Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Let Us Sing Songs of Praise

The Lord's Covenant with David

17 ^(A)Now when David lived in his house, David said to Nathan the prophet, “Behold, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under a tent.” ² And Nathan said to David, “Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.”

³ But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, ⁴ “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: ^(B)It is not you who will build me a house to dwell in. ⁵ For I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up Israel to this day, ^(C)but I have gone from tent to tent and from dwelling to dwelling. ⁶ In all places where I have moved with all Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’ ⁷ Now, therefore, thus shall you say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be prince 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 for you a name, like the name of the great ones of 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 be disturbed no more. And violent men shall waste them no more, as formerly, ¹⁰ from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I ^(D)will subdue all your enemies. Moreover, I declare to you that the Lord will build you a house. ¹¹ When your days are fulfilled to walk with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹² He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne for ever. ^13 (E)I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. I will not take my steadfast love from him, ^(F)as I took it from him who was before you, ¹⁴ but I will confirm him in my house and in my kingdom for ever, and his throne shall be established for ever.’” ¹⁵ In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.

The River of Life

22 Then the angel^[a] showed me ^(A)the river of ^(B)the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb ² through the middle of ^(C)the street of the city; ^(D)also, on either side of the river, ^(E)the tree of life^[b] with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were ^(F)for the healing of the nations. ^3 (G)No longer will there be anything accursed, but ^(H)the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and ^(I)his servants^[c] will worship him. ^4 (J)They will see his face, and ^(K)his name will be on their foreheads. ⁵ And ^(L)night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp ^(M)or sun, for ^(N)the Lord God will be their light, and ^(O)they will reign for ever and ever.

Jesus Is Coming

⁶ And he said to me, ^(P)“These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of ^(Q)the spirits of the prophets, ^(R)has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”

⁷ “And behold, ^(S)I am coming soon. ^(T)Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

⁸ I, ^(U)John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, ^(V)I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, ^9 (W)but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant^[d] with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those ^(X)who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”