Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
7 He showed me this: I saw[a] the Lord[b] standing by a tin[c] wall holding tin in his hand. 8 The Lord said to me, “What do you see, Amos?” I said, “Tin.” The Lord then said,
“Look, I am about to place tin[d] among my people Israel.
I will no longer overlook their sin.[e]
9 Isaac’s centers of worship[f] will become desolate;
Israel’s holy places will be in ruins.
I will attack Jeroboam’s dynasty with the sword.”[g]
Amos Confronts a Priest
10 Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent this message[h] to King Jeroboam of Israel: “Amos is conspiring against you in the very heart of the kingdom of Israel![i] The land cannot endure all his prophecies.[j] 11 As a matter of fact,[k] Amos is saying this: ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword and Israel will certainly be carried into exile[l] away from its land.’”
12 Amaziah then said to Amos, “Leave, you visionary![m] Run away to the land of Judah. Earn your living[n] and prophesy there! 13 Don’t prophesy at Bethel any longer, for a royal temple and palace are here.”[o]
14 Amos replied[p] to Amaziah, “I was not a prophet by profession.[q] No,[r] I was a herdsman who also took care of[s] sycamore fig trees.[t] 15 Then the Lord took me from tending[u] flocks and gave me this commission,[v] ‘Go! Prophesy to my people Israel.’
8 I will listen to what God the Lord says.[a]
For he will make[b] peace with his people, his faithful followers.[c]
Yet they must not[d] return to their foolish ways.
9 Certainly his loyal followers will soon experience his deliverance;[e]
then his splendor will again appear in our land.[f]
10 Loyal love and faithfulness meet;[g]
deliverance and peace greet each other with a kiss.[h]
11 Faithfulness grows from the ground,
and deliverance looks down from the sky.[i]
12 Yes, the Lord will bestow his good blessings,[j]
and our land will yield[k] its crops.
13 Deliverance goes[l] before him,
and prepares[m] a pathway for him.[n]
Spiritual Blessings in Christ
3 Blessed[a] is[b] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed[c] us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ. 4 For[d] he chose us in Christ[e] before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless[f] before him[g] in love.[h] 5 He did this by predestining[i] us to adoption as his[j] legal heirs[k] through Jesus Christ, according to the pleasure[l] of his will— 6 to the praise of the glory of his grace[m] that he has freely bestowed on us in his dearly loved Son.[n] 7 In him[o] we have redemption through his blood,[p] the forgiveness of our offenses,[q] according to the riches of his grace 8 that he lavished on us in all wisdom and insight. 9 He did this when he revealed[r] to us the mystery[s] of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth[t] in Christ,[u] 10 toward the administration of the fullness of the times, to head up[v] all things in Christ—the things in heaven[w] and the things on earth.[x] 11 In Christ[y] we too have been claimed as God’s own possession,[z] since we were predestined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will 12 so that we, who were the first to set our hope[aa] on Christ,[ab] would be to the praise of his glory. 13 And when[ac] you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation)—when you believed in Christ[ad]—you were marked with the seal[ae] of the promised Holy Spirit,[af] 14 who is the down payment[ag] of our inheritance, until the redemption of God’s own possession,[ah] to the praise of his glory.
The Death of John the Baptist
14 Now[a] King Herod[b] heard this, for Jesus’[c] name had become known. Some[d] were saying, “John the baptizer[e] has been raised from the dead, and because of this, miraculous powers are at work in him.” 15 Others said, “He is Elijah.” Others said, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets from the past.” 16 But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised!” 17 For Herod himself had sent men, arrested John, and bound him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod[f] had married her. 18 For John had repeatedly told[g] Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”[h] 19 So Herodias nursed a grudge against him and wanted to kill him. But[i] she could not 20 because Herod stood in awe of[j] John and protected him, since he knew that John[k] was a righteous and holy man. When Herod[l] heard him, he was thoroughly baffled,[m] and yet[n] he liked to listen to John.[o]
21 But[p] a suitable day[q] came, when Herod gave a banquet on his birthday for his court officials, military commanders, and leaders of Galilee. 22 When his daughter Herodias[r] came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you want and I will give it to you.” 23 He swore to her,[s] “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”[t] 24 So[u] she went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask for?” Her mother said,[v] “The head of John the baptizer.”[w] 25 Immediately she hurried back to the king and made her request:[x] “I want the head of John the Baptist on a platter immediately.” 26 Although it grieved the king deeply,[y] he did not want to reject her request because of his oath and his guests. 27 So[z] the king sent an executioner at once to bring John’s[aa] head, and he went and beheaded John in prison. 28 He brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When John’s[ab] disciples heard this, they came and took his body and placed it in a tomb.
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