Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Whole Creation Invoked to Praise the Lord.
148 [a]Praise [b]the Lord!
Praise the Lord (A)from the heavens;
Praise Him (B)in the heights!
2 Praise Him, (C)all His angels;
Praise Him, (D)all His hosts!
3 Praise Him, sun and moon;
Praise Him, all stars of light!
4 Praise Him, [c](E)highest heavens,
And the (F)waters that are above the heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
For (G)He commanded and they were created.
6 He has also (H)established them forever and ever;
He has made a (I)decree which will not pass away.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
(J)Sea monsters and all (K)deeps;
8 (L)Fire and hail, (M)snow and (N)clouds;
(O)Stormy wind, (P)fulfilling His word;
9 (Q)Mountains and all hills;
Fruit (R)trees and all cedars;
10 (S)Beasts and all cattle;
(T)Creeping things and winged fowl;
11 (U)Kings of the earth and all peoples;
Princes and all judges of the earth;
12 Both young men and virgins;
Old men and children.
The Fertility of Zion
54 “(A)Shout for joy, O barren one, you who have borne no child;
Break forth into joyful shouting and cry aloud, you who have not travailed;
For the sons of the (B)desolate one will be (C)more numerous
Than the sons of the married woman,” says the Lord.
2 “(D)Enlarge the place of your tent;
[a]Stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, spare not;
Lengthen your (E)cords
And strengthen your (F)pegs.
3 “For you will (G)spread abroad to the right and to the left.
And your [b]descendants will (H)possess nations
And will (I)resettle the desolate cities.
4 “Fear not, for you will (J)not be put to shame;
And do not feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced;
But you will forget the (K)shame of your youth,
And the (L)reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.
5 “For your (M)husband is your Maker,
Whose name is the Lord of hosts;
And your (N)Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel,
Who is called the (O)God of all the earth.
6 “For the Lord has called you,
Like a wife (P)forsaken and grieved in spirit,
Even like a wife of one’s youth when she is rejected,”
Says your God.
7 “[c]For a (Q)brief moment I forsook you,
But with great compassion I will (R)gather you.
8 “In an [d](S)outburst of anger
I hid My face from you for a moment,
But with everlasting (T)lovingkindness I will (U)have compassion on you,”
Says the Lord your (V)Redeemer.
9 “For [e]this is like the days of Noah to Me,
When I swore that the waters of Noah
Would (W)not [f]flood the earth again;
So I have sworn that I will (X)not be angry with you
Nor will I rebuke you.
10 “For the (Y)mountains may be removed and the hills may shake,
But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you,
And My (Z)covenant of peace will not be shaken,”
Says (AA)the Lord who has compassion on you.
11 “O (AB)afflicted one, storm-tossed, and (AC)not comforted,
Behold, I will set your stones in antimony,
And your foundations I will (AD)lay in [g](AE)sapphires.
12 “Moreover, I will make your battlements of [h]rubies,
And your gates of [i]crystal,
And your entire [j]wall of precious stones.
13 “(AF)All your sons will be [k]taught of the Lord;
And the well-being of your sons will be (AG)great.
The New Heaven and Earth
21 Then I saw (A)a new heaven and a new earth; for (B)the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2 And I saw (C)the holy city, (D)new Jerusalem, (E)coming down out of heaven from God, (F)made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, (G)the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will [a](H)dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them[b], 4 and He will (I)wipe away every tear from their eyes; and (J)there will no longer be any death; (K)there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; (L)the first things have passed away.”
5 And (M)He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am (N)making all things new.” And He *said, “Write, for (O)these words are faithful and true.” 6 Then He said to me, “[c](P)It is done. I am the (Q)Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. (R)I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the (S)water of life without cost. 7 (T)He who overcomes will inherit these things, and (U)I will be his God and he will be My son.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.