Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Servant’s Suffering and Exaltation
13 Look, my servant shall achieve success;
he shall be exalted,
and he shall be lifted up,
and he shall be very high.
14 Just as many were appalled at you—
such was his appearance beyond human disfigurement,
and his form beyond the sons of mankind—
15 so he shall sprinkle many nations;
because of him, kings shall shut their mouths.[a]
For they shall see what has not been told them,
and they shall consider with full attention what they have not heard.
53 Who has believed our message,
and to whom has the arm of Yahweh been revealed?
2 For[b] he went[c] up like a shoot before him,
and like a root from dry ground.
He had no form and no majesty that[d] we should see him,
and no appearance that[e] we should take pleasure in him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of suffering, and acquainted with[f] sickness,
and like one from whom others hide their faces,[g] he was despised,
and we did not hold him in high regard.
4 However, he was the one who lifted up our sicknesses,
and he carried our pain,
yet[h] we ourselves assumed him stricken,
struck down by God and afflicted.
5 But[i] he was pierced[j] because of our transgressions,
crushed because of our iniquities;
the chastisement for[k] our peace[l] was upon him,
and by his wounds[m] we were healed.[n]
6 All of us have wandered about like sheep;
we each have turned to his own way;
and Yahweh let fall on him
the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet[o] he did not open his mouth;
he was brought like a lamb to the slaughter,
and like a sheep is dumb before its shearers,
so[p] he did not open his mouth.
8 He was taken by restraint of justice,
and who concerned himself with his generation?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
he received a blow because of the transgression of my people.
9 He made[q] his grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet[r] Yahweh was pleased to crush him;
he made him sick.[s]
If she[t] places[u] his life a guilt offering,[v]
he will see offspring.
He will prolong days,
and the will of Yahweh will succeed in his hand.
11 From the trouble of his life[w] he will see;[x]
he will be satisfied.
In his knowledge, the righteous one, my servant, shall declare many righteous,[y]
and he is the one who will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore, I will divide to him a portion among the many,[z]
and with the strong ones he will divide bounty,
because[aa] he poured his life out to death
and was counted with the transgressors;
and[ab] he was the one who bore the sin of many
and will intercede for the transgressors.
Suffering and Waiting for Deliverance
For the music director; according to The Doe of the Dawn. A psalm of David.[a]
22 My God, my God why have you forsaken me?
Why are you far from helping me, far from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I call by day and you do not answer,
and by night but I have no rest.[b]
3 Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
4 Our ancestors[c] trusted you;
they trusted and you delivered them.
5 They cried to you and were saved;
they trusted you and were not ashamed.
6 But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by humankind and despised by people.
7 All who see me mock me.
They open wide their lips;
they shake the head, saying:
8 “He trusts Yahweh.[d] Let him rescue him.
Let him deliver him because he delights in him.”
9 Yet you took me from the belly;
you made me trust while on my mother’s breasts.
10 On you I was cast from the womb.
From my mother’s belly you have been my God.
11 Do not be far from me
because trouble is near;
because there is no helper.
12 Many bulls have encircled me;
mighty bulls of Bashan have surrounded me.
13 They open their mouth against me
like a lion tearing and roaring.
14 I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart is like wax;
it is melted within me.[e]
15 My strength is dry like a potsherd,
and my tongue is sticking to my jaws;
and you have placed me in the dust of death.
16 Because dogs have surrounded me;
a gang of evildoers has encircled me.
Like the lion[f] they are at my hands and my feet.
17 I can count all my bones;
they gaze, they look at me.
18 They divide my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.[g]
19 But you, O Yahweh, do not remain distant.
O my help, hasten to help me.
20 Rescue my life from the sword,
my only life from the power of the dogs.[h]
21 Save me from the mouth of the lion,
and from the horns of the wild oxen answer me.
22 I will tell your name to my brothers;
inside the assembly I will praise you.
23 You who revere Yahweh, praise him!
Glorify him, all you seed of Jacob,
and be in awe of him, all you seed of Israel,
24 because he has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted,
and has not hid his face from him;
but he listened to him when he cried for help.
25 From you is my praise.
In the great assembly,
I will pay my vows before those who revere him.
26 The afflicted will eat and will be satisfied.
Those who seek him will praise Yahweh.
May your[i] heart live forever.
27 All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to Yahweh.
All the families of the nations
will worship before you.
28 Because the kingship belongs to Yahweh,
and he rules over the nations.
29 All the healthy ones[j] of the earth will eat and worship.
Before him all of those descending into the dust will kneel,
even he who cannot keep his soul alive.
