Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

⁷ Thus He showed me [a vision], and behold, the Lord was standing by a vertical wall with a plumb line in His hand [to determine if the wall was straight or if it needed to be destroyed].^{(A) 8} The Lord said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said,

Amos Accused, Answers

¹⁰ Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel [site of the golden calf shrine], sent word to ^[a]Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel; the land is unable to endure all his words.^{(B) 11} For in this way Amos has said, ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword and Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.’” ¹² Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Go, you seer, run for your life [from Israel] to the land of Judah [your own country] and eat bread and live as a prophet there! ¹³ But do not prophesy any longer at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary and a royal residence.”^(C)

¹⁴ Then Amos replied to Amaziah, “I am not a prophet [by profession], nor am I a prophet’s son; I am a herdsman and a grower of sycamore figs. ¹⁵ But the Lord took me as I followed the flock and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to My people Israel.’

^3 [a]Blessed and worthy of praise be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ, ⁴ just as [in His love] He chose us in Christ [actually selected us for Himself as His own] before the foundation of the world, so that we would be holy [that is, consecrated, set apart for Him, purpose-driven] and blameless in His sight. In love ⁵ He predestined and lovingly planned for us to be adopted to Himself as [His own] children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the kind intention and good pleasure of His will— ⁶ to the praise of His glorious grace and favor, which He so freely bestowed on us in the Beloved [His Son, Jesus Christ]. ⁷ In Him we have redemption [that is, our deliverance and salvation] through His blood, [which paid the penalty for our sin and resulted in] the forgiveness and complete pardon of our sin, in accordance with the riches of His grace ⁸ which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and understanding [with practical insight] ⁹ He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, ¹⁰ with regard to the fulfillment of the times [that is, the end of history, the climax of the ages]—to bring all things together in Christ, [both] things in the heavens and things on the earth. ¹¹ In Him also we have ^[b]received an inheritance [a destiny—we were claimed by God as His own], having been predestined (chosen, appointed beforehand) according to the purpose of Him who works everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His will, ¹² so that we who were the first to hope in Christ [who first put our confidence in Him as our Lord and Savior] would exist to the praise of His glory. ¹³ In Him, you also, when you heard the word of truth, the good news of your salvation, and [as a result] believed in Him, were stamped with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit [the One promised by Christ] as owned and protected [by God].^{(A) 14} The Spirit is the ^[c]guarantee [the first installment, the pledge, a foretaste] of our inheritance until the redemption of God’s own [purchased] possession [His believers], to the praise of His glory.

John’s Fate Recalled

¹⁴ King Herod [Antipas] heard about this, for Jesus’ name and reputation had become well known. People were saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why these miraculous powers are at work in Him.” ¹⁵ But others were saying, “He is ^[a]Elijah!” And others were saying, “It is a prophet, like one of the prophets [of old].” ¹⁶ But when Herod heard [of it], he kept saying, “John, whom I beheaded, has risen [from the dead]!”

¹⁷ For Herod himself had sent [guards] and had John arrested and shackled in prison because of ^[b]Herodias, the wife of his [half-] brother Philip, because he (Herod) had married her.^{(A) 18} For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful [under Mosaic Law] for you to have your brother’s wife.”^{(B) 19} Herodias had a grudge against John and wanted to kill him, but she could not, ²⁰ because Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he continually kept him safe. When he heard John [speak], he was very perplexed; but he enjoyed listening to him. ²¹ But an opportune time [finally] came [for Herodias]. Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his officials (nobles, courtiers) and ^[c]military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. ²² Now [Salome] the daughter of Herodias came in and danced [for the men]. She pleased and beguiled Herod and his dinner guests; and the king said to the ^[d]girl, “Ask me for whatever you want and I will give it to you.” ²³ And he swore to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give it to you; ^[e]up to half of my kingdom.”^{(C) 24} She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” And Herodias replied, “The head of John the Baptist!” ²⁵ And she rushed back to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter!” ²⁶ The king was deeply grieved, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests [who might have regarded him as weak], he was unwilling to [break his word and] refuse her. ²⁷ So the king immediately sent for an executioner and commanded him to bring back John’s head. And he went and had John beheaded in the prison, ²⁸ and brought back his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother. ²⁹ When his disciples heard about this, they came and took away John’s body and laid it in a tomb.