Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

For Scripture Was Written To Give Us Hope As We Endure In This

⁴ For all that was written-before was written for our instruction, in order that we might have hope through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures.

May God Help You All To Think The Same Thing, To His Glory

⁵ Now may the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to be thinking the same^[a] thing among one another according-to^[b] Christ Jesus, ⁶ in order that with-one-accord you may with one mouth be glorifying the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore Accept One Another As Christ Has Accepted You, Both Jew And Gentile

⁷ Therefore, be accepting one-another, just as Christ also accepted you— for the glory of God. ⁸ For I say that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God, so that He might confirm the promises of ^[c] the fathers, ⁹ and the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy just as it has been written: “For this reason I will praise You among the Gentiles and I will sing-praise to Your name” [Ps 18:49]. ¹⁰ And again he says, “Celebrate, Gentiles, with His people” [Deut 32:43]. ¹¹ And again, “All Gentiles, be praising the Lord, and let all the peoples praise Him” [Ps 117:1]. ¹² And again Isaiah says, “There will be the root of Jesse, even the One rising-up to rule^[d] the Gentiles. The Gentiles will put-their-hope upon Him” [Isa 11:10].

Peace And Joy To You All

¹³ Now may the God of ^[e] hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may be abounding in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

In Fulfillment of Isaiah, John The Baptist Prepares The Nation For The Messiah

3 Now during those days John the Baptist comes^[a], proclaiming in the wilderness of Judea ² and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn-near”. ³ For this one is the one having been spoken of through Isaiah the prophet saying [in Isa 40:3], “A voice of one shouting in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, be making His paths straight’”. ⁴ Now John himself was having^[b] his clothing [made] of camel’s hair, and a belt made-of-leather around his waist. And his food was locusts and wild honey. ⁵ At that time Jerusalem and all Judea and all the surrounding-region of the Jordan was going out to him. ⁶ And they were being baptized in the Jordan River by him while confessing-out^[c] their sins.

John Says To Produce Fruit Worthy of Repentance, Because The Chaff Will Be Burned

⁷ But having seen many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to^[d] his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers— who showed^[e] you to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸ Therefore produce fruit worthy of repentance. ⁹ And do not think that you may say within^[f] yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’. For I say to you that God is able to raise-up children for Abraham from these stones! ¹⁰ And the axe is already lying^[g] at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree not producing good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ¹¹ I am baptizing you with^[h] water for repentance, but the One coming after me is more powerful than me, of Whom I am not fit to carry the sandals. He will baptize you with^[i] the Holy Spirit and fire^[j]— ¹² Whose winnowing-tool is in His hand, and He will cleanse-out His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn. But He will burn up the chaff with an inextinguishable fire”.