Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

¹⁶ Thus saith the LORD, who makes a way in the sea and a path in the mighty waters;

¹⁷ when he brings forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall fall together, and never rise; they are extinct; they are quenched as wick.

¹⁸ Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old.

¹⁹ Behold, I will do a new thing; it shall come to light quickly; shall ye not know it? I will again make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

²⁰ The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls because I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert to give drink to my people, my chosen.

²¹ This people I have formed for myself; they shall show forth my praise.

A Song of degrees.

¹ ¶ When the LORD shall turn again the captivity of Zion, we shall be like those that dream.

² Then our mouth shall be filled with laughter and our tongue with singing; then they shall say among the Gentiles, The LORD has done great things with them.

³ The LORD has done great things with us, of which we shall be glad.

⁴ ¶ Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south.

⁵ Those that sow with tears shall reap with joy.

⁶ He that goes forth and weeps, bearing the precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

⁴ ¶ Though I might also have reason to confide in the flesh. If any other man thinks that he has whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:

⁵ Circumcised the eighth day, of the lineage of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee;

⁶ concerning zeal, a persecutor of the congregation; {Gr. ekklesia – called out ones} concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

⁷ But those things which were gain to me, I counted loss for Christ.

⁸ And doubtless I even count all things as loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ

⁹ ¶ and be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

¹⁰ That I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death,

¹¹ if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

¹² Not as though I had already attained it, either were already perfect, but I follow after, if I may lay hold of that for which I have also been laid hold of by the Christ, Jesus.

¹³ Brethren, I do not reckon to have laid hold of it yet, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and extending myself unto those things which are ahead,

¹⁴ I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

12 ¶ Jesus, therefore, six days before the passover, came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.

² There they made him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those that sat at the table with him.

³ Then Mary took a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.

⁴ Then said one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who should betray him,

⁵ Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarius and given to the poor?

⁶ This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief and had the bag and would take from what was put therein.

⁷ Therefore Jesus said, Let her alone; against the day of my burying she has kept this;

⁸ for the poor ye always have with you, but ye shall not always have me.