Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Song of Mary
46 And Mary said:
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
48 For He has regarded
the low estate of His servant;
surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed.
49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is His name.
50 His mercy is on those who 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 pulled down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of low degree.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich He has sent away empty.
54 He has helped His servant Israel,
in remembrance of His mercy,
55 as He spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”[a]
The Prayer of David(A)
18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord. He said,
“Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house that You have brought me this far?
23 And who is like Your people, like Israel—a single nation in the land, whom God went to redeem as a people for Himself, making a name for Himself by doing great and awesome things for Your land, before Your people whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, a nation and its gods. 24 You established Your people Israel as Your own people forever, and You, Lord, became their God.
25 “Now, Lord God, confirm forever the word that You spoke regarding Your servant and his house and do as You have spoken. 26 May Your name be magnified forever by saying, ‘The Lord of Hosts is God over Israel,’ and may the house of Your servant David be established before You.
27 “For You, O Lord of Hosts, God of Israel, have revealed a word to Your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore, Your servant has found the courage to pray this prayer to You. 28 Now, Lord God, You are God, and Your words are true. You have spoken this good message to Your servant. 29 Now, be resolved and bless Your servant’s dynastic house, so that it may stand before You forever. You, Lord God, have spoken, and with Your blessing, the house of Your servant will be blessed forever.”
6 Even Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”[a] 7 Therefore know that those who are of faith are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel in advance to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.”[b] 9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under the curse. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the Book of the Law, to do them.”[c] 11 Now it is evident that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, for “The just shall live by faith.”[d] 12 But the law is not of faith, for “The man who does them shall live by them.”[e] 13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law by being made a curse for us—as it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”[f]— 14 so that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.