Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

⁷ Lord, hear my voice when I call out to you.
    Treat me with kindness and answer me.
⁸ My heart says, “Seek him!”
    Lord, I will seek you.
⁹ Don’t turn your face away from me.
    Don’t turn me away because you are angry.
    You have helped me.
God my Savior, don’t say no to me.
    Don’t desert me.
¹⁰ My father and mother may desert me,
    but the Lord will accept me.
¹¹ Lord, teach me your ways.
    Lead me along a straight path.
    There are many people who treat me badly.
¹² My enemies want to harm me. So don’t turn me over to them.
    Witnesses who tell lies are rising up against me.
    They say all sorts of evil things about me.

¹³ Here is something I am still sure of.
    I will see the Lord’s goodness
    while I’m still alive.
¹⁴ Wait for the Lord.
    Be strong and don’t lose hope.
    Wait for the Lord.

² “Sons of Jacob, come together and listen.
    Listen to your father Israel.

⁸ “Judah, your brothers will praise you.
    Your enemies will be brought under your control.
    Your father’s sons will bow down to you.
⁹ Judah, you are like a lion’s cub.
    You return from hunting, my son.
Like a lion, you lie down and sleep.
    You are like a mother lion. Who dares to wake you up?
¹⁰ The right to rule will not leave Judah.
    The ruler’s scepter will not be taken from between his feet.
It will be his until the king it belongs to will come.
    The nations will obey that king.
¹¹ He will tie his donkey to a vine.
    He will tie his colt to the very best branch.
He will wash his clothes in wine.
    He will wash his robes in the red juice of grapes.
¹² His eyes will be darker than wine.
    His teeth will be whiter than milk.

¹³ “Zebulun will live by the seashore.
    He will become a safe harbor for ships.
    His border will go out toward Sidon.

²¹ “Naphtali is a female deer set free
    and gives birth to beautiful fawns.

²² “Joseph is a vine that grows a lot of fruit.
    It grows close by a spring.
    Its branches climb over a wall.
²³ Mean people shot arrows at him.
    They shot at him because they were angry.
²⁴ But his bow remained steady.
    His strong arms moved freely.
The hand of the Mighty God of Jacob was with him.
    The Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, stood by him.
²⁵ Joseph, your father’s God helps you.
    The Mighty God blesses you.
He gives you blessings from the sky above.
    He gives you blessings from the deep springs below.
    He blesses you with children and with a mother’s milk.
²⁶ Your father’s blessings are great.
    They are greater than the blessings from the age-old mountains.
    They are greater than the gifts from the ancient hills.
Let all those blessings rest on the head of Joseph.
    Let them rest on the head of the one who is prince among his brothers.

⁶⁸ “Give praise to the Lord, the God of Israel!
    He has come to his people and purchased their freedom.
⁶⁹ He has acted with great power and has saved us.
    He did it for those who are from the family line of his servant David.
⁷⁰ Long ago holy prophets said he would do it.
⁷¹ He has saved us from our enemies.
    We are rescued from all who hate us.
⁷² He has been kind to our people of long ago.
    He has remembered his holy covenant.
⁷³     He made a promise to our father Abraham.
⁷⁴ He promised to save us from our enemies.
    Then we could serve him without fear.
⁷⁵     He wants us to be holy and godly as long as we live.

⁷⁶ “And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High God.
    You will go ahead of the Lord to prepare the way for him.
⁷⁷ You will tell his people how they can be saved.
    You will tell them that their sins can be forgiven.
⁷⁸ All of that will happen because our God is tender and caring.
    His kindness will bring the rising sun to us from heaven.
⁷⁹ It will shine on those living in darkness
    and in the shadow of death.
It will guide our feet on the path of peace.”