30 Descendants[k] will serve him.
Regarding the Lord, it will be told to the next generation.
31 They will come and tell his saving[l] deeds
to a people yet to be born, that he has done it.
16 “This is the covenant that I will decree for them
after those days, says the Lord:
I am putting my laws on their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds.”[a]
17 He also says,
“Their sins and their lawless deeds I will never remember again.”[b]
18 Now where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.
Hold Fast the Confession of Our Hope
19 Therefore, brothers, since we[c] have confidence for the entrance into the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way which he inaugurated for us through the curtain, that is, his flesh, 21 and since we have[d] a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us approach with a true heart in the full assurance of faith, our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for the one who promised is faithful. 24 And let us think about how to stir one another up to love[e] and good works, 25 not abandoning our meeting together[f], as is the habit of some, but encouraging each other, and by so much more as you see the day drawing near.
Jesus Our Great High Priest
14 Therefore, because we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is not able to sympathize with our weaknesses, but who has been tempted in all things in the same way, without sin. 16 Therefore let us approach with confidence to the throne of grace, in order that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
7 who in the days of his flesh offered up both prayers and supplications, with loud crying and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard as a result of his reverence. 8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered, 9 and being perfected, he became the source of eternal salvation to all those who obey him,
Jesus Is Betrayed and Arrested
18 When[a] Jesus had said these things, he went out with his disciples to the other side of the ravine of the Kidron, where there was a garden into which he and his disciples entered. 2 (Now Judas, the one who betrayed him, also knew about the place, because Jesus often gathered there with his disciples.) 3 So Judas, taking the cohort and officers from the chief priests and from the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4 Then Jesus, because he[b] knew all the things that were coming upon him, went out and said to them, “Who are you looking for?” 5 They replied to him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He said to them, “I am he.”[c] (Now Judas, the one who betrayed him, was also standing with them.) 6 So when he said to them, “I am he,”[d] they drew back[e] and fell to the ground. 7 Then he asked them again, “Who are you looking for?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.” 8 Jesus replied, “I said to you that I am he![f] So if you are looking for me, let these men go,” 9 in order that the word that he had spoken would be fulfilled: “Those whom you have given to me—I have not lost anyone of them.”[g]
10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. (Now the name of the slave was Malchus.) 11 So Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into its[h] sheath! The cup that the Father has given me—shall I not drink it?”
Jesus Taken to Annas
12 Then the cohort and the military tribune and the officers of the Jews seized Jesus and tied him up, 13 and brought him[i] to Annas first, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. 14 (Now it was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it was better that one man die for the people.)
Peter Denies Jesus the First Time
15 So Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. (Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest.) 16 But Peter was standing by the door outside. So the other disciple who was known to the high priest went out and spoke to the doorkeeper and brought Peter in. 17 Then the female slave who was the doorkeeper said to Peter, “You are not also one of the disciples of this man, are you?”[j] He said, “I am not!” 18 (Now the slaves and the officers were standing there, having made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were warming themselves. And Peter was also standing there with them and warming himself.)
Jesus Before Annas
19 So the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. 20 Jesus replied to him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I always taught in the synagogue and in the temple courts[k] where all the Jews assemble, and I have said nothing in secret. 21 Why are you asking me? Ask those who heard what I have said to them! Behold, these people know what I said.” 22 Now when[l] he had said these things, one of the officers who was standing by gave a slap in the face to Jesus, saying, “Do you reply to the high priest in this way?” 23 Jesus replied to him, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify about what is wrong! But if I have spoken[m] correctly, why do you strike me?” 24 Then Annas sent him, tied up, to Caiaphas the high priest.
Peter Denies Jesus the Second and Third Times
25 Now Simon Peter was standing there and warming himself. So they said to him, “You are not also one of his disciples, are you?”[n] He denied it[o] and said, “I am not!” 26 One of the slaves of the high priest, who was related to the one whose ear Peter had cut off, said, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” 27 So Peter denied it[p] again, and immediately a rooster crowed.
Jesus Brought Before Pilate
28 Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas to the governor’s residence. Now it was early, and they did not enter into the governor’s residence so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate came outside to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” 30 They answered and said to him, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have handed him over to you!” 31 So Pilate said to them, “You take him and judge him according to your law!” The Jews said to him, “It is not permitted for us to kill anyone,” 32 in order that the word of Jesus would be fulfilled that he had spoken, indicating by what sort of death he was going to die.
