Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

The Lord Reigns

¹⁶ And some of the men of Benjamin and Judah came to the stronghold to David. ¹⁷ David went out to meet them and said to them, “If you have come to me in friendship to help me, my heart will be joined to you; but if to betray me to my adversaries, although there is no wrong in my hands, then may the God of our fathers see and rebuke you.” ¹⁸ Then ^(A)the Spirit clothed ^(B)Amasai, chief of the thirty, and he said,

Then David received them and made them officers of his troops.

¹⁹ Some of the men of Manasseh deserted to David ^(D)when he came with the Philistines for the battle against Saul. (Yet he did not help them, for the rulers of the Philistines took counsel and sent him away, saying, ^(E)“At peril to our heads he will desert to his master Saul.”) ²⁰ As he went to Ziklag, these men of Manasseh deserted to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, chiefs of thousands in Manasseh. ²¹ They helped David against ^(F)the band of raiders, for they were all mighty men of valour and were commanders in the army. ²² For from day to day men came to David to help him, until there was a great army, like an army of God.

⁵ And ^(A)he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I ^(B)am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for ^(C)these words are trustworthy and true.” ⁶ And he said to me, ^(D)“It is done! ^(E)I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. ^(F)To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. ^7 (G)The one who conquers will have this heritage, and ^(H)I will be his God and ^(I)he will be my son. ^8 (J)But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, ^(K)their portion will be in ^(L)the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, which is ^(M)the second death.”

The New Jerusalem

⁹ Then came ^(N)one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of ^(O)the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you ^(P)the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” ¹⁰ And ^(Q)he carried me away in the Spirit to ^(R)a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, ^11 (S)having the glory of God, ^(T)its radiance ^(U)like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. ¹² It had a great, high wall, ^(V)with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed— ¹³ on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. ¹⁴ And the wall of the city had twelve ^(W)foundations, and ^(X)on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.