Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

² Behold, God is my salvation: I will trust, and not be afraid; for Jah, Jehovah, is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation.

³ And with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.

⁴ And in that day shall ye say, Give ye thanks to Jehovah, call upon his name, declare his deeds among the peoples, make mention that his name is exalted.

⁵ Sing psalms of Jehovah, for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth.

⁶ Cry out and shout, thou inhabitress of Zion; for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.

6 Woe to them that are at ease in Zion and that are secure in the mountain of Samaria, the renowned of the first of the nations, to whom the house of Israel come.

² Pass unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go to Hamath the great; and go down to Gath of the Philistines: 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 from the midst of the stall;

⁵ that chant to the sound of the lute, [and] invent them instruments of music, like David;

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

⁷ Therefore shall they now go captive, with the first that go captive, and the revelry of them that stretched themselves shall pass away.

⁸ The Lord Jehovah hath sworn by himself, saith Jehovah, the God of hosts, I abhor the pride of Jacob, and hate his palaces; and I will deliver up the city with all that is therein.

8 But we make known to you, brethren, the grace of God bestowed in the assemblies of Macedonia;

² that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty has abounded to the riches of their [free-hearted] liberality.

³ For according to [their] power, I bear witness, and beyond [their] power, [they were] willing of their own accord,

⁴ begging of us with much entreaty [to give effect to] the grace and fellowship of the service which [was to be rendered] to the saints.

⁵ And not according as we hoped, but they gave themselves first to the Lord, and to us by God's will.

⁶ So that we begged Titus that, according as he had before begun, so he would also complete as to you this grace also;

⁷ but even as ye abound in every way, in faith, and word, and knowledge, and all diligence, and in love from you to us, that ye may abound in this grace also.

⁸ I do not speak as commanding [it], but through the zeal of others, and proving the genuineness of your love.

⁹ For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that for your sakes he, being rich, became poor, in order that *ye* by *his* poverty might be enriched.

¹⁰ And I give [my] opinion in this, for this is profitable for you who began before, not only to do, but also to be willing, a year ago.

¹¹ But now also complete the doing of it; so that as [there was] the readiness to be willing, so also to complete out of what ye have.

¹² For if the readiness be there, [a man is] accepted according to what he may have, not according to what he has not.

¹³ For [it is] not in order that there may be ease for others, and for you distress,

¹⁴ but [on the principle] of equality; in the present time your abundance for their lack, that their abundance may be for your lack, so that there should be equality.

¹⁵ According as it is written, He who [gathered] much had no excess, and he who [gathered] little was nothing short.