Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Let Us Kneel Before Yahweh Our Maker

Micaiah Prophesies Against Ahab

¹³ Now the messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, “Behold now, the words of the prophets, as if from one mouth, are good towards the king. Please let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak that which is good.” ¹⁴ But Micaiah said, “^(A)As Yahweh lives, what ^(B)Yahweh says to me, that I shall speak.”

¹⁵ Then he came to the king, and the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we refrain?” And he said to him, “^(C)Go up and succeed, and Yahweh will give it into the hand of the king.” ¹⁶ Then the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear that you will speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of Yahweh?” ¹⁷ So he said,

¹⁸ Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “^(E)Did I not say to you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”

¹⁹ Then ^[a]Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of Yahweh. ^(F)I saw Yahweh sitting on His throne, and ^(G)all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left. ²⁰ And Yahweh said, ‘Who will entice Ahab so that he will go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said this while another said that. ²¹ Then a spirit came forward and stood before Yahweh and said, ‘I will entice him.’ ²² And Yahweh said to him, ‘How?’ And he said, ‘I will go out and ^(H)be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ Then He said, ‘You shall entice him and also prevail. Go out and do so.’ ²³ So now, behold, ^(I)Yahweh has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; but Yahweh has spoken calamity against you.”

The Lamb and the 144,000

14 Then I looked, and behold, ^(A)the Lamb was standing on ^(B)Mount Zion, and with Him ^(C)144,000, having ^(D)His name and the ^(E)name of His Father written ^(F)on their foreheads. ² And I heard a voice from heaven, like ^(G)the sound of many waters and like the ^(H)sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of ^(I)harpists playing on their harps. ³ And they *^[a]sang ^(J)a new song before the throne and before the ^(K)four living creatures and the ^(L)elders. And ^(M)no one could learn that song except the ^(N)144,000 who had been ^(O)purchased from the earth. ^4 (P)These are the ones who are not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who ^(Q)follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been ^(R)purchased from among men ^(S)as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. ⁵ And ^(T)no lie was found in their mouth; they are ^(U)blameless.

The Messages of the Three Angels

⁶ Then I saw another angel flying in ^(V)midheaven, having ^(W)an eternal gospel to proclaim to ^(X)those who ^[b]inhabit the earth, and to ^(Y)every nation and tribe and tongue and people. ⁷ And he said with a loud voice, “^(Z)Fear God, and ^(AA)give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who ^(AB)made the heaven and the earth and sea and ^(AC)springs of waters.”

⁸ And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, “^[c](AD)Fallen, fallen is ^(AE)Babylon the great, she who has ^(AF)made all the nations drink of the ^(AG)wine of the wrath of her ^[d]sexual immorality.”

⁹ Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone ^(AH)worships the beast and his ^(AI)image, and receives a ^(AJ)mark on his forehead or on his hand, ¹⁰ and he also will drink of the ^(AK)wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed ^[e]in full strength ^(AL)in the cup of His rage, and he will be tormented with ^(AM)fire and ^[f]brimstone in the presence of the ^(AN)holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. ¹¹ And the ^(AO)smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; ^(AP)they have no rest day and night, those who ^(AQ)worship the beast and his ^(AR)image, and ^[g]whoever receives the ^(AS)mark of his name.”