Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
7 For thus says the Lord,
“(A)Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob,
And shout among the [a](B)chief of the nations;
Proclaim, give praise and say,
‘O Lord, (C)save Your people,
The (D)remnant of Israel.’
8 “Behold, I am (E)bringing them from the north country,
And I will (F)gather them from the remote parts of the earth,
Among them the (G)blind and the (H)lame,
The woman with child and she who is in labor with child, together;
A great [b]company, they will return here.
9 “(I)With weeping they will come,
And by supplication I will lead them;
I will make them walk by (J)streams of waters,
On a straight path in which they will (K)not stumble;
For I am a (L)father to Israel,
And Ephraim is (M)My firstborn.”
10 Hear the word of the Lord, O nations,
And declare in the (N)coastlands afar off,
And say, “He who scattered Israel will (O)gather him
And keep him as a (P)shepherd keeps his flock.”
11 For the Lord has (Q)ransomed Jacob
And redeemed him from the hand of him who was (R)stronger than he.
12 “They will (S)come and shout for joy on the (T)height of Zion,
And they will be (U)radiant over the [c]bounty of the Lord—
Over the (V)grain and the new wine and the oil,
And over the young of the (W)flock and the herd;
And their life will be like a (X)watered garden,
And they will (Y)never languish again.
13 “Then the virgin will rejoice in the (Z)dance,
And the young men and the old, together,
For I will (AA)turn their mourning into joy
And will comfort them and give them (AB)joy for their sorrow.
14 “I will [d]fill the soul of the priests with [e]abundance,
And My people will be (AC)satisfied with My goodness,” declares the Lord.
12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For He has strengthened the (A)bars of your gates;
He has (B)blessed your sons within you.
14 He (C)makes [a]peace in your borders;
He (D)satisfies you with (E)the [b]finest of the wheat.
15 He sends forth His (F)command to the earth;
His (G)word runs very swiftly.
16 He gives (H)snow like wool;
He scatters the (I)frost like ashes.
17 He casts forth His (J)ice as fragments;
Who can stand before His (K)cold?
18 He (L)sends forth His word and melts them;
He (M)causes His wind to blow and the waters to flow.
19 He (N)declares His words to Jacob,
His (O)statutes and His ordinances to Israel.
20 He (P)has not dealt thus with any nation;
And as for His ordinances, they have (Q)not known them.
[c]Praise [d]the Lord!
3 (A)Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in (B)the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as (C)He chose us in Him before (D)the foundation of the world, that we would be (E)holy and blameless before [a]Him. (F)In love 5 [b]He (G)predestined us to (H)adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, (I)according to the [c]kind intention of His will, 6 (J)to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in (K)the Beloved. 7 (L)In [d]Him we have (M)redemption (N)through His blood, the (O)forgiveness of our trespasses, according to (P)the riches of His grace 8 which He [e]lavished on [f]us. In all wisdom and insight 9 He [g](Q)made known to us the mystery of His will, (R)according to His [h]kind intention which He (S)purposed in Him 10 with a view to an administration [i]suitable to (T)the fullness of the times, that is, (U)the summing up of all things in Christ, things [j]in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him 11 [k]also we [l](V)have obtained an inheritance, having been (W)predestined (X)according to His purpose who works all things (Y)after the counsel of His will, 12 to the end that we who were the first to hope in [m]Christ would be (Z)to the praise of His glory. 13 In [n]Him, you also, after listening to (AA)the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also [o]believed, you were (AB)sealed in [p]Him with (AC)the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is [q](AD)given as a pledge of (AE)our inheritance, with a view to the (AF)redemption of (AG)God’s own possession, (AH)to the praise of His glory.
The Deity of Jesus Christ
1 (A)In the beginning was (B)the Word, and the Word was (C)with God, and (D)the Word was God. 2 [a]He was in the beginning with God. 3 (E)All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 (F)In Him was life, and the life was (G)the Light of men. 5 (H)The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not [b]comprehend it.
The Witness John
6 There [c]came a man sent from God, whose name was (I)John. 7 [d]He came [e](J)as a witness, to testify about the Light, (K)so that all might believe through him. 8 [f](L)He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.
9 There was (M)the true Light [g]which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.
10 He was in the world, and (A)the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His [a]own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become (B)children of God, even (C)to those who believe in His name, 13 (D)who were [b]born, not of [c]blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
The Word Made Flesh
14 And (E)the Word (F)became flesh, and [d](G)dwelt among us, and (H)we saw His glory, glory as of [e]the only begotten from the Father, full of (I)grace and (J)truth. 15 John *(K)testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘(L)He who comes after me [f]has a higher rank than I, (M)for He existed before me.’” 16 For of His (N)fullness [g]we have all received, and [h]grace upon grace. 17 For (O)the Law was given through Moses; (P)grace and (Q)truth [i]were realized through Jesus Christ. 18 (R)No one has seen God at any time; (S)the only begotten God who is (T)in the bosom of the Father, (U)He has explained Him.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.