Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 98[a]
The Coming of God
1 A psalm.
I
Sing a new song to the Lord,
for he has done marvelous deeds.(A)
His right hand and holy arm
have won the victory.[b](B)
2 The Lord has made his victory known;
has revealed his triumph in the sight of the nations,
3 He has remembered his mercy and faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the victory of our God.
II
4 Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth;
break into song; sing praise.
5 Sing praise to the Lord with the lyre,
with the lyre and melodious song.
6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn
shout with joy to the King, the Lord.(C)
III
10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month in the second year[a] of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Haggai the prophet: 11 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Ask the priests for a ruling:[b] 12 If someone carries sanctified meat in the fold of a garment and the fold touches bread, soup, wine, oil, or any other food, do they become sanctified? “No,” the priests answered. 13 Then Haggai asked: “If a person defiled from contact with a corpse touches any of these, do they become defiled?” The priests answered, “They become defiled.”(A) 14 Then Haggai replied:
So is this people,[c] and so is this nation
in my sight—oracle of the Lord—
And so is all the work of their hands;
what they offer there is defiled.
15 Now reflect,[d] from this day forward—before you set stone to stone in the temple of the Lord, 16 what was your experience?
When one went to a heap of grain for twenty ephahs,
there were only ten;
When one went to a vat to draw fifty ephahs,[e]
there were only twenty.(B)
17 I struck you, and all the work of your hands,
with searing wind, blight, and hail,
yet you did not return to me—oracle of the Lord.(C)
18 Reflect from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month.[f] From the day on which the temple of the Lord was founded, reflect!
19 Is there still seed in the storehouse?
Have the vine, the fig, the pomegranate,
and the olive tree still not borne fruit?
From this day, I will bless you.[g]
Future Hope.[h]
16 We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming[a] of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty.(A) 17 For he received honor and glory from God the Father[b] when that unique declaration came to him from the majestic glory, “This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”(B) 18 We[c] ourselves heard this voice come from heaven while we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 (C)Moreover, we possess the prophetic message that is altogether reliable. You will do well to be attentive to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 [d]Know this first of all, that there is no prophecy of scripture that is a matter of personal interpretation, 21 for no prophecy ever came through human will; but rather human beings moved by the holy Spirit spoke under the influence of God.
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.