Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

20 In your day of trouble, may the Lord be with you! May the God of Jacob keep you from all harm. ² May he send you aid from his sanctuary in Zion. ³ May he remember with pleasure the gifts you have given him, your sacrifices and burnt offerings. ⁴ May he grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans. ⁵ May there be shouts of joy when we hear the news of your victory, flags flying with praise to God for all that he has done for you. May he answer all your prayers!

⁶ “God save the king”—I know he does! He hears me from highest heaven and sends great victories. ⁷ Some nations boast of armies and of weaponry, but our boast is in the Lord our God. ⁸ Those nations will collapse and perish; we will arise to stand firm and sure!

⁹ Give victory to our king, O Lord; oh, hear our prayer.

40 The Lord now said to Moses, ² “Put together the Tabernacle on the first day of the first month. ³ In it place the Ark containing the Ten Commandments; and install the veil to enclose the Ark within the Holy of Holies. ⁴ Then bring in the table and place the utensils on it, and bring in the lampstand and light the lamps.

⁵ “Place the gold altar for the incense in front of the Ark. Set up the drapes at the entrance of the Tabernacle, ⁶ and place the altar for burnt offerings in front of the entrance. ⁷ Set the washbasin between the Tabernacle-tent and the altar, and fill it with water. ⁸ Then make the courtyard around the outside of the tent, and hang the curtain-door at the entrance to the courtyard.

⁹ “Take the anointing oil and sprinkle it here and there upon the Tabernacle and everything in it, upon all of its utensils and parts, and all the furniture, to hallow it; and it shall become holy. ¹⁰ Sprinkle the anointing oil upon the altar of burnt offering and its utensils, sanctifying it; for the altar shall then become most holy. ¹¹ Then anoint the washbasin and its pedestal, sanctifying it.

¹² “Now bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Tabernacle and wash them with water; ¹³ and clothe Aaron with the holy garments and anoint him, sanctifying him to minister to me as a priest. ¹⁴ Then bring his sons and put their robes upon them, ¹⁵ and anoint them as you did their father, that they may minister to me as priests; their anointing shall be permanent from generation to generation: all their children and children’s children shall forever be my priests.”

¹⁹ And so, dear brothers, now we may walk right into the very Holy of Holies, where God is, because of the blood of Jesus. ²⁰ This is the fresh, new, life-giving way that Christ has opened up for us by tearing the curtain—his human body—to let us into the holy presence of God.

²¹ And since this great High Priest of ours rules over God’s household, ²² let us go right in to God himself, with true hearts fully trusting him to receive us because we have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean and because our bodies have been washed with pure water.

²³ Now we can look forward to the salvation God has promised us. There is no longer any room for doubt, and we can tell others that salvation is ours, for there is no question that he will do what he says.

²⁴ In response to all he has done for us, let us outdo each other in being helpful and kind to each other and in doing good.

²⁵ Let us not neglect our church meetings, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near.