Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Future Glory of Zion
35 The (A)wilderness and the [a]wasteland shall be glad for them,
And the (B)desert[b] shall rejoice and blossom as the rose;
2 (C)It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice,
Even with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
The excellence of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the (D)glory of the Lord,
The excellency of our God.
3 (E)Strengthen the [c]weak hands,
And make firm the [d]feeble knees.
4 Say to those who are fearful-hearted,
“Be strong, do not fear!
Behold, your God will come with (F)vengeance,
With the recompense of God;
He will come and (G)save you.”
5 Then the (H)eyes of the blind shall be opened,
And (I)the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
6 Then the (J)lame shall leap like a deer,
And the (K)tongue of the dumb sing.
For (L)waters shall burst forth in the wilderness,
And streams in the desert.
7 The parched ground shall become a pool,
And the thirsty land springs of water;
In (M)the habitation of jackals, where each lay,
There shall be grass with reeds and rushes.
8 A (N)highway shall be there, and a road,
And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness.
(O)The unclean shall not pass over it,
But it shall be for others.
Whoever walks the road, although a fool,
Shall not go astray.
9 (P)No lion shall be there,
Nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it;
It shall not be found there.
But the redeemed shall walk there,
10 And the (Q)ransomed of the Lord shall return,
And come to Zion with singing,
With everlasting joy on their heads.
They shall obtain joy and gladness,
And (R)sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
5 (A)Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,
Whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 (B)Who made heaven and earth,
The sea, and all that is in them;
Who keeps truth forever,
7 (C)Who executes justice for the oppressed,
(D)Who gives food to the hungry.
(E)The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners.
8 (F)The Lord opens the eyes of the blind;
(G)The Lord raises those who are bowed down;
The Lord loves the righteous.
9 (H)The Lord watches over the strangers;
He relieves the fatherless and widow;
(I)But the way of the wicked He [a]turns upside down.
10 (J)The Lord shall reign forever—
Your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!
The Song of Mary
46 And Mary said:
(A)“My soul [a]magnifies the Lord,
47 And my spirit has (B)rejoiced in (C)God my Savior.
48 For (D)He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth (E)all generations will call me blessed.
49 For He who is mighty (F)has done great things for me,
And (G)holy is His name.
50 And (H)His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
51 (I)He has shown strength with His arm;
(J)He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 (K)He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
53 He has (L)filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
54 He has helped His (M)servant Israel,
(N)In remembrance of His mercy,
55 (O)As He spoke to our (P)fathers,
To Abraham and to his (Q)seed forever.”
Be Patient and Persevering
7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. 8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord [a]is at hand.
9 Do not [b]grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be [c]condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! 10 (A)My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and (B)patience.
2 (A)And when John had heard (B)in prison about the works of Christ, he [a]sent two of his disciples 3 and said to Him, “Are You (C)the Coming One, or do we look for another?”
4 Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: 5 (D)The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and (E)the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he who is not (F)offended because of Me.”
7 (G)As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? (H)A reed shaken by the wind? 8 But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. 9 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, (I)and more than a prophet. 10 For this is he of whom it is written:
(J)‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,
Who will prepare Your way before You.’
11 “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.