Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

35 ¶ The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the lily.

² It shall blossom abundantly and shall also praise and sing for joy; the honour of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the beauty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD and the beauty of our God.

³ Comfort ye the tired hands and strengthen the knees that tremble.

⁴ Say to those that are of a fearful heart, Be comforted, fear not; behold, your God comes with vengeance, with recompense; God himself will come and save you.

⁵ ¶ Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.

⁶ Then the lame one shall leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall praise; for waters shall be dug in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.

⁷ The parched ground shall become a pool and the thirsty land springs of water; in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.

⁸ And a highway shall be there and a way, and it shall be called The Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; and for those in it there shall be someone to go with them, in such a manner that the foolish shall not err therein.

⁹ No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, nor shall any be found there so that the redeemed can walk there:

¹⁰ And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with songs; and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads: they shall retain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

⁵ ¶ Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God;

⁶ who made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is therein; who keeps truth for ever:

⁷ He who does justice unto the oppressed; who gives bread to the hungry. The LORD looses the prisoners:

⁸ The LORD opens the eyes of the blind; the LORD raises those that are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous:

⁹ The LORD preserves the strangers; he raises up the fatherless and widow; but the way of the wicked he turns upside down.

¹⁰ The LORD shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, from generation to generation. Halelu-JAH.

⁴⁶ Then Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord,

⁴⁷ and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saving Health,

⁴⁸ for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden; for, behold, from now on all generations shall call me blessed.

⁴⁹ For he that is mighty has done great things unto me, and holy is his name.

⁵⁰ And his mercy is on those that fear him from generation to generation.

⁵¹ He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

⁵² He has put down the mighty from their thrones and exalted the humble.

⁵³ He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away.

⁵⁴ He has received his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy

⁵⁵ as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed forever.

⁷ Be patient, therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently until it receives the early and latter rain.

⁸ Be ye also patient and confirm your hearts, for the coming of the Lord draws near.

⁹ Complain not one against another, brethren, that ye not be condemned: behold, the judge stands before the door.

¹⁰ Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.

² Now when John had heard in the prison the works of the Christ, he sent two of his disciples,

³ and said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?

⁴ Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and tell John those things which you hear and see:

⁵ The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

⁶ And blessed is he who is not offended in me.

⁷ ¶ And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?

⁸ But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, those that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses.

⁹ But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.

¹⁰ For this is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee.

¹¹ Verily I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there has not risen a greater than John the Baptist; notwithstanding, he that is least in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he.