Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
The Vision of the Plumb Line. 7 Then the Lord showed me this: he was standing by a wall, with a plumb line in his hand. 8 The Lord asked me, “What do you see, Amos?” I replied, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said:
Behold, I am setting a plumb line
in the midst of my people Israel;
never again will I forgive their offenses.
9 The high places of Isaac shall be laid waste,
and the sanctuaries of Israel will be left desolate;
with sword in hand
I will rise against the house of Jeroboam.
10 Amos Expelled by the Priests of Bethel. Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent the following message to Jeroboam, the king of Israel: “Amos has conspired against you here in the heart of the house of Israel, and the country cannot tolerate his message. 11 For this is what Amos is saying:
“ ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword,
and the Israelites will be taken into captivity,
far away from their native land.’ ”
12 To Amos himself Amaziah said, “Go, O seer, and flee to the land of Judah. There you can prophesy and earn your living. 13 But never again prophesy at Bethel, for this is the king’s sanctuary and a royal shrine.”
14 Amos replied to Amaziah, “I am not a prophet, nor a prophet’s son. I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamore-fig trees. 15 But the Lord took me away from tending the flock and said to me, ‘Go forth and prophesy to my people Israel.’
8 Show us, O Lord, your kindness[a]
and grant us your salvation.
9 [b]I will listen for God’s response;
surely the Lord will proclaim peace to his people, his saints,[c]
to those who turn to him with their whole heart.
10 His salvation is indeed near for those who fear him;
his glory[d] will dwell in our land.
11 [e]Kindness and faithfulness[f] will meet;
righteousness and peace will embrace.
12 Faithfulness will spring forth from the earth,
and righteousness[g] will look down from heaven.
13 [h]The Lord will grant us prosperity,[i]
and our land will yield its harvest.
The Risen Christ, Lord and Savior of the Whole Human Race[a]
God’s Glorious Plan of Salvation[b]
Conceived by the Father
3 Blessed be the God,
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing in the heavens.
4 Before the foundation of the world
he chose us in Christ
to be holy and blameless in his sight
and to be filled with love.
5 He predestined us
for adoption as his children
through Jesus Christ,
in accordance with his purpose and pleasure,
6 to the praise of the glory
of his grace
that he so freely bestowed on us
in the Beloved.
Realized by the Son
7 In Christ
and through his blood
we have redemption[c]
and the forgiveness of our sins.
In accord with the riches of his grace,
8 God lavished on us
all wisdom and insight.
9 He has made known to us
the mystery of his will
in accordance with his good pleasure
that he had predetermined in Christ
10 to be realized when
the fullness of time had been achieved:
namely, the plan to bring all things,
both in heaven and on earth,
together[d] in Christ
as the head.
Fulfilled by the Holy Spirit
11 In Christ we were also chosen,
having been predestined
by the one who accomplishes all things
in accordance with the design of his will,
12 so that we,
who were the first ones
to place our hopes in Christ,
would devote ourselves
to the praise of his glory.
13 In Christ
you also heard the message of truth
and the gospel of your salvation,
and you came to believe in him.
In him,
you were marked with the seal
of the Holy Spirit
who had been promised.
14 That Spirit is the down payment[e] of our inheritance,
which we shall share
when God has redeemed us
as his own possession,
to the praise of his glory.
14 The Name of Jesus Becomes Renowned.[a] King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become renowned, and some people were saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why such powers are at work in him.” 15 But others said, “He is Elijah,” while still others proclaimed, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” 16 But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised from the dead.”
17 The Death of John the Baptist.[b] It was this same Herod who had ordered John to be arrested and put in chains in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod had married her. 18 For John had told Herod, “It is unlawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”
19 As for Herodias, she was filled with resentment against John and wanted to have him killed, but she was unable to do so, 20 because Herod was afraid of John, knowing him to be a holy and righteous man. Therefore, he protected him from harm. When he heard John speak, he was greatly perplexed by his words, but even so he liked to listen to him.
21 Her opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his court officials and military officers and the leaders of Galilee. 22 When the daughter of Herodias came in, she performed a dance that delighted Herod and his guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.” 23 And he solemnly swore to her, “Whatever you ask I will give you, even half of my kingdom.”
24 The girl went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” She replied, “The head of John the Baptist.” 25 The girl then hurried back to the king and made her request, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”
26 The king was greatly distressed, but because of the oath he had sworn and the presence of the guests, he was unwilling to break his word to her. 27 Therefore, he immediately ordered an executioner to bring him John’s head. The man went off and beheaded him in the prison. 28 Then he brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl in turn gave it to her mother. 29 When John’s disciples heard about this, they came and removed his body and laid it in a tomb.
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