Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Praise to the Lord, and Warning against Unbelief.

God’s Covenant with David

17 ^(A)And it came about, when David dwelt in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, “Behold, I am dwelling in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under curtains.” ² Then Nathan said to David, “Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.”

³ It came about the same night that the word of God came to Nathan, saying, ⁴ “Go and tell David My servant, ‘Thus says the Lord, “^(B)You shall not build a house for Me to dwell in; ⁵ for I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel to this day, ^(C)but I have ^[a]gone from tent to tent and from one dwelling place to another. ⁶ In all places where I have walked with all Israel, have I spoken a word ^(D)with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people, saying, ‘Why have you not built for Me a house of cedar?’”’ ⁷ Now, therefore, thus shall you say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be leader over My people Israel. ⁸ I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a name like the name of the great ones who are in the earth. ⁹ I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and not be moved again; and the ^[b]wicked will not waste them anymore as formerly, ¹⁰ even from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel. And I will subdue all your enemies.

Moreover, I tell you that the Lord will build a house for you. ¹¹ When your days are fulfilled that you must go to be with your fathers, that I will set up one of your ^[c]descendants after you, who will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. ¹² He shall build for Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. ^13 (E)I will be his father and he shall be My son; and I will not take My lovingkindness away from him, ^(F)as I took it from him who was before you. ¹⁴ But I will settle him in My house and in My kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.”’” ¹⁵ According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

The River and the Tree of Life

22 Then ^(A)he showed me a ^(B)river of the ^(C)water of life, ^[a]clear ^(D)as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of ^[b]the Lamb, ² in the middle of ^(E)its street. ^(F)On either side of the river was ^(G)the tree of life, bearing twelve ^[c]kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. ^3 (H)There will no longer be any curse; and ^(I)the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will ^(J)serve Him; ⁴ they will ^(K)see His face, and His ^(L)name will be on their ^(M)foreheads. ⁵ And ^(N)there will no longer be any night; and they ^[d]will not have need ^(O)of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will ^(P)reign forever and ever.

⁶ And ^(Q)he said to me, “^(R)These words are faithful and true”; and the Lord, the ^(S)God of the spirits of the prophets, ^(T)sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must soon take place.

⁷ “And behold, ^(U)I am coming quickly. ^(V)Blessed is he who ^[e]heeds ^(W)the words of the prophecy of this book.”

^8 (X)I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, ^(Y)I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. ⁹ But ^(Z)he *said to me, “Do not do that. I am a ^(AA)fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who ^[f]heed the words of ^(AB)this book. Worship God.”