Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
(A psalm by David.)
Who Can Enter the Lord's Temple?
1 (A) The earth and everything on it,
including its people,
belong to the Lord.
The world and its people
belong to him.
2 The Lord placed it all
on the oceans and rivers.
3 Who may climb the Lord's hill[a]
or stand in his holy temple?
4 (B) Only those who do right
for the right reasons,
and don't worship idols
or tell lies under oath.
5 The Lord God, who saves them,
will bless and reward them,
6 because they worship and serve
the God of Jacob.[b]
7 Open the ancient gates,
so that the glorious king
may come in.
8 Who is this glorious king?
He is our Lord, a strong
and mighty warrior.
9 Open the ancient gates,
so that the glorious king
may come in.
10 Who is this glorious king?
He is our Lord,
the All-Powerful!
The Lord Is Our King
17 With your own eyes
you will see the glorious King;
you will see his kingdom
reaching far and wide.
18 Then you will ask yourself,
“Where are those officials
who terrified us and forced us
to pay such heavy taxes?”
19 You will never again have to see
the proud people who spoke
a strange and foreign language
you could not understand.
20 Look to Mount Zion
where we celebrate
our religious festivals.
You will see Jerusalem,
secure as a tent with pegs
that cannot be pulled up
and fastened with ropes
that can never be broken.
21 Our wonderful Lord
will be with us!
There will be deep rivers
and wide streams
safe from enemy ships.[a]
The Lord Is Our Judge
22 The Lord is our judge
and our ruler;
the Lord is our king
and will keep us safe.
8 My name is John, and I am the one who heard and saw these things. Then after I had heard and seen all this, I knelt down and began to worship at the feet of the angel who had shown it to me.
9 But the angel said,
Don't do that! I am a servant, just like you. I am the same as a follower or a prophet or anyone else who obeys what is written in this book. God is the one you should worship.
10 Don't keep the prophecies in this book a secret. These things will happen soon.
11 (A) Evil people will keep on being evil, and everyone who is dirty-minded will still be dirty-minded. But good people will keep on doing right, and God's people will always be holy.
12 (B) Then I was told:
I am coming soon! And when I come, I will reward everyone for what they have done. 13 (C) I am Alpha and Omega,[a] the first and the last, the beginning and the end.
14 (D) God will bless all who have washed their robes. They will each have the right to eat fruit from the tree that gives life, and they can enter the gates of the city. 15 But outside the city will be dogs, witches, immoral people, murderers, idol worshipers, and everyone who loves to tell lies and do wrong.
16 (E) I am Jesus! And I am the one who sent my angel to tell all of you these things for the churches. I am David's Great Descendant,[b] and I am also the bright morning star.[c]
17 (F) The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!”
Everyone who hears this[d] should say, “Come!”
If you are thirsty, come! If you want life-giving water, come and take it. It's free!
18 (G) Here is my warning for everyone who hears the prophecies in this book:
If you add anything to them, God will make you suffer all the terrible troubles written in this book. 19 If you take anything away from these prophecies, God will not let you have part in the life-giving tree and in the holy city described in this book.
20 The one who has spoken these things says, “I am coming soon!”
So, Lord Jesus, please come soon!
21 I pray that the Lord Jesus will be kind to all of you.
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.