Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

(A special song by the clan of Korah and for the music leader.)

God Is Our Mighty Fortress

¹² Meanwhile, the messenger who went to get Micaiah whispered, “Micaiah, all the prophets have good news for Ahab. Now go and say the same thing.”

¹³ “I'll say whatever the living Lord my God tells me to say,” Micaiah replied.

¹⁴ Then Micaiah went up to Ahab, who asked, “Micaiah, should we attack Ramoth?”

“Yes!” Micaiah answered. “The Lord will help you capture the city.”

¹⁵ Ahab shouted, “Micaiah, I've told you over and over to tell me the truth! What does the Lord really say?”

^16 (A) Micaiah answered, “In a vision^[a] I saw Israelite soldiers wandering around, lost in the hills like sheep without a shepherd. The Lord said, ‘These troops have no leader. They should go home and not fight.’ ”

¹⁷ Ahab turned to Jehoshaphat and said, “I told you he would bring me bad news!”

¹⁸ Micaiah replied:

I then saw the Lord seated on his throne with every creature in heaven gathered around him. ¹⁹ The Lord asked, “Who can trick Ahab and make him go to Ramoth where he will be killed?”

They talked about it for a while, ²⁰ then finally a spirit came forward and said to the Lord, “I can trick Ahab.”

“How?” the Lord asked.

²¹ “I'll make Ahab's prophets lie to him.”

“Good!” the Lord replied. “Now go and do it. You will be successful.”

²² Ahab, this is exactly what has happened. The Lord made all your prophets lie to you, and he knows you will soon be destroyed.

Christ's Great Sacrifice

²³ These things are only copies of what is in heaven, and so they had to be made holy by these ceremonies. But the real things in heaven must be made holy by something better. ²⁴ This is why Christ did not go into a tent made by humans and was only a copy of the real one. Instead, he went into heaven and is now there with God to help us.

²⁵ Christ did not have to offer himself many times. He wasn't like a high priest who goes into the most holy place each year to offer the blood of an animal. ²⁶ If he had offered himself every year, he would have suffered many times since the creation of the world. But instead, near the end of time he offered himself once and for all, so he could be a sacrifice that does away with sin.

²⁷ We die only once, and then we are judged. ^28 (A) So Christ died only once to take away the sins of many people. But when he comes again, it will not be to take away sin. He will come to save everyone who is waiting for him.