Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Let Us Kneel Before Yahweh Our Maker

The Ark of God Inhabits a Tent

17 ^(A)Now it happened when David inhabited his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, “Behold, I inhabit a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of Yahweh is under tent curtains.” ² So Nathan said to David, “Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.”

³ Now it happened in the same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying, ⁴ “Go and say to David My servant, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “^(B)You shall not build Me a house to inhabit; ⁵ for I have not inhabited a house since the day that I brought up Israel to this day, ^(C)but I have been from tent to tent and from one ^[a]dwelling place to another. ⁶ Wherever I have gone about with all Israel, did I speak a word ^(D)with even one of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?’”’

David’s House Will Be Established Forever

⁷ So now, thus shall you say to My servant David, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “I Myself took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people Israel. ⁸ And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a name like the name of the great men who are on the earth. ⁹ And I will appoint a place for My people Israel and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place and not be disturbed again; and the ^[b]unrighteous will not waste them anymore as formerly, ¹⁰ even from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel. And I will subdue all your enemies.

And I tell you that Yahweh will build a house for you. ¹¹ And it will be that when your days are fulfilled to go to be with your fathers, I will raise up one of your seed after you, who will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. ¹² He shall build for Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. ^13 (E)I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; and I will not remove My lovingkindness from him, ^(F)as I removed it from him who was before you. ¹⁴ But I will cause him to stand in My house and in My kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.”’” ¹⁵ According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

The River and the Tree of Life

22 Then ^(A)he showed me a ^(B)river of the ^(C)water of life, bright ^(D)as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of ^[a]the Lamb, ² in the middle of ^(E)its street. ^(F)On either side of the river was ^(G)the tree of life, bearing twelve ^[b]kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. ^3 (H)And there will no longer be any curse; and ^(I)the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His slaves will ^(J)serve Him; ⁴ and they will ^(K)see His face, and His ^(L)name will be on their ^(M)foreheads. ⁵ And ^(N)there will no longer be any night, and they ^[c]will not have need ^(O)of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them, and they will ^(P)reign forever and ever.

⁶ And ^(Q)he said to me, “^(R)These words are faithful and true”; and the Lord, the ^(S)God of the spirits of the prophets, ^(T)sent His angel to show to His slaves the things which must soon take place.

⁷ “And behold, ^(U)I am coming quickly. ^(V)Blessed is he who keeps ^(W)the words of the prophecy of this book.”

^8 (X)I, John, am the one who was hearing and seeing these things. And when I heard and saw, ^(Y)I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. ⁹ But ^(Z)he *said to me, “^[d]Do not do that! I am a ^(AA)fellow slave with you and your brothers the prophets and with those who keep the words of ^(AB)this book. Worship God!”