Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

⁴⁶ And Mary said, My soul magnifies and extols the Lord,

⁴⁷ And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

⁴⁸ For He has looked upon the low station and humiliation of His handmaiden. For behold, from now on all generations [of all ages] will call me blessed and declare me happy and ^[a]to be envied!

⁴⁹ For He Who is almighty has done great things for me—and holy is His name [to be venerated in His purity, majesty and glory]!

⁵⁰ And His mercy (His compassion and kindness toward the miserable and afflicted) is on those who fear Him with godly reverence, from generation to generation and age to age.^(A)

⁵¹ He has shown strength and ^[b]made might with His arm; He has scattered the proud and haughty in and by the imagination and purpose and designs of their hearts.

⁵² He has put down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of low degree.

⁵³ He has filled and satisfied the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty-handed [without a gift].

⁵⁴ He has laid hold on His servant Israel [to help him, to espouse his cause], in remembrance of His mercy,

⁵⁵ Even as He promised to our forefathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.^(B)

⁶ In that day, says the Lord, I will assemble the lame, and I will gather those who have been driven away and those whom I have afflicted.

⁷ And I will make the lame a remnant, and those who were cast off a strong nation; and the Lord shall reign over them in Mount Zion from this time forth and forever.

⁸ And you, O tower of the flock, the hill and stronghold of the Daughter of Zion, unto you the former dominion shall come, the kingdom of the Daughter of Jerusalem.

¹⁶ For we were not following cleverly devised stories when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah), but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty (grandeur, authority of sovereign power).

¹⁷ For when He was invested with honor and glory from God the Father and a voice was borne to Him by the [splendid] Majestic Glory [in the bright cloud that overshadowed Him, saying], This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased and delight,

¹⁸ We [actually] heard this voice borne out of heaven, for we were together with Him on the holy mountain.

¹⁹ And we have the prophetic word [made] firmer still. You will do well to pay close attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dismal (squalid and dark) place, until the day breaks through [the gloom] and the Morning Star rises (^[a]comes into being) in your hearts.

²⁰ [Yet] first [you must] understand this, that no prophecy of Scripture is [a matter] of any personal or private or special interpretation (loosening, solving).

²¹ For no prophecy ever originated because some man willed it [to do so—it never came by human impulse], but men spoke from God who were borne along (moved and impelled) by the Holy Spirit.