The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory;he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love;he will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival.I will remove disaster from you, so that you will not bear reproach for it. From Zephaniah 3:14-18, NRSV The prophet Zephaniah…
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Then Isaiah said: ‘Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. From Isaiah 7:10-14, NRSV The prophecy…
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There was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. His wife was barren, having borne no children. And the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, ‘Although you are barren, having borne no children, you shall conceive and bear a son. Now be careful…
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The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which…
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The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me;he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken-hearted,to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners;to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn. Isaiah 61:1-2,…
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Then Elijah arose, a prophet like fire, and his word burned like a torch.He brought a famine upon them, and by his zeal he made them few in number.By the word of the Lord he shut up the heavens, and also three times brought down fire.How glorious you were, Elijah, in your wondrous deeds! Whose…
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O that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your prosperity would have been like a river, and your success like the waves of the sea;your offspring would have been like the sand, and your descendants like its grains;their name would never be cut off or destroyed from before me. From Isaiah 48:17-19, NRSV In…
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For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand;it is I who say to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’ From Isaiah 41:13-20, NRSV Isaiah’s prophecy was to a people still in captivity who had little reason to believe that their situation would improve any time soon. Yet, Isaiah brings them a message of…
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To whom then will you compare me, or who is my equal? says the Holy One.Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created these?He who brings out their host and numbers them, calling them all by name;because he is great in strength, not one is missing. From Isaiah 40:25-31, NRSV Isaiah’s words…
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Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God.Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to herthat she has served her term, that her penalty is paid,that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. From Isaiah 40:1-11, NRSV In today’s first reading, we hear further words of consolation for God’s people. Although it…
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