Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
All Men Exhorted to Praise God.
A Psalm for [a]Thanksgiving.
The Greatness of God
40 “(A)Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God.
2 “(B)Speak [a]kindly to Jerusalem;
And call out to her, that her [b](C)warfare has ended,
That her [c](D)iniquity has been removed,
That she has received of the Lord’s hand
(E)Double for all her sins.”
3 (F)A voice [d]is calling,
“(G)Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness;
Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.
4 “Let every valley be lifted up,
And every mountain and hill be made low;
And let the rough ground become a plain,
And the rugged terrain a broad valley;
5 [e]Then the (H)glory of the Lord will be revealed,
And (I)all flesh will see it together;
For the (J)mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
6 A voice says, “Call out.”
Then [f]he answered, “What shall I call out?”
(K)All flesh is grass, and all its [g]loveliness is like the flower of the field.
7 The (L)grass withers, the flower fades,
[h]When the (M)breath of the Lord blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
But (N)the word of our God stands forever.
9 Get yourself up on a (O)high mountain,
O Zion, bearer of (P)good news,
Lift up your voice mightily,
O Jerusalem, bearer of good news;
Lift it up, do not fear.
Say to the (Q)cities of Judah,
“(R)Here is your God!”
10 Behold, the Lord [i]God will come (S)with might,
With His (T)arm ruling for Him.
Behold, His (U)reward is with Him
And His recompense before Him.
11 Like a shepherd He will (V)tend His flock,
In His arm He will gather the lambs
And carry them in His bosom;
He will gently lead the nursing ewes.
The River and the Tree of Life
22 Then (A)he showed me a (B)river of the (C)water of life, [a]clear (D)as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of [b]the Lamb, 2 in the middle of (E)its street. (F)On either side of the river was (G)the tree of life, bearing twelve [c]kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 (H)There will no longer be any curse; and (I)the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will (J)serve Him; 4 they will (K)see His face, and His (L)name will be on their (M)foreheads. 5 And (N)there will no longer be any night; and they [d]will not have need (O)of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will (P)reign forever and ever.
6 And (Q)he said to me, “(R)These words are faithful and true”; and the Lord, the (S)God of the spirits of the prophets, (T)sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must soon take place.
7 “And behold, (U)I am coming quickly. (V)Blessed is he who [e]heeds (W)the words of the prophecy of this book.”
8 (X)I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, (Y)I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. 9 But (Z)he *said to me, “Do not do that. I am a (AA)fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who [f]heed the words of (AB)this book. Worship God.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.