Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
2 See, God has come to rescue me;
I will trust in Him and not be afraid,
For the Eternal, indeed, the Eternal is my strength and my song.
My very own God has rescued me.
God has given His people a new surety and confidence, a new sense of purpose, strength, and determination.
3 With joy in each step, you will drink deeply from the springs of salvation.
4 You’ll want to sing out that day,
People: Give thanks to the Eternal; call on His name.
Spread the news throughout the world of what He has done
and how great is His name!
5 Sing praises to the Eternal!
Everyone, everywhere should know that God acts in amazing ways.
6 You who live in this God-blessed place, this Zion, shout out and sing for joy!
For God is great, and God is here—with us and around us—the Holy One of Israel.
8 Look! The eyes of the Eternal Lord are fixed upon your sinful kingdom,
and I will wipe it off the face of the earth.
But I will not destroy Jacob’s descendants completely.
So says the Eternal.
9 Eternal One: I will give the order,
and I will shake the nation of Israel among all the nations
The way grain is shaken in a sieve.
All the good kernels will fall to the ground,
But the rocks will stay trapped in the sieve, ready for disposal.
10 I will see all of My people who do wrong,
who say, “Nothing bad will ever happen to us.”
I will see them all fall to the sword.
11 After that happens, on the day I choose, I will rebuild
the dilapidating house of David from its ruins,
Mend the holes in it, rebuild its wreckage,
and restore it just the way it used to be.
12 Then they may possess what remains of Edom,
including every person among the outsiders who have been called by My name.[a]
13 So says the Eternal One who will make this happen.
Eternal One: The day is coming
when one following will overtake one ahead—
When the person plowing the field will overtake
the person still reaping the grain from the last season;
When the person stomping grapes will overtake
the person planting the vineyard.
And in that fertile day, new wine will drip from the mountains,
and the hills will flow with it.
14 I will restore the captives of My people, Israel.
They will rebuild their ruined cities and return to them.
They will plant new vineyards and drink wine from them,
and they will plant new gardens and eat the food they grow.
15 I will plant them in their own soil,
and they will never be uprooted again,
For this is the land I have given them.
So said the Eternal One your God.
Most of Amos’s prophecy announces doom against Israel, Judah, and her neighbors. But in these last verses, the tone of his prophecy changes. He foresees a day when divine judgment will give way to restoration. According to the prophet, David’s dynasty will be reinstated and the divided people of God will once again be united. A glorious age will then arrive when their enemies are defeated, their devastated cities are bustling and thriving again, and their farmers and vintners can’t keep up with the abundance of food and wine. When that day comes, the people will experience the fruit of God’s salvation.
57 When the time was right, Elizabeth gave birth to a son. 58 News about the Lord’s special kindness to her had spread through her extended family and the community. Everyone shared her joy, for after all these years of infertility, she had a son! 59 As was customary, eight days after the baby’s birth the time came for his circumcision and naming. Everyone assumed he would be named Zacharias, like his father.
Elizabeth (disagreeing): 60 No. We will name him John.
Her Relatives (protesting): 61 That name is found nowhere in your family.
62 They turned to Zacharias and asked him what he wanted the baby’s name to be.
63 He motioned for a tablet, and he wrote, “His name is John.” Everyone was shocked by this breach of family custom. 64 They were even more surprised when, at that moment, Zacharias was able to talk again, and he shouted out praises to God. 65 A sense of reverence spread through the whole community. In fact, this story was spread throughout the hilly countryside of Judea. 66 People were certain that God’s hand was on this child, and they wondered what sort of person John would turn out to be when he became a man.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.