Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

¹ For the music director, a psalm, a song of David.
² Praise is awaiting You in Zion, O God,
and to You the vow will be fulfilled.
³ O You who hear prayer,
to You all flesh will come.
⁴ Records of sins overwhelm me—
You will atone for our transgressions.
⁵ Blessed is the one You choose and bring near to dwell in Your courts!
We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your House—Your holy Temple.
⁶ You respond to us in righteousness with awe-inspiring works
—O God of our salvation—
hope of all ends of the earth and farthest seas,
⁷ who establishes mountains by His power,
being girded with might,
⁸ who stills the roaring of the seas,
    the roaring of their waves,
and the tumult of the peoples.
⁹ Those dwelling in the uttermost parts stand in awe of Your signs.
You make morning and evening shout for joy.
¹⁰ You visit the land and make it abundant,
greatly enriching it—
the stream of God is full of water.
You prepare their grain,
for so You have prepared the earth.
¹¹ You drench her furrows,
    leveling the ridges.
You soften her with showers,
    blessing her growth.
¹² You crown the year with Your goodness.
Your wagon tracks drip with abundance.
¹³ Pastures of the wilderness overflow
and hills are robed with joy.
¹⁴ Meadows are clothed with flocks
and valleys are covered with grain—
they shout for joy, yes, they sing!

¹² “Yet even now”
—it is a declaration of Adonai—
“turn to Me with all your heart,
with fasting, weeping and lamenting.”
¹³ Rend your heart, not your garments,
and turn to Adonai, your God.
For He is gracious and compassionate,
    slow to anger, abundant in mercy,
    and relenting about the calamity due.
¹⁴ Who knows? He may turn and relent,
and may leave a blessing behind Him
—so there may be a grain offering
and a drink offering for Adonai, your God.

¹⁵ Blow the shofar in Zion!
Sanctify a fast;
proclaim an assembly.
¹⁶ Gather the people;
sanctify the congregation;
assemble the elders;
gather the children,
    even those nursing at breasts.
Let the bridegroom come out from his bedroom
and the bride from her chamber.
¹⁷ Between the porch and the altar
let the kohanim, ministers of Adonai,
    weep, and let them say:
    “Have pity, Adonai, on Your people.
    Don’t make Your heritage a scorn,
        a byword among the nations.
Why should the peoples say,
    ‘Where is their God?’”^[a]
18 Adonai will be zealous for His land,
and have compassion on His people.
¹⁹ Adonai will answer and say to His people:
“Behold, I will send you the grain,
    the new wine, and the fresh oil,
    and you will be satisfied with it.
I will no longer make you a mockery among the nations.
²⁰ “But I will remove the northern invader far from you—
    yes, I will banish him to a dry and desolate land—
his vanguard into the Eastern Sea
and his rearguard into the Western Sea.
His odor will go up—
        Yes, his stench will rise.”
    For He^[b] has done great things!

²¹ Do not fear, O land. Be glad! Rejoice!
For Adonai has done great things.
²² Do not be afraid, beasts of the field,
for the desert pastures have sprouted,
for the tree bears its fruit.
Fig tree and vine yield their strength.

“My soul magnifies Adonai,^[a]
47 and my spirit greatly rejoices in God, my Savior.
⁴⁸ For He has looked with care upon the humble state of His maidservant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed.
⁴⁹ For the Mighty One has done a great thing for me,
and holy is His name.
⁵⁰ And His mercy is from generation to generation
to the ones who fear Him.
⁵¹ He has displayed power with His arm
He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
⁵² He has brought down rulers from thrones
and exalted humble ones.
⁵³ He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent away the rich empty-handed.
⁵⁴ He has helped His servant Israel,^[b]
remembering His mercy,
⁵⁵ just as He spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his seed forever.”