Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
5 And (A)the heavens will praise Your wonders, O Lord;
Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the saints.
6 (B)For who in the heavens can be compared to the Lord?
Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened to the Lord?
7 (C)God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints,
And to be held in reverence by all those around Him.
8 O Lord God of hosts,
Who is mighty like You, O Lord?
Your faithfulness also surrounds You.
9 (D)You rule the raging of the sea;
When its waves rise, You still them.
10 (E)You have broken [a]Rahab in pieces, as one who is slain;
You have scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.
11 (F)The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours;
The world and all its fullness, You have founded them.
12 The north and the south, You have created them;
(G)Tabor and (H)Hermon rejoice in Your name.
13 You have a mighty arm;
Strong is Your hand, and high is Your right hand.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;
Mercy and truth go before Your face.
15 Blessed are the people who know the (I)joyful sound!
They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance.
16 In Your name they rejoice all day long,
And in Your righteousness they are exalted.
17 For You are the glory of their strength,
And in Your favor our [b]horn is (J)exalted.
18 For our shield belongs to the Lord,
And our king to the Holy One of Israel.
19 Then You spoke in a vision to Your [c]holy one,
And said: “I have given help to one who is mighty;
I have exalted one (K)chosen from the people.
20 (L)I have found My servant David;
With My holy oil I have anointed him,
21 (M)With whom My hand shall be established;
Also My arm shall strengthen him.
22 The enemy shall not [d]outwit him,
Nor the son of wickedness afflict him.
23 I will beat down his foes before his face,
And plague those who hate him.
24 “But My faithfulness and My mercy shall be with him,
And in My name his horn shall be exalted.
25 Also I will (N)set his hand over the sea,
And his right hand over the rivers.
26 He shall cry to Me, ‘You are (O)my Father,
My God, and (P)the rock of my salvation.’
27 Also I will make him (Q)My firstborn,
(R)The highest of the kings of the earth.
28 (S)My mercy I will keep for him forever,
And My covenant shall stand firm with him.
29 His seed also I will make to endure forever,
(T)And his throne (U)as the days of heaven.
30 “If(V) his sons (W)forsake My law
And do not walk in My judgments,
31 If they [e]break My statutes
And do not keep My commandments,
32 Then I will punish their transgression with the rod,
And their iniquity with stripes.
33 (X)Nevertheless My lovingkindness I will not [f]utterly take from him,
Nor [g]allow My faithfulness to fail.
34 My covenant I will not break,
Nor (Y)alter the word that has gone out of My lips.
35 Once I have sworn (Z)by My holiness;
I will not lie to David:
36 (AA)His seed shall endure forever,
And his throne (AB)as the sun before Me;
37 It shall be established forever like the moon,
Even like the faithful witness in the sky.” Selah
The Lord Comforts Zion(A)
51 “Listen to Me, (B)you who [a]follow after righteousness,
You who seek the Lord:
Look to the rock from which you were hewn,
And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug.
2 (C)Look to Abraham your father,
And to Sarah who bore you;
(D)For I called him alone,
And (E)blessed him and increased him.”
3 For the Lord will (F)comfort Zion,
He will comfort all her waste places;
He will make her wilderness like Eden,
And her desert (G)like the garden of the Lord;
Joy and gladness will be found in it,
Thanksgiving and the voice of melody.
4 “Listen to Me, My people;
And give ear to Me, O My nation:
(H)For law will proceed from Me,
And I will make My justice rest
(I)As a light of the peoples.
5 (J)My righteousness is near,
My salvation has gone forth,
(K)And My arms will judge the peoples;
(L)The coastlands will wait upon Me,
And (M)on My arm they will trust.
6 (N)Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
And look on the earth beneath.
For (O)the heavens will vanish away like smoke,
(P)The earth will grow old like a garment,
And those who dwell in it will die in like manner;
But My salvation will be (Q)forever,
And My righteousness will not be [b]abolished.
7 “Listen to Me, you who know righteousness,
You people (R)in whose heart is My law:
(S)Do not fear the reproach of men,
Nor be afraid of their insults.
8 For (T)the moth will eat them up like a garment,
And the worm will eat them like wool;
But My righteousness will be forever,
And My salvation from generation to generation.”
9 (U)Awake, awake, (V)put on strength,
O arm of the Lord!
Awake (W)as in the ancient days,
In the generations of old.
(X)Are You not the arm that cut (Y)Rahab apart,
And wounded the (Z)serpent?
10 Are You not the One who (AA)dried up the sea,
The waters of the great deep;
That made the depths of the sea a road
For the redeemed to cross over?
11 So (AB)the ransomed of the Lord shall return,
And come to Zion with singing,
With everlasting joy on their heads.
They shall obtain joy and gladness;
Sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
12 “I, even I, am He (AC)who comforts you.
Who are you that you should be afraid
(AD)Of a man who will die,
And of the son of a man who will be made (AE)like grass?
13 And (AF)you forget the Lord your Maker,
(AG)Who stretched out the heavens
And laid the foundations of the earth;
You have feared continually every day
Because of the fury of the oppressor,
When he has prepared to destroy.
(AH)And where is the fury of the oppressor?
14 The captive exile hastens, that he may be loosed,
(AI)That he should not die in the pit,
And that his bread should not fail.
15 But I am the Lord your God,
Who (AJ)divided the sea whose waves roared—
The Lord of hosts is His name.
16 And (AK)I have put My words in your mouth;
(AL)I have covered you with the shadow of My hand,
(AM)That I may [c]plant the heavens,
Lay the foundations of the earth,
And say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’ ”
Behold, My Servant
15 But when Jesus knew it, (A)He withdrew from there. (B)And great [a]multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all. 16 Yet He (C)warned them not to make Him known, 17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
18 “Behold!(D) My Servant whom I have chosen,
My Beloved (E)in whom My soul is well pleased!
I will put My Spirit upon Him,
And He will declare justice to the Gentiles.
19 He will not quarrel nor cry out,
Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.
20 A bruised reed He will not break,
And smoking flax He will not quench,
Till He sends forth justice to victory;
21 And in His name Gentiles will trust.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.