Fourth Sunday of Advent

And it came to pass when the king sat in his house, and the Lord had given him rest on every side from all his enemies, ²He said to Nathan the prophet: Dost thou see that I dwell in a house of cedar, and the ark of God is lodged within skins? ³And Nathan said to the king: Go, do all that is in thy heart: because the Lord is with thee. ⁴But it came to pass that night, that the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying: ⁵Go, and say to my servant David: Thus saith the Lord: Shalt thou build me a house to dwell in? ⁸And now thus shalt thou speak to my servant David: Thus saith the Lord of hosts: a I took thee out of the pastures from following the sheep to be ruler over my people Israel: ⁹And I have been with thee wheresoever thou hast walked, and have slain all thy enemies from before thy face: and I have made thee a great man, like unto the name of the great ones that are on the earth. ¹⁰And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and I will plant them, and they shall dwell therein, and shall be disturbed no more: neither shall the children of iniquity afflict them any more as they did before, ¹¹From the day that I appointed judges over my people Israel: and I will give thee rest from all thy enemies. And the Lord foretelleth to thee, that the Lord will make thee a house. ¹²And when thy days shall be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹⁴I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son: and if he commit any iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men. ¹⁶And thy house shall be faithful, and thy kingdom for ever before thy face, and thy throne shall be firm for ever.

²The mercies of the Lord I will sing for ever. I will shew forth thy truth with my mouth to generation and generation. ³For thou hast said: Mercy shall be built up for ever in the heavens: thy truth shall be prepared in them. ⁴I have made a covenant with my elect: I have sworn to David my servant: ⁵Thy seed will I settle for ever. And I will build up thy throne unto generation and generation. ²⁷He shall cry out to me: Thou art my father: my God, and the support of my salvation. ²⁹I will keep my mercy for him for ever: and my covenant faithful to him.

℟ The mercies of the Lord I will sing for ever.

Now to him that is able to establish you, according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret from eternity, ²⁶(Which now is made manifest by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the precept of the eternal God, for the obedience of faith,) known among all nations; ²⁷To God the only wise, through Jesus Christ, to whom be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, ²⁷To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. ²⁹Who having heard, was troubled at his saying, and thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be. ³⁰And the angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God. ³¹Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus. ³²He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the most High; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever. ³³And of his kingdom there shall be no end. ³⁴And Mary said to the angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man? ³⁵And the angel answering, said to her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. ³⁶And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren: ³⁷Because no word shall be impossible with God. ³⁸And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.