Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Praise to the Lord for His Fidelity to Israel.

³² Thus all the work of the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting was finished; and the Israelites did according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses; that is what they did. ³³ They brought the tabernacle to Moses [for him to inspect]: the tent and all its furnishings, its hooks, its [frame] boards, its bars, its support poles, its sockets or bases; ³⁴ and the covering of rams’ skins dyed red, and the covering of ^[a]porpoise skins, and the veil (partition) of the screen (curtain); ³⁵ the ark of the Testimony, its carrying poles and the mercy seat; ³