Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Thanksgiving for Return from Captivity.
A Song of Ascents.
126 When the Lord (A)brought back [a]the captive ones of Zion,
We were (B)like those who dream.
2 Then our (C)mouth was filled with laughter
And our (D)tongue with joyful shouting;
Then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has (E)done great things for them.”
3 The Lord has done great things for us;
We are (F)glad.
The People Confess Their Sin
9 Now on the twenty-fourth day of (A)this month the sons of Israel assembled (B)with fasting, in sackcloth and with (C)dirt upon them. 2 The [a](D)descendants of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and (E)confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. 3 While (F)they stood in their place, they read from the book of the law of the Lord their God for a fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the Lord their God. 4 (G)Now on the Levites’ platform stood Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani and Chenani, and they cried with a loud voice to the Lord their God.
5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah, said, “Arise, bless the Lord your God forever and ever!
O may Your glorious name be blessed
And exalted above all blessing and praise!
6 “(H)You alone are the Lord.
(I)You have made the heavens,
The heaven of heavens with all their host,
The earth and all that is on it,
The seas and all that is in them.
(J)You give life to all of them
And the heavenly host bows down before You.
7 “You are the Lord God,
(K)Who chose Abram
And brought him out from (L)Ur of the Chaldees,
And (M)gave him the name Abraham.
8 “You found (N)his heart faithful before You,
And made a covenant with him
To give him the land of the Canaanite,
Of the Hittite and the Amorite,
Of the Perizzite, the Jebusite and the Girgashite—
To give it to his [b]descendants.
And You (O)have fulfilled Your promise,
For You are righteous.
Choosing the Twelve
12 It was [a]at this time that He went off to (A)the mountain to (B)pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. 13 And when day came, (C)He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as (D)apostles: 14 Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; and [b]James and John; and Philip and Bartholomew; 15 and (E)Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot; 16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
17 Jesus (F)came down with them and stood on a level place; and there was (G)a large crowd of His disciples, and a great throng of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of (H)Tyre and Sidon, 18 who had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were being cured. 19 And all the [c]people were trying to (I)touch Him, for (J)power was coming from Him and healing them all.
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