Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Thanksgiving for Return from Captivity.

A Song of Ascents.

¹⁸ On that day five cities in the land of Egypt will be speaking the language of Canaan and ^(A)swearing allegiance to the Lord of armies; one will be called the City of ^[a]Destruction.

¹⁹ On that day there will be an ^(B)altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a ^(C)memorial stone to the Lord beside its border. ²⁰ And it will become a sign and a witness to the Lord of armies in the land of Egypt; for they will cry out to the Lord because of oppressors, and He will send them a ^(D)Savior and a ^(E)Champion, and He will save them. ²¹ So the Lord will make Himself known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know the Lord on that day. They will even worship with ^(F)sacrifice and offering, and will make a vow to the Lord and perform it. ²² And the Lord will strike Egypt, striking but ^(G)healing; so they will ^(H)return to the Lord, and He will respond to their pleas and heal them.

²³ On that day there will be a ^(I)road from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrians will come into Egypt and the Egyptians into Assyria; and the Egyptians will ^(J)worship with the Assyrians.

²⁴ On that day Israel will be the third party to Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, ²⁵ whom the Lord of armies has blessed, saying, “Blessed is ^(K)Egypt My people, and Assyria ^(L)the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.”

^2 (A)Grace and peace be multiplied to you in ^(B)the knowledge of God and of Jesus ^[a]our Lord, ³ for His ^(C)divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true ^(D)knowledge of Him who ^(E)called us ^[b]by His own glory and ^[c]excellence. ⁴ Through ^[d]these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent ^(F)promises, so that by them you may become ^(G)partakers of the divine nature, having ^(H)escaped the ^(I)corruption that is in ^(J)the world on account of lust. ⁵ Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith ^(K)supply ^(L)moral ^[e]excellence, and in your moral excellence, ^(M)knowledge, ⁶ and in your knowledge, ^(N)self-control, and in your self-control, ^(O)perseverance, and in your perseverance, ^(P)godliness, ⁷ and in your godliness, ^(Q)brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. ⁸ For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they do not make you useless nor ^(R)unproductive in the true ^(S)knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For the one who lacks these qualities is ^(T)blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his ^(U)purification from his former sins. ¹⁰ Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more diligent to make certain about His ^(V)calling and ^(W)choice of you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never ^(X)stumble; ¹¹ for in this way the entrance into ^(Y)the eternal kingdom of our ^(Z)Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be ^(AA)abundantly ^(AB)supplied to you.

¹² Therefore, ^(AC)I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them and have been established in ^(AD)the truth which is present with you. ¹³ I consider it ^(AE)right, as long as I am in ^(AF)this earthly ^[f]dwelling, to ^(AG)stir you up by way of reminder, ¹⁴ knowing that ^(AH)the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, ^(AI)as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. ¹⁵ And I will also be diligent that at any time after my ^(AJ)departure you will be able to call these things to mind.