Isaiah 9 - The People Who Walked in Darkness

² The people who walked in darkness
       have seen a great light;
   those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
       on them has light shined.

³ Thou hast multiplied the nation,
       thou hast increased its joy;
   they rejoice before thee
       as with joy at the harvest,
       as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.

⁴ For the yoke of his burden,
       and the staff for his shoulder,
       the rod of his oppressor,
       thou hast broken as on the day of Mid′ian.

⁵ For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult
       and every garment rolled in blood
       will be burned as fuel for the fire.

⁶ For to us a child is born,
       to us a son is given;
   and the government will be upon his shoulder,
       and his name will be called
   “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
   Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

⁷ Of the increase of his government and of peace
       there will be no end,
   upon the throne of David, and over his kingdom,
       to establish it, and to uphold it
   with justice and with righteousness
       from this time forth and for evermore.
   The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Isaiah 2 - Swords Into Plowshares

² It shall come to pass in the latter days

      that the mountain of the house of the Lord
   shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
      and shall be raised above the hills;
   and all the nations shall flow to it,

³       and many peoples shall come, and say:
   “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
       to the house of the God of Jacob;
   that he may teach us his ways
      and that we may walk in his paths.”

For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
    and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
⁴ He shall judge between the nations,
       and shall decide for many peoples;
   and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
       and their spears into pruning hooks;
   nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
       neither shall they learn war any more.

Canticle of Zechariah (Luke 1:68-79)

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
for he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.

Through his holy prophets he promised of old
that he would save us from our enemies,
and from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hand of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.

You, child, shall be called prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
to give his people knowledge of salvation
by forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God,
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness
and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Preface II of the Nativity - Christ raises all that is cast down

For on the feast of his awe-filled mystery,
though invisible in his own divine nature,
he has appeared visibly in ours;
and begotten before all ages,
he has begun to exist in time;
so that, raising up in himself all that was cast down,
he might restore unity to all creation
and call straying humanity back to the heavenly Kingdom.