Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

¹ ¶ By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.

² We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof;

³ when there, those that carried us away captive asked us for the words of the song; with our harps of joy hung upon the willows saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.

⁴ How shall we sing the song of the LORD in the land of strangers?

⁵ If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, my right hand shall be forgotten.

⁶ If I do not remember thee, my tongue shall cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I do not prefer to lift up Jerusalem as my chief joy.

⁷ ¶ Remember, O LORD, the sons of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Raze it, raze it, even to the foundation thereof.

⁸ O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewards thee as thou hast served us.

⁹ Happy shall he be, that takes and dashes thy offspring against the stones.

Mem

¹³ What witness shall I take to thee? Or unto whom shall I liken thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? Unto whom shall I compare thee, that I may comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Zion? for thy breach is as great as the sea: who shall heal thee?

Nun

¹⁴ Thy prophets have preached vanity and foolishness unto thee; and they have not uncovered thine iniquity to turn away thy captivity but have preached unto thee vain prophecies and digressions.

Samech

¹⁵ All that passed by clapped their hands over thee and whistled and wagged their heads over the daughter of Jerusalem, saying, Is this the city that men called The perfection of beauty, The joy of the whole earth?

Pe

¹⁶ All thine enemies opened their mouths regarding thee; they whistled and gnashed their teeth; they said, Swallow her up; certainly this is the day that we looked for; we have found it, we have seen it.

Ain

¹⁷ The LORD has done that which he had determined; he has fulfilled his word that he had commanded from the time of old; he has destroyed and has not forgiven; and he has caused thine enemy to rejoice over thee; he has raised up the horn of thine adversaries.

¹⁸ Tsade Their heart cried unto the Lord, O wall of the daughter of Zion; let tears run down like a river day and night; give thyself no rest; let not the apple of thine eye cease.

Koph

¹⁹ Arise, cry out in the night; in the beginning of the watches; pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord; lift up thy hands toward him for the life of thy young children that faint for hunger in the top of every street.

Resh

²⁰ Look, O LORD, and consider unto whom thou hast shaken thus. Shall the women eat their fruit, the little ones that they are bringing up? shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord?

Schin

²¹ The young and the old lay on the ground in the streets; my virgins and my young men fell by the sword; thou hast slain them in the day of thine anger; thou hast killed and hast not forgiven.

Tau

²² Thou hast called as to a day of solemnity my terrors from everywhere, so that in the day of the LORD’s anger no one escaped nor remained: those that I have swaddled and brought up my enemy has consumed.

5 ¶ Whosoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God; and anyone that loves him that begat also loves him that is born of him.

² In this we know that we love the sons of God, when we love God and keep his commandments.

³ For this is the charity of God, that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not grievous.

⁴ For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.

⁵ Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

¹³ These things I have written unto you that believe in the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life and that ye may believe in the name of the Son of God.

¹⁴ ¶ And this is the confidence that we have in God, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he hears us:

¹⁵ And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we also know that we have the petitions that we asked of him.

¹⁶ If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask God, and he shall give him life that is, unto those that do not sin unto death. There is sin unto death, for which I do not say that you should pray.

¹⁷ All unrighteousness is sin, but there is a sin not unto death.

¹⁸ ¶ We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he that is begotten of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.

¹⁹ And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in wickedness.

²⁰ But we know that the Son of God is come and has given us understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.

²¹ Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.