Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
68 “Blessed be the Lord, Israel’s God!
He’s come to his people and bought them their freedom.
69 He’s raised up a horn of salvation for us
in David’s house, the house of his servant,
70 just as he promised, through the mouths of his prophets,
the holy ones, speaking from ages of old:
71 salvation from our enemies, rescue from hatred,
72 mercy to our ancestors, keeping his holy covenant.
73 He swore an oath to Abraham our father,
74 to give us deliverance from fear and from foes,
so we might worship him, 75 holy and righteous
before his face to the end of our days.
76 You, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest One,
You’ll go before the Lord, preparing his way,
77 letting his people know of salvation,
through the forgiveness of all their sins.
78 The heart of our God is full of mercy,
that’s why his daylight has dawned from on high,
79 bringing light to the dark, as we sat in death’s shadow,
guiding our feet in the path of peace.”
3 I thank my God every time I think of you! 4 I always pray with joy, whenever I pray for you all, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 Of this I’m convinced: the one who began a good work in you will thoroughly complete it by the day of Messiah Jesus.
7 It’s right for me to think this way about all of you. You have me in your hearts, here in prison as I am, working to defend and bolster up the gospel. You are my partners in grace, all of you! 8 Yes: God can bear witness how much I’m longing for all of you with the deep love of Messiah Jesus.
9 And this is what I’m praying: that your love may overflow still more and more, in knowledge and in all astute wisdom. 10 Then you will be able to tell the difference between good and evil, and be sincere and faultless on the day of the Messiah, 11 filled to overflowing with the fruit of right living, fruit that comes through Messiah Jesus to God’s glory and praise.
The preaching of John the Baptist
3 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate was governor of Judaea, Herod was tetrarch of Galilee; his brother Philip was tetrarch of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene. 2 Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests.
At that time, the word of God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. 3 He went through all the region of the Jordan, announcing a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 This is what is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:
A voice shouting in the wilderness:
get ready a path for the Lord,
make the roads straight for him!
5 Every valley shall be filled in,
and every mountain and hill shall be flattened,
the twisted paths will be straightened out,
and the rough roads smoothed off,
6 and all that lives shall see God’s rescue.
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.