Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

God Reigns

¹⁶ Later, some descendants of Benjamin and Judah approached David at his stronghold, ¹⁷ and David went out to meet them. He told them, “If you’ve come in peace to be of help to me, then you’ll have my commitment.^[a] But if you’ve come to betray me to my enemies, even though I’m innocent of wrongdoing, then may the God of our ancestors watch and judge.”

¹⁸ Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, leader of the Thirty, and he said,

So David received them and assigned them to be officers over troops. ¹⁹ Some of the descendants of Manasseh joined^[b] David when he was going to fight against Saul, accompanied by the Philistines. Even so, David was of no help to them, because the Philistine rulers were counseled to send him away. They told themselves, “He’s going to go over to his master Saul at the cost of our heads.”

²⁰ As he traveled toward Ziklag, these descendants of Manasseh joined^[c] him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, leaders in charge thousands in Manasseh. ²¹ They helped David against raiders, since they were all warriors and commanders in the army. ²² Indeed people kept coming to David every day to help him, until his army became a great, vast army.^[d]

⁵ The one sitting on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new!”

He said, “Write this: ‘These words are trustworthy and true.’”

⁶ Then he told me, “It has happened! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will freely give a drink from the spring of the water of life to the one who is thirsty. ⁷ The person who overcomes^[a] will inherit these things. I will be his God, and he will be my son. ⁸ But people who are cowardly, unfaithful, detestable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars will find themselves^[b] in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”

The Vision of the New Jerusalem

⁹ Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came to me and said, “Come! I will show you the bride, the wife of the lamb.” ¹⁰ He carried me away in the Spirit to a large, high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven. ¹¹ The glory of God was its radiance, and its light was like a valuable gem, like jasper, as clear as crystal. ¹² It had a large, high wall with twelve gates. Twelve angels were at the gates, and the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were written on the gates. ¹³ There were three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. ¹⁴ The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the lamb were written on them.