Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

⁶⁸ Blessed be [the] Lord the God of Israel, because he has visited and wrought redemption for his people,

⁶⁹ and raised up a horn of deliverance for us in the house of David his servant;

⁷⁰ as he spoke by [the] mouth of his holy prophets, who have been since the world began;

⁷¹ deliverance from our enemies and out of the hand of all who hate us;

⁷² to fulfil mercy with our fathers and remember his holy covenant,

⁷³ [the] oath which he swore to Abraham our father,

⁷⁴ to give us, that, saved out of the hand of our enemies, we should serve him without fear

⁷⁵ in piety and righteousness before him all our days.

⁷⁶ And *thou*, child, shalt be called [the] prophet of [the] Highest; for thou shalt go before the face of [the] Lord to make ready his ways;

⁷⁷ to give knowledge of deliverance to his people by [the] remission of their sins

⁷⁸ on account of [the] bowels of mercy of our God; wherein [the] dayspring from on high has visited us,

⁷⁹ to shine upon them who were sitting in darkness and in [the] shadow of death, to guide our feet into [the] way of peace.

¹³ Your words have been stout against me, saith Jehovah; but ye say, What have we been speaking against thee?

¹⁴ Ye say, It is vain to serve God; and what profit is it that we keep his charge, and that we walk mournfully before Jehovah of hosts?

¹⁵ And now we hold the proud for happy; yea, they that work wickedness are built up; yea, they tempt God, and they escape.

¹⁶ Then they that feared Jehovah spoke often one to another; and Jehovah observed [it], and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared Jehovah, and that thought upon his name.

¹⁷ And they shall be unto me a peculiar treasure, saith Jehovah of hosts, in the day that I prepare; and I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

¹⁸ And ye shall return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

¹⁸ What is it then? at any rate, in every way, whether in pretext or in truth, Christ is announced; and in this I rejoice, yea, also I will rejoice;

¹⁹ for I know that this shall turn out for me to salvation, through your supplication and [the] supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ;

²⁰ according to my earnest expectation and hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but in all boldness, as always, now also Christ shall be magnified in my body whether by life or by death.

²¹ For for me to live [is] Christ, and to die gain;

²² but if to live in flesh [is my lot], this is for me worth the while: and what I shall choose I cannot tell.

²³ But I am pressed by both, having the desire for departure and being with Christ, [for] [it is] very much better,

²⁴ but remaining in the flesh [is] more necessary for your sakes;

²⁵ and having confidence of this, I know that I shall remain and abide along with you all, for your progress and joy in faith;

²⁶ that your boasting may abound in Christ Jesus through me by my presence again with you.