Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Lord, an Abundant Helper.
146 [a]Praise [b]the Lord!
(A)Praise the Lord, my soul!
2 I will praise the Lord (B)while I live;
I will (C)sing praises to my God while I [c]have my being.
3 (D)Do not trust in noblemen,
In [d]mortal (E)man, in whom there is (F)no salvation.
4 His (G)spirit departs, he (H)returns to [e]the earth;
On that very day his (I)plans perish.
5 (J)Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
Whose (K)hope is in the Lord his God,
6 Who (L)made heaven and earth,
The (M)sea and everything that is in them;
Who (N)keeps [f]faith forever;
7 Who (O)executes justice for the oppressed;
Who (P)gives food to the hungry.
The Lord (Q)frees the prisoners.
8 The Lord (R)opens the eyes of those who are blind;
The Lord (S)raises up those who are bowed down;
The Lord (T)loves the righteous.
9 The Lord (U)watches over strangers;
He [g](V)supports the fatherless and the widow,
But He [h]thwarts (W)the way of the wicked.
10 The Lord will (X)reign forever,
Your God, Zion, to all generations.
[i]Praise [j]the Lord!
18 When (A)she saw that she was determined to go with her, she stopped speaking to her about it.
19 So they both went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they had come to Bethlehem, (B)all the city was stirred because of them, and [a]the women said, “Is this Naomi?” 20 But she said to them, “Do not call me [b]Naomi; call me [c]Mara, for [d](C)the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 21 I went away full, but (D)the Lord has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has testified against me and [e]the Almighty has afflicted me?”
22 So Naomi returned, and with her Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, who returned from the land of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at (E)the beginning of barley harvest.
The Old and the New
9 Now even the first covenant had (A)regulations for divine worship and (B)the earthly sanctuary. 2 For (C)a [a]tabernacle was equipped, the [b]outer sanctuary, in which were (D)the lampstand, (E)the table, and (F)the [c]sacred bread; this is called the Holy Place. 3 Behind (G)the second veil there was a [d]tabernacle which is called the (H)Most Holy Place, 4 having a golden [e](I)altar of incense and (J)the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was (K)a golden jar holding the manna, (L)Aaron’s staff which budded, and (M)the tablets of the covenant; 5 and above it were the (N)cherubim of glory (O)overshadowing the [f]atoning cover; but about these things we cannot now speak in detail.
6 Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests (P)are continually entering the [g]outer [h]tabernacle, performing the divine worship, 7 but into (Q)the second, only (R)the high priest enters (S)once a year, (T)not without taking blood which he (U)offers for himself and for the [i](V)sins of the people committed in ignorance. 8 (W)The Holy Spirit is signifying this, (X)that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the [j]outer tabernacle is still standing, 9 which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly (Y)both gifts and sacrifices are offered which (Z)cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience, 10 since they relate only to (AA)food, (AB)drink, and various (AC)washings, (AD)regulations for the [k]body imposed until (AE)a time of reformation.
11 But when Christ appeared as a (AF)high priest of the (AG)good things [l]having come, He entered through (AH)the greater and more perfect [m]tabernacle, (AI)not made by hands, that is, (AJ)not of this creation; 12 and not through (AK)the blood of goats and calves, but (AL)through His own blood, He (AM)entered the holy place (AN)once for all time, [n]having obtained (AO)eternal redemption.
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