shall be. And if anyone serves Me, My Father will honor him.

²⁷ Now My soul is troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But, for this I came to this hour.

²⁸ “Father, glorify Your Name.” Then, there came a Voice from Heaven, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.”

²⁹ Then, the people who stood by and heard it said that it was thunder. Others said an angel spoke to Him.

³⁰ Jesus answered, and said, “This Voice did not come because of Me, but for your sakes.

³¹ “Now is the judgment of this world. Now shall the prince of this world be cast out.

³² “And I, if I am lifted up from the Earth, will draw all to Myself.

³³ Now He said this to signify what death He would die.

³⁴ The people answered Him, “We have heard out of the Law that the Christ abides forever. So how can You say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is the Son of Man?”

³⁵ Then Jesus said to them, “The Light is with you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the Light, lest the darkness come upon you. For one who walks in the dark, does not know where he goes.

³⁶ “While you have the Light, believe in the Light, that you may be the children of the Light.” These things Jesus spoke. And having departed, He hid Himself from them.