Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
It Is Foolish to Trust in Riches
48 The Lord is great and should be given much praise, in the city of our God, His holy mountain. 2 Mount Zion in the far north is beautiful and high, the joy of the whole earth, the city of the great King. 3 God has made Himself known as a safe place in that city.
4 For, see, the kings gathered themselves and went up together. 5 They saw it, then they were surprised and afraid. And they ran away fast in fear. 6 They began shaking there. And they suffered pain like a woman giving birth. 7 You wreck the ships of Tarshish with the east wind. 8 As we have heard, so we have seen in the city of the Lord of All, in the city of our God. God will make her last forever.
9 O God, we have thought about Your loving-kindness within Your holy house. 10 Like Your name, O God, Your praise is heard to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is full of what is right and good. 11 Let Mount Zion be glad! Let the people of Judah be full of joy because You are right in how You judge. 12 Walk in Zion, and go around her. See how many towers she has. 13 Give thought to her walls. Go through her beautiful houses where kings live. And tell about it to the children-to-come. 14 This is God, our God forever and ever. He will show us the way until death.
24 Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to speak good of Israel. So he did not go, as at other times, and look for special things to see. Instead he looked toward the desert. 2 Balaam looked up and saw Israel living in their tents by their families. And the Spirit of God came upon him. 3 He began speaking and said, “Balaam the son of Beor is the man whose eye is opened. 4 He hears the words of God. He sees what the All-powerful wants him to see. He falls down, but has his eyes open. 5 How fair are your tents, O Jacob, and your homes, O Israel! 6 They are like valleys that spread out, and like gardens beside the river. They are like aloes planted by the Lord, and like cedars beside the waters. 7 Water will flow from his pails. His seed will be by many waters. His king will be more powerful than Agag, and his nation will be honored. 8 God brings him out of Egypt. He is for him like the horns of the wild bull. He will destroy the nations who fight against him. He will crush their bones in pieces and cut through them with his arrows. 9 He bows down. He lies down like a lion. And as a lion, who will wake him? Good will come to everyone who prays for you. And cursed is everyone who curses you.”
10 Then Balak’s anger burned against Balaam, and he hit his hands together. Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse those who hate me. But see, you have done nothing but pray that good would come to them these three times! 11 So now run away to your place. I said I would give you much honor, but the Lord has kept you from honor.” 12 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not tell the men you had sent to me, 13 ‘Even if Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot do anything against the Word of the Lord’? I said, ‘I cannot do good or bad because I want to. What the Lord says, I will say.’ 14 Now see, I am going to my people. Come, I will tell you what this people will do to your people in the days to come.”
Gabriel Speaks to Mary
26 Six months after Elizabeth knew she was to become a mother, Gabriel was sent from God to Nazareth. Nazareth was a town in the country of Galilee. 27 He went to a woman who had never had a man. Her name was Mary. She was promised in marriage to a man named Joseph. Joseph was of the family of David. 28 The angel came to her and said, “You are honored very much. You are a favored woman. The Lord is with you. *You are chosen from among many women.”
29 When she saw the angel, she was troubled at his words. She thought about what had been said. 30 The angel said to her, “Mary, do not be afraid. You have found favor with God. 31 See! You are to become a mother and have a Son. You are to give Him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great. He will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the place where His early father David sat. 33 He will be King over the family of Jacob forever and His nation will have no end.”
34 Mary said to the angel, “How will this happen? I have never had a man.” 35 The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come on you. The power of the Most High will cover you. The holy Child you give birth to will be called the Son of God.
36 “See, your cousin Elizabeth, as old as she is, is going to give birth to a child. She was not able to have children before, but now she is in her sixth month. 37 For God can do all things.” 38 Then Mary said, “I am willing to be used of the Lord. Let it happen to me as you have said.” Then the angel went away from her.
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