Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

A Song of Praise

95 Come, let us sing with joy to the Lord. Let us sing loud with joy to the rock Who saves us. ² Let us come before Him giving thanks. Let us make a sound of joy to Him with songs. ³ For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. ⁴ The deep places of the earth are in His hand. And the tops of the mountains belong to Him. ⁵ The sea is His, for He made it. And His hands made the dry land.

⁶ Come, let us bow down in worship. Let us get down on our knees before the Lord Who made us. ⁷ For He is our God. And we are the people of His field, and the sheep of His hand. If you hear His voice today,

God’s Agreement with David

17 Now when David lived in his house, he said to Nathan the special preacher, “See, I am living in a house of cedar wood. But the special box with the Law of the Lord is under a tent.” ² Nathan said to David, “Do all that is in your heart. For God is with you.” ³ But that same night the Word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying, ⁴ “Go and tell My servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says. “You will not build a house for Me to live in. ⁵ For I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up Israel to this day. But I have gone from tent to tent and from one place to another to live. ⁶ In all the places I have gone with all Israel, have I said a word to any of the judges of Israel about this? Have I said to anyone whom I told to watch over My people, ‘Why have you not built a house of cedar wood for Me?’”’ ⁷ So now say to My servant David, ‘The Lord of All says, “I took you from the field, from following the sheep, to be leader over My people Israel. ⁸ I have been with you in every place you have gone. I have destroyed in front of you all those who hate you. And I will make your name to be known like the name of the great ones of the earth. ⁹ I will choose a place for My people Israel, and will plant them. So they will live in their own place and not be moved again. Never again will they be under the power of sinful men, as they were before, ¹⁰ from the time that I told judges to rule My people Israel. I will put under your power all those who hate you. And I say to you that the Lord will build a house for you. ¹¹ When your days are over, the time will come when you must go to be with your fathers. But then I will put into power one of your sons after you. I will make him king. ¹² He will build a house for Me. And I will make his throne last forever. ¹³ I will be his father, and he will be My son. I will not take My loving-kindness away from him, as I took it from him who was before you. ¹⁴ But I will put him over My house and in My nation forever. And his throne will last forever.”’” ¹⁵ Nathan told David all these words from all this special dream.

More About the New Jerusalem

22 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life. It was as clear as glass and came from the throne of God and of the Lamb. ² It runs down the center of the street in the city. On each side of the river was the tree of life. It gives twelve different kinds of fruit. It gives this fruit twelve times a year, new fruit each month. Its leaves are used to heal the nations.

³ There will be nothing in the city that is sinful. The place where God and the Lamb sit will be there. The servants He owns will serve Him. ⁴ They will see His face and His name will be written on their foreheads. ⁵ There will be no night there. There will be no need for a light or for the sun. Because the Lord God will be their light. They will be leaders forever.

Jesus Is Coming Soon

⁶ Then the angel said to me, “These words are faithful and true. The Lord God of the early preachers has sent His angel to show the servants He owns what must happen soon.” ⁷ “See! I am coming soon. The one who obeys what is written in this Book is happy!”

⁸ It was I, John, who heard and saw these things. Then I got down at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. I was going to worship him. ⁹ But he said to me, “No! You must not do that. I am a servant together with you and with your Christian brothers and the early preachers and with all those who obey the words in this Book. You must worship God!”