A voice of one crying out in the desert,/ Prepare the way of the Lord,/ make straight his paths.

On that day, a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse,/ and from his roots a bud shall blossom./ The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him:/ a spirit of wisdom and of understanding,/ a spirit of counsel and of strength,/ a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord,/ and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord./ Not by appearance shall he judge,/ nor by hearsay shall he decide,/ but he shall judge the poor with justice,/ and decide aright for the land’s afflicted./ He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth,/ and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked./ Justice shall be the band around his waist,/ and faithfulness a belt upon his hips./ Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb,/ and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;/ the calf and the young lion shall browse together,/ with a little child to guide them./ The cow and the bear shall be neighbors,/ together their young shall rest;/ the lion shall eat hay like the ox./ The baby shall play by the cobra’s den,/ and the child lay his hand on the adder’s lair./ There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain;/ for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the Lord,/ as water covers the sea./ On that day, the root of Jesse,/ set up as a signal for the nations,/ the Gentiles shall seek out,/ for his dwelling shall be glorious.

Thus says the Lord God,/ the Holy One of Israel:/ O people of Zion, who dwell in Jerusalem,/ no more will you weep;/ He will be gracious to you when you cry out,/ as soon as he hears he will answer you./ The Lord will give you the bread you need/ and the water for which you thirst./ No longer will your Teacher hide himself,/ but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher,/ While from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears:/ “This is the way; walk in it,”/ when you would turn to the right or to the left.

Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness.

As Jesus passed by, two blind men followed him, crying out, “Son of David, have pity on us!” When he entered the house, the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I can do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they said to him.

Thus says the Lord God:/ But a very little while,/ and Lebanon shall be changed into an orchard,/ and the orchard be regarded as a forest!/ On that day the deaf shall hear/ the words of a book;/ And out of gloom and darkness,/ the eyes of the blind shall see./ The lowly will ever find joy in the Lord,/ and the poor rejoice in the Holy One of Israel./ For the tyrant will be no more/ and the arrogant will have gone;/ All who are alert to do evil will be cut off,/ those whose mere word condemns a man,/ Who ensnare his defender at the gate,/ and leave the just man with an empty claim./ Therefore thus says the Lord,/ the God of the house of Jacob,/ who redeemed Abraham:/ Now Jacob shall have nothing to be ashamed of,/ nor shall his face grow pale./ When his children see/ the work of my hands in his midst,/ They shall keep my name holy;/ they shall ­reverence the Holy One of Jacob,/ and be in awe of the God of Israel./ Those who err in spirit shall acquire understanding,/ and those who find fault shall receive instruction.

Trust in the Lord forever!/ For the Lord is an eternal Rock./ He humbles those in high places,/ and the lofty city he brings down;/ He tumbles it to the ground,/ levels it with the dust./ It is trampled underfoot by the needy,/ by the footsteps of the poor.

Jesus said to his disciples: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

On this mountain the Lord of hosts/ will provide for all peoples/ A feast of rich food and choice wines,/ juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines./ On this mountain he will destroy/ the veil that veils all peoples,/ The web that is woven over all nations;/ he will destroy death forever./ The Lord God will wipe away/ the tears from all faces;/ The reproach of his people he will remove/ from the whole earth; for the Lord has spoken.

At that time: Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, went up on the mountain, and sat down there.