Pilate Questions Jesus
33 Then Pilate entered again into the governor’s residence and summoned Jesus and said to him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” 34 Jesus replied, “Do you say this from yourself, or have others said this[q] to you about me?” 35 Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I?[r] Your people and the chief priests handed you over to me! What have you done?” 36 Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews. But now my kingdom is not from here.” 37 Then Pilate said to him, “So then you are a king!” Jesus replied, “You say that I am a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I have come into the world: in order that I can testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.” 38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”
And when he[s] had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, “I find no basis for an accusation against him. 39 But it is your custom that I release for you one prisoner[t] at the Passover. So do you want me[u] to release for you the king of the Jews?” 40 Then they shouted again, saying, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” (Now Barabbas was a revolutionary.)[v]
Pilate Attempts to Release Jesus
19 So then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged.[w] 2 And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and placed it[x] on his head, and put a purple robe on him, 3 and were coming up to him and saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” and were giving him slaps in the face.
4 And Pilate came outside again and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing him outside to you, so that you will know that I find no basis for an accusation against him.” 5 Then Jesus came outside wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, and he said to them, “Behold the man!” 6 So when they saw him, the chief priests and the officers shouted, saying, “Crucify! Crucify!” Pilate said to them, “You take him and crucify him![y] For I do not find a basis for an accusation against him.” 7 The Jews replied to him, “We have a law, and according to the law he ought to die, because he made himself out to be the Son of God!”
8 So when Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid, 9 and he entered into the governor’s residence again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus did not give him an answer. 10 So Pilate said to him, “Will you not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you, and I have authority to crucify you?” 11 Jesus replied to him, “You would not have any authority over me unless it was given to you from above. For this reason the one who handed me over to you has greater sin.”
12 From this point on Pilate was seeking to release him, but the Jews shouted, saying, “If you release this man, you are not a friend of Caesar! Everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar!” 13 So Pilate, when he[z] heard these words, brought Jesus outside and sat down on the judgment seat, in the place called The Stone Pavement (but Gabbatha in Aramaic). 14 (Now it was the day of preparation of the Passover; it was about the sixth hour.) And he said to the Jews, “Behold your king!”
15 Then those shouted, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your king?” The chief priests replied, “We do not have a king except Caesar!” 16 So then he handed him over to them in order that he could be crucified.
Jesus Is Crucified
So they took Jesus, 17 and carrying for himself the cross, he went out to the place called The Place of a Skull (which is called Golgotha in Aramaic), 18 where they crucified him, and with him two others, one on each side,[aa] and Jesus in the middle. 19 And Pilate also wrote a notice and placed it[ab] on the cross, and it was written: “Jesus the Nazarene, the king of the Jews.” 20 So many of the Jews read this notice, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city. And it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. 21 Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The king of the Jews,’ but, ‘He said, I am king of the Jews.’” 22 Pilate replied, “What I have written, I have written.”
23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his clothing and made four shares—for each soldier a share—and the tunic. (Now the tunic was seamless, woven from the top in a single piece.)[ac] 24 So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it apart, but cast lots for it, to see whose it will be,” so that the scripture would be fulfilled that says,
“They divided my garments among themselves,
and for my clothing they cast lots.”[ad]
Thus the soldiers did these things.
25 Now his mother and the sister of his mother, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene were standing near the cross of Jesus. 26 So Jesus, seeing his[ae] mother and the disciple whom he loved standing there, said to his[af] mother, “Woman, behold your son!” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.
Jesus Dies on the Cross
28 After this, Jesus, knowing that now at last everything was completed, in order that the scripture would be fulfilled, said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a branch of hyssop and[ag] brought it[ah] to his mouth. 30 Then when he had received the sour wine, Jesus said, “It is completed,”[ai] and bowing his[aj] head, he gave up his[ak] spirit.
31 Then the Jews, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was an important day), asked Pilate that their legs could be broken and they could be taken away. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. 33 But when they[al] came to Jesus, after they saw he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and blood and water came out immediately. 35 And the one who has seen it[am] has testified, and his testimony is true, and that person knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe. 36 For these things happened in order that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not a bone of his will be broken.”[an] 37 And again another scripture says, “They will look on the one whom they have pierced.”[ao]
Jesus Is Buried
38 And after these things, Joseph who was from Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus (but a secret one for fear of the Jews), asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus. And Pilate allowed it,[ap] so he came and took away his body. 39 And Nicodemus—the one who had come to him formerly at night—also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about a hundred pounds.[aq] 40 So they took the body of Jesus and wrapped it in strips of linen cloth with the fragrant spices, as is the Jews’ custom to prepare for burial. 41 Now there was a garden at the place where he was crucified, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one was yet buried. 42 So there, on account of the day of preparation of the Jews, because the tomb was close by, they buried Jesus.
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