Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 126[a]
A song of ascents.[b]
126 When the Lord restored the well-being of Zion,[c]
we thought we were dreaming.[d]
2 At that time we laughed loudly
and shouted for joy.[e]
At that time the nations said,[f]
“The Lord has accomplished great things for these people.”
3 The Lord did indeed accomplish great things for us.
We were happy.
4 O Lord, restore our well-being,
just as the streams in the arid south are replenished.[g]
5 Those who shed tears as they plant
will shout for joy when they reap the harvest.[h]
6 The one who weeps as he walks along, carrying his bag[i] of seed,
will certainly come in with a shout of joy, carrying his sheaves of grain.[j]
The People Acknowledge Their Sin before God
9 On the twenty-fourth day of this same month the Israelites assembled; they were fasting and wearing sackcloth, their heads covered with dust. 2 Those truly of Israelite descent[a] separated from all the foreigners,[b] standing and confessing their sins and the iniquities of their ancestors.[c] 3 For one-fourth of the day they stood in their place and read from the book of the law of the Lord their God, and for another fourth they were confessing their sins[d] and worshiping the Lord their God. 4 Then the Levites—Jeshua, Binnui,[e] Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Kenani—stood on the steps and called out loudly[f] to the Lord their God. 5 The Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah—said, “Stand up and bless the Lord your God!”
“May you be blessed, O Lord our God, from age to age.[g] May your glorious name[h] be blessed; may it be lifted up above all blessing and praise. 6 You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens,[i] along with all their multitude of stars,[j] the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You impart life to them all, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.
7 “You are the Lord God who chose Abram and brought him forth from Ur of the Chaldeans. You changed his name to Abraham. 8 When you perceived that his heart was faithful toward you, you established a[k] covenant with him to give his descendants[l] the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, and the Girgashites. You have fulfilled your promise,[m] for you are righteous.
Choosing the Twelve Apostles
12 Now[a] it was during this time that Jesus[b] went out to the mountain[c] to pray, and he spent all night[d] in prayer to God.[e] 13 When[f] morning came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles:[g] 14 Simon[h] (whom he named Peter), and his brother Andrew; and James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,[i] 15 Matthew, Thomas,[j] James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot,[k] 16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot,[l] who became a traitor.
The Sermon on the Plain
17 Then[m] he came down with them and stood on a level place.[n] And a large number[o] of his disciples had gathered[p] along with[q] a vast multitude from all over Judea, from[r] Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon.[s] They came to hear him and to be healed[t] of their diseases, 18 and those who suffered from[u] unclean[v] spirits were cured. 19 The[w] whole crowd was trying to touch him, because power[x] was coming out from him and healing them all.
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