Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

² Behold, O God my saving health, I will trust and not be afraid for JAH, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he also is become saving health unto me.

³ Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of saving health.

⁴ ¶ And in that day ye shall say, Sing unto the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the peoples, remember how his name is exalted.

⁵ Sing psalms unto the LORD; for he has done excellent things; let this be known in all the earth.

⁶ Rejoice and sing, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.

6 ¶ Woe unto those that are at ease in Zion and to those that trust in the mountain of Samaria, who are named principals among the same nations which shall come upon them, O house of Israel!

² Pass unto Calneh and see, and from there go to Hamath the great; then go down to Gath of the Palestinians. Are they better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border?

³ Ye that put far away the evil day and cause the seat of violence to come near;

⁴ that lie upon beds of ivory and stretch themselves upon their couches and eat the lambs out of the flock and the calves out of the midst of the stall;

⁵ that chant to the sound of the flute and invent to themselves instruments of music, like David;

⁶ that drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments, but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.

⁷ Therefore now they shall go captive with the first that go captive, and the banquet of those that stretched themselves upon their couches shall be removed.

⁸ ¶ The Lord GOD has sworn by himself, the LORD God of the hosts said, I abhor the grandeur of Jacob, and hate his palaces: therefore I will give the city with all that is therein over to the enemy.

8 ¶ Likewise, brethren, we make known unto you the grace of God bestowed on the congregations {Gr. ekklesia – called out ones} of Macedonia,

² how that in a great trial of tribulation the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.

³ For to their power, I bear record, and even beyond their power they were willing of themselves,

⁴ praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the grace and take upon us the fellowship of the ministry to the saints.

⁵ And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord and then unto us by the will of God.

⁶ Insomuch that we exhorted Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also complete among you the same grace also.

⁷ ¶ Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith and in word and in knowledge and in all diligence and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.

⁸ I speak not as commanding, but by occasion of the diligence of others and to prove the sincerity of your charity.

⁹ For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor that ye through his poverty might be enriched.

¹⁰ And in this I give my advice, for this is expedient for you, who began not only to do, but also to be diligent a year ago.

¹¹ Now therefore finish the doing of it that as there was a readiness to will, so there may also be a performance out of that which ye have.

¹² For if there is first a willing desire, it is accepted according to what a person has and not according to what they do not have.

¹³ For I mean not that others be eased and ye burdened,

¹⁴ but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want that their abundance also may be a supply for your want, that there may be equality:

¹⁵ As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over, and he that had gathered little had no lack.