Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
68 (A)“Blessed be the Lord (B)God of Israel,
for he has (C)visited and (D)redeemed his people
69 and (E)has raised up (F)a horn of salvation for us
(G)in the house of his servant David,
70 (H)as (I)he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
71 (J)that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
72 (K)to show the mercy promised to our fathers
and (L)to remember his holy (M)covenant,
73 (N)the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him (O)without fear,
75 (P)in holiness and righteousness before him (Q)all our days.
76 And you, child, will be called (R)the prophet of (S)the Most High;
for (T)you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people
(U)in the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the (V)tender mercy of our God,
whereby (W)the sunrise shall (X)visit us[a] (Y)from on high
79 to (Z)give light to (AA)those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into (AB)the way of (AC)peace.”
22 Thus says the Lord: “Go down to the house of the king of Judah and speak there this word, 2 and say, (A)‘Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, who sits on the throne of David, you, and your servants, and your people who enter these gates. 3 Thus says the Lord: (B)Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And (C)do no wrong or violence (D)to the resident alien, (E)the fatherless, and the widow, nor (F)shed innocent blood in this place. 4 For if you will indeed obey this word, (G)then there shall enter the gates of this house kings who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their servants and their people. 5 But if you will not obey these words, I (H)swear by myself, declares the Lord, that (I)this house shall become a desolation. 6 For thus says the Lord concerning the house of the king of Judah:
“‘You are like Gilead to me,
like the summit of (J)Lebanon,
yet surely I will make you a desert,
(K)an uninhabited city.[a]
7 (L)I will prepare destroyers against you,
each with his weapons,
(M)and they shall cut down your choicest cedars
and cast them into the fire.
8 “‘And many nations will pass by this city, and every man will say to his neighbor, (N)“Why has the Lord dealt thus with this great city?” 9 (O)And they will answer, “Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and worshiped other gods and served them.”’”
10 (P)Weep not for him who is dead,
nor grieve for him,
(Q)but weep bitterly for him who goes away,
for he shall return no more
to see his native land.
Message to the Sons of Josiah
11 For thus says the Lord concerning Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, and (R)who went away from this place: “He shall return here no more, 12 but (S)in the place where they have carried him captive, there shall he die, and he shall never see this land again.”
13 (T)“Woe to him who builds his house by (U)unrighteousness,
and his upper rooms by injustice,
(V)who makes his neighbor serve him for nothing
and does not give him his wages,
14 who says, ‘I will build myself a great house
with spacious upper rooms,’
who cuts out windows for it,
paneling it with cedar
and (W)painting it with vermilion.
15 Do you think you are a king
because you compete in cedar?
Did not your father eat and drink
and (X)do justice and righteousness?
(Y)Then it was well with him.
16 (Z)He judged the cause of the poor and needy;
(AA)then it was well.
Is not this (AB)to know me?
declares the Lord.
17 But you have eyes and heart
only for your dishonest gain,
(AC)for shedding innocent blood,
and for practicing oppression and violence.”
Born Again to a Living Hope
3 (A)Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! (B)According to his great mercy, (C)he has caused us to be born again to a living hope (D)through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to (E)an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and (F)unfading, (G)kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded (H)through faith for a salvation (I)ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by (J)various trials, 7 so that (K)the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes (L)though it is tested by (M)fire—may be found to result in (N)praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 (O)Though you have not seen him, you love him. (P)Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining (Q)the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.