Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
68 “(A)Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited us and accomplished (B)redemption for His people,
69 And has raised up a (C)horn of salvation for us
In the house of David (D)His servant—
70 (E)As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets (F)from of old—
71 [a](G)Salvation (H)from our enemies,
And from the hand of all who hate us;
72 (I)To show mercy toward our fathers,
(J)And to remember His holy covenant,
73 (K)The oath which He swore to Abraham our father,
74 To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,
75 (L)In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.
76 “And you, child, will be called the (M)prophet of (N)the Most High;
For you will go on (O)before the Lord to (P)prepare His ways;
77 To give to His people the knowledge of salvation
[b]By (Q)the forgiveness of their sins,
78 Because of the tender mercy of our God,
With which (R)the Sunrise from on high will visit us,
79 (S)To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the (T)way of peace.”
13 “Your words have been [a]arrogant against Me,” says the Lord. “Yet you say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’ 14 You have said, ‘It is (A)vain to serve God; and what (B)profit is it that we have kept His charge, and that we have walked in mourning before the Lord of hosts? 15 So now we (C)call the arrogant blessed; not only are the doers of wickedness built up but they also test God and (D)escape.’”
The Book of Remembrance
16 Then those who [b]feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord (E)gave attention and heard it, and a (F)book of remembrance was written before Him for those who [c]fear the Lord and who esteem His name. 17 “They will be (G)Mine,” says the Lord of hosts, “on the (H)day that I [d]prepare My [e](I)own possession, and I will [f]spare them as a man [g](J)spares his own son who serves him.” 18 So you will again (K)distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.
18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice.
Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that this will turn out for my [a]deliverance (A)through your [b]prayers and the provision of (B)the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20 according to my (C)earnest expectation and (D)hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with (E)all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be (F)exalted in my body, (G)whether by life or by death.
To Live Is Christ
21 For to me, (H)to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 [c]But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean (I)fruitful labor for me; and I do not know [d]which to choose. 23 But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the (J)desire to depart and (K)be with Christ, for that is very much better; 24 yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. 25 (L)Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy [e]in the faith, 26 so that your (M)proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.