Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Hope in the Lord’s Forgiving Love.
A Song of [a]Ascents.
130 Out of the [b]depths [of distress] I have cried to You, O Lord.
2
Lord, hear my voice!
Let Your ears be attentive
To the voice of my supplications.
3
If You, Lord, should keep an account of our sins and treat us accordingly,
O Lord, who could stand [before you in judgment and claim innocence]?(A)
4
But there is forgiveness with You,
That You may be feared and worshiped [with submissive wonder].(B)
5
I wait [patiently] for the Lord, my soul [expectantly] waits,
And in His word do I hope.
6
My soul waits for the Lord
More than the watchmen for the morning;
More than the watchmen for the morning.
7
O Israel, hope in the Lord;
For with the Lord there is lovingkindness,
And with Him is abundant redemption.
8
And He will redeem Israel
From all his sins.
8 But you, O mountains of Israel, will put out your branches and bear your fruit to My people Israel; for they will soon come [home]. 9 For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you [in favor], and you shall be cultivated and sown. 10 I will multiply people on you, all the house of Israel, [indeed] all of it; the cities shall be inhabited and the ruins will be rebuilt. 11 I will multiply on you man and animal; and they will increase and be fruitful. And I will cause you to be inhabited as you were formerly, and I will do better [things] for you than at your beginning. Then you will know [with great confidence] that I am the Lord. 12 Yes, [O mountains of Israel] I will cause men—My people Israel—to walk on you and take possession of you, so that you will become their inheritance and never again bereave them of children.’
13 “Thus says the Lord God, ‘Because they say to you, “You [O land] are a devourer of people and have bereaved your nation of children,” 14 therefore you will no longer devour people, and no longer bereave your nation of children,’ says the Lord God. 15 I will not let you hear insults from the nations anymore, nor will you bear disgrace from the peoples any longer, nor will you cause your nation to stumble [through idolatry] any longer,” says the Lord God.’”
44 Then He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you, everything which has been written about Me in the [a]Law of Moses and the [writings of the] Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then He opened their minds to [help them] understand the Scriptures, 46 and said, “And so it is written, that the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed) would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,(A) 47 and that repentance [necessary] for forgiveness of sins would be preached in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 Listen carefully: I am sending the Promise of My Father [the Holy Spirit] upon you; but you are to remain in the city [of Jerusalem] until you are clothed (fully equipped) with power from on high.”(B)
The Ascension
50 Then He led them out as far as Bethany, and lifted up His hands and blessed them.(C) 51 While He was blessing them, He left them and was taken up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy [fully understanding that He lives and that He is the Son of God]; 53 and they were continually in the temple blessing and praising God.
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.