Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
68 “(A)Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited us and accomplished (B)redemption for His people,
69 And has raised up a (C)horn of salvation for us
In the house of (D)His servant David—
70 (E)Just as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets (F)from ancient times—
71 [a](G)Salvation (H)from our enemies,
And from the hand of all who hate us;
72 (I)To show mercy to our fathers,
(J)And to remember His holy covenant,
73 (K)The oath which He swore to our father Abraham,
74 To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,
Would serve Him without fear,
75 (L)In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.
76 And you, child, also will be called the (M)prophet of (N)the Most High;
For you will go on (O)before the Lord to (P)prepare His ways;
77 To give His people the knowledge of salvation
[b]By (Q)the forgiveness of their sins,
78 Because of the tender mercy of our God,
With which (R)the Sunrise from on high will visit us,
79 (S)To shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the (T)way of peace.”
Warning of Jerusalem’s Fall
22 This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the house of the king of Judah and there speak this word, 2 and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, who (A)sits on David’s throne, you and your servants and your people who enter these gates. 3 This is what the Lord says: “(B)Do justice and righteousness, and save one who has been robbed from the power of his (C)oppressor. And (D)do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the orphan, or the widow; and do not (E)shed innocent blood in this place. 4 For if you will indeed perform this [a]instruction, then (F)kings will enter the gates of this house, sitting [b]in David’s place on his throne, riding in chariots and on horses, the king himself, his servants, and his people. 5 (G)But if you will not obey these words, I (H)swear by Myself,” declares the Lord, “that this house will become a place of ruins.”’” 6 For this is what the Lord says concerning the house of the king of Judah:
“You are like (I)Gilead to Me,
Like the summit of Lebanon;
Yet most assuredly I will make you a (J)wilderness,
Cities that are not inhabited.
7 For I will set apart (K)destroyers against you,
Each with his weapons;
And they will (L)cut down your choicest cedars
And (M)throw them on the fire.
8 “Many nations will pass by this city; and they will (N)say to one another, ‘Why has the Lord done this to this great city?’ 9 Then they will [c]answer, ‘Because they (O)abandoned the covenant of the Lord their God and bowed down to other gods and served them.’”
10 (P)Do not weep for the dead or mourn for him,
But weep deeply for the one who goes away;
For (Q)he will never return
Or see his native land.
11 For this is what the Lord says regarding [d](R)Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who became king in the place of his father Josiah, who went out from this place: “He will never return there; 12 but in the place where they took him into exile, there he will (S)die and he will not see this land again.
Messages about the Kings
13 “Woe to him who builds his house (T)without righteousness,
And his upstairs rooms without justice,
Who uses his neighbor’s services without pay
And (U)does not give him his wages,
14 Who says, ‘I will (V)build myself a large house
With spacious upstairs rooms,
And cut out its windows,
[e]Paneling it with (W)cedar and painting it [f]bright red.’
15 Do you become a king because you are competing in cedar?
Did your father not eat and drink
And (X)do justice and righteousness?
Then it was (Y)well for him.
16 He pled the cause of the (Z)afflicted and the poor,
Then it was well.
(AA)Is that not what it means to know Me?”
Declares the Lord.
17 “But your eyes and your heart
Are intent only upon your own (AB)dishonest gain,
And on (AC)shedding innocent blood,
And on practicing oppression and extortion.”
3 (A)Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who (B)according to His great mercy (C)has caused us to be born again to (D)a living hope through the (E)resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an (F)inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and (G)will not fade away, (H)reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are (I)protected by the power of God (J)through faith for (K)a salvation ready (L)to be revealed in the last time. 6 (M)In this you greatly rejoice, even though now (N)for a little while, (O)if necessary, you have been distressed by (P)various [a]trials, 7 so that the [b](Q)proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which perishes (R)though tested by fire, (S)may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at (T)the revelation of Jesus Christ; 8 and (U)though you have not seen Him, you (V)love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and [c]full of glory, 9 obtaining as (W)the outcome of your faith, the salvation of [d]your souls.
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