Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

⁷ Then he showed me this: Adonai was standing by a wall made with a plumbline, and he had a plumbline in his hand. ⁸ Adonai asked me, “‘Amos, what do you see?” I answered, “A plumbline.” Then Adonai said,

¹⁰ Then Amatzyah the priest of Beit-El sent this message to Yarov‘am king of Isra’el, “‘Amos is conspiring against you there among the people of Isra’el, and the land can’t bear all that he’s saying. ¹¹ For ‘Amos says: ‘Yarov‘am will die by the sword, and Isra’el will be led away from their land into exile.’” ¹² Amatzyah also said to ‘Amos, “Go away, seer! Go back to the land of Y’hudah! Earn your living there; and prophesy there; ¹³ but don’t prophesy any more at Beit-El; for this is the king’s sanctuary, a royal temple.”

¹⁴ ‘Amos gave this answer to Amatzyah: “I am not trained as a prophet, and I’m not one of the guild prophets — I own sheep and grow figs. ¹⁵ But Adonai took me away from following the flock, and Adonai said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Isra’el.’

³ Praised be Adonai, Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, who in the Messiah has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heaven. ⁴ In the Messiah he chose us in love before the creation of the universe to be holy and without defect in his presence. ⁵ He determined in advance that through Yeshua the Messiah we would be his sons — in keeping with his pleasure and purpose — ⁶ so that we would bring him praise commensurate with the glory of the grace he gave us through the Beloved One.

⁷ In union with him, through the shedding of his blood, we are set free — our sins are forgiven; this accords with the wealth of the grace ⁸ he has lavished on us. In all his wisdom and insight ⁹ he has made known to us his secret plan, which by his own will he designed beforehand in connection with the Messiah ¹⁰ and will put into effect when the time is ripe — his plan to place everything in heaven and on earth under the Messiah’s headship.

¹¹ Also in union with him we were given an inheritance, we who were picked in advance according to the purpose of the One who effects everything in keeping with the decision of his will, ¹² so that we who earlier had put our hope in the Messiah would bring him praise commensurate with his glory.

¹³ Furthermore, you who heard the message of the truth, the Good News offering you deliverance, and put your trust in the Messiah were sealed by him with the promised Ruach HaKodesh, ¹⁴ who guarantees our inheritance until we come into possession of it and thus bring him praise commensurate with his glory.

¹⁴ Meanwhile, King Herod heard about this, for Yeshua’s reputation had spread. Some were saying, “Yochanan the Immerser has been raised from the dead; that is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” ¹⁵ Others said, “It is Eliyahu!” and still others, “He is a prophet, like one of the old prophets.” ¹⁶ But when Herod heard about it, he said, “Yochanan, whom I had beheaded, has been raised.”

¹⁷ For Herod had sent and had Yochanan arrested and chained in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. Herod had married her, ¹⁸ but Yochanan had told him, “It violates the Torah for you to marry your brother’s wife.” ¹⁹ So Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted him put to death. But this she could not accomplish, ²⁰ because Herod stood in awe of Yochanan and protected him, for he knew that he was a tzaddik, a holy man. Whenever he heard him, he became deeply disturbed; yet he liked to listen to him.

²¹ Finally, the opportunity came. Herod gave a banquet on his birthday for his nobles and officers and the leading men of the Galil. ²² The daughter of Herodias came in and danced, and she pleased Herod and his guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you want; I will give it to you”; ²³ and he made a vow to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom.” ²⁴ So she went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask for?” She said, “The head of Yochanan the Immerser.” ²⁵ At once the daughter hurried back to the king and announced her request: “I want you to give me right now on a platter the head of Yochanan the Immerser.” ²⁶ Herod was appalled; but out of regard for the oaths he had sworn before his dinner guests, he did not want to break his word to her. ²⁷ So the king immediately sent a soldier from his personal guard with orders to bring Yochanan’s head. The soldier went and beheaded Yochanan in the prison, ²⁸ brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother. ²⁹ When Yochanan’s talmidim heard of it, they came and took the body and laid it in a grave.