Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Call to Praise the Lord
117 Praise the Lord, all you nations!
Exalt him, all you peoples!
2 For great is his gracious love toward us,
and the Lord’s faithfulness is eternal.
Hallelujah!
Jacob’s Restoration
18 “This is what the Lord says:
‘I’m going to restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob
and have compassion on his dwellings.
A city will be rebuilt on its ruins
and a palace[a] will sit on its rightful place.
19 Thanksgiving and the sounds of laughter
will come out of them.
I’ll cause them to increase in numbers and not decrease.
I’ll honor them and not make them insignificant.
20 Their[b] children will be as they were before,
and their congregation will be established before me.
I’ll punish all who oppress them.
21 Their leader will be one of their own,[c]
and their ruler will come from among them.
I’ll bring him near, and he will approach me,
for who would otherwise dare to approach me?’
declares the Lord.
22 ‘You will be my people,
and I’ll be your God.’”
The Coming Judgment
23 Look, the storm of the Lord!
His[d] wrath has gone forth, a twisting storm.
It will swirl around the head of the wicked.
24 The fierce anger of the Lord won’t turn back
until he has accomplished and established the plan of his heart.
In the days to come, you will understand this.
The Vision of an Exhortation to Worship God
8 I, John, heard and saw these things. When I had heard and seen them, I bowed down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing me these things. 9 But he told me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you, your brothers the prophets, and those who keep the words in this book. Worship God!”
10 Then he told me, “Don’t seal up the words of the prophecy in this book, because the time is near. 11 Let the one who does what is evil continue to do what is evil. Let the filthy person continue to be filthy. Let the righteous person continue to do what is right. And let the holy person continue to be holy.”
Concluding Benediction
12 “See! I am coming soon! My reward is with me to repay everyone according to his behavior. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.[a]
14 “How blessed are those who wash their robes[b] so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city! 15 Outside are dogs, sorcerers, immoral people, murderers, idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give this testimony to you for the churches. I am the root and descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
Concluding Invitation
17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!”
Let everyone who hears this say, “Come!”
Let everyone who is thirsty come!
Let anyone who wants the water of life take it as a gift!
Concluding Warning
18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy in this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will strike him with the plagues that are written in this book. 19 If anyone takes away any words from the book of this prophecy, God will take away his portion of the tree of life and the holy city that are described in this book.
Epilogue
20 The one who is testifying to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!”
Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!
21 May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints.
Amen.[c]
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