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⁶ so that they may know, from the rising of the sun
   and from the west, that there is no one besides me;
   I am the Lord, and there is no other.
⁷ I form light and create darkness,
   I make weal and create woe;
   I the Lord do all these things.

⁸ Shower, O heavens, from above,
   and let the skies rain down righteousness;
let the earth open, that salvation may spring up,^*
   and let it cause righteousness to sprout up also;
   I the Lord have created it.

¹⁸ For thus says the Lord,
who created the heavens
   (he is God!),
who formed the earth and made it
   (he established it;
he did not create it a chaos,
   he formed it to be inhabited!):
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
²¹ Declare and present your case;
   let them take counsel together!
Who told this long ago?
   Who declared it of old?
Was it not I, the Lord?
   There is no other god besides me,
a righteous God and a Saviour;
   there is no one besides me.

²² Turn to me and be saved,
   all the ends of the earth!
   For I am God, and there is no other.
²³ By myself I have sworn,
   from my mouth has gone forth in righteousness
   a word that shall not return:
‘To me every knee shall bow,
   every tongue shall swear.’

²⁴ Only in the Lord, it shall be said of me,
   are righteousness and strength;
all who were incensed against him
   shall come to him and be ashamed.
²⁵ In the Lord all the offspring of Israel
   shall triumph and glory.

Psalm 85

Prayer for the Restoration of God’s Favour

To the leader. Of the Korahites. A Psalm.
¹ Lord, you were favourable to your land;
   you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
⁹ Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him,
   that his glory may dwell in our land.

¹⁰ Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
   righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
¹¹ Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
   and righteousness will look down from the sky.
¹² The Lord will give what is good,
   and our land will yield its increase.
¹³ Righteousness will go before him,
   and will make a path for his steps.

Messengers from John the Baptist

18 The disciples of John reported all these things to him. So John summoned two of his disciples ¹⁹and sent them to the Lord to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?’ ²⁰When the men had come to him, they said, ‘John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” ’ ²¹Jesus^* had just then cured many people of diseases, plagues, and evil spirits, and had given sight to many who were blind. ²²And he answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers^* are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news brought to them. ²³And blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me.’