Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

⁷ Thus did he shew unto me; and behold, the Lord stood upon a wall [made] by a plumb-line, with a plumb-line in his hand.

⁸ And Jehovah said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumb-line. And the Lord said, Behold, I will set a plumb-line in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more.

⁹ And the high places of Isaac shall be desolated, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste; and I will arise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.

¹⁰ Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words.

¹¹ For thus Amos saith: Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall certainly go into captivity out of his land.

¹² And Amaziah said unto Amos, [Thou] seer, go, flee away into the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there.

¹³ But prophesy not again any more at Bethel; for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is the house of the kingdom.

¹⁴ And Amos answered and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was a herdman, and a gatherer of sycamore fruit.

¹⁵ And Jehovah took me as I followed the flock, and Jehovah said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.

⁸ I will hear what God, Jehovah, will speak; for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his godly ones: but let them not turn again to folly.

⁹ Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him, that glory may dwell in our land.

¹⁰ Loving-kindness and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other:

¹¹ Truth shall spring out of the earth, and righteousness shall look down from the heavens.

¹² Jehovah also will give what is good, and our land shall yield its increase.

¹³ Righteousness shall go before him, and shall set his footsteps on the way.

³ Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ;

⁴ according as he has chosen us in him before [the] world's foundation, that we should be holy and blameless before him in love;

⁵ having marked us out beforehand for adoption through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

⁶ to [the] praise of [the] glory of his grace, wherein he has taken us into favour in the Beloved:

⁷ in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of offences, according to the riches of his grace;

⁸ which he has caused to abound towards us in all wisdom and intelligence,

⁹ having made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in himself

¹⁰ for [the] administration of the fulness of times; to head up all things in the Christ, the things in the heavens and the things upon the earth; in him,

¹¹ in whom we have also obtained an inheritance, being marked out beforehand according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his own will,

¹² that we should be to [the] praise of his glory who have pre-trusted in the Christ:

¹³ in whom *ye* also [have trusted], having heard the word of the truth, the glad tidings of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, ye have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,

¹⁴ who is [the] earnest of our inheritance to the redemption of the acquired possession to [the] praise of his glory.

¹⁴ And Herod the king heard [of him] (for his name had become public), and said, John the baptist is risen from among [the] dead, and on this account works of power are wrought by him.

¹⁵ And others said, It is Elias; and others said, It is a prophet, as one of the prophets.

¹⁶ But Herod when he heard [it] said, John whom *I* beheaded, he it is; *he* is risen [from among the dead].

¹⁷ For the same Herod had sent and seized John, and had bound him in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of Philip his brother, because he had married her.

¹⁸ For John said to Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have the wife of thy brother.

¹⁹ But Herodias kept it [in her mind] against him, and wished to kill him, and could not:

²⁰ for Herod feared John knowing that he was a just and holy man, and kept him safe; and having heard him, did many things, and heard him gladly.

²¹ And a holiday being come, when Herod, on his birthday, made a supper to his grandees, and to the chiliarchs, and the chief [men] of Galilee;

²² and the daughter of the same Herodias having come in, and danced, pleased Herod and those that were with [him] at table; and the king said to the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt and I will give it thee.

²³ And he swore to her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask me I will give thee, to half of my kingdom.

²⁴ And she went out, and said to her mother, What should I ask? And she said, The head of John the baptist.

²⁵ And immediately going in with haste to the king, she asked saying, I desire that thou give me directly upon a dish the head of John the baptist.

²⁶ And the king, [while] made very sorry, on account of the oaths and those lying at table with [him] would not break his word with her.

²⁷ And immediately the king, having sent one of the guard, ordered his head to be brought. And he went out and beheaded him in the prison,

²⁸ and brought his head upon a dish, and gave it to the damsel, and the damsel gave it to her mother.

²⁹ And his disciples having heard [it], came and took up his body, and laid it in a tomb.