Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Thanksgiving for the Lord’s Saving Goodness.

Peril in Moving the Ark

6 Again David gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. ² And David arose and went with all those who were with him to Baale-judah [Kiriath-jearim], to bring up from there [to Jerusalem] the ark of God which is called by the Name—the very Name of the Lord of hosts, who dwells enthroned above the cherubim. ³ They placed the ark of God on ^[a]a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were leading the new cart. ⁴ So they brought it with the ark of God from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Ahio was walking in front of the ark.^{(A) 5} Meanwhile, David and all the house of Israel were celebrating and dancing before the Lord with all kinds of instruments made of fir or cypress wood, with lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.

⁶ When they came to Nacon’s threshing floor, Uzzah reached out [with his hand] to the ark of God and took hold of it, because the oxen [stumbled and] nearly overturned it. ⁷ And ^[b]the anger of the Lord burned against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his irreverence; and he died there by the ark of God. ⁸ David became ^[c]angry and grieved and offended because of the Lord’s outburst against Uzzah, and that place has been called Perez-uzzah (outburst against Uzzah) to this day. ⁹ So David was afraid of the Lord that day; and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” ¹⁰ David was unwilling to move the ark of the Lord into the City of David with him; instead he took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. ¹¹ So the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household (family).

The Ark Is Brought to Jerusalem

¹² Now King David was told, “The Lord has blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the City of David with rejoicing and gladness. ¹³ And when those who were carrying the ark of the Lord [by its poles] had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. ¹⁴ And David was dancing before the Lord with ^[d]great enthusiasm, and David was ^[e]wearing a linen ephod [a priest’s upper garment]. ¹⁵ So David and all the house of Israel were bringing the ark of the Lord up [to the City of David] with shouts [of joy] and with the sound of the trumpet.

The Resurrection

24 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, the women went to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared [to finish anointing the body].^{(A) 2} And they found the [large, circular] stone rolled back from the tomb, ³ but when they went inside, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴ While they were perplexed and wondering about this, suddenly, two men in dazzling clothing stood near them; ⁵ and as the women were terrified and were bowing their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why are you looking for the living One among the dead? ⁶ He is not here, but has risen. Remember how He told you, while He was still in Galilee, ⁷ saying that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise [from death to life].”^{(B) 8} And they remembered His words, ⁹ and after returning from the tomb, they reported all these things to the eleven [apostles] and to all the rest. ¹⁰ Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna [the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward] and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles. ¹¹ But their report seemed to them like idle talk and nonsense, and they would not believe them. ¹² But Peter got up and ran to the tomb. Stooping [at the small entrance] and looking in, he saw only the linen ^[a]wrappings; and he went away, wondering about what had happened.^(C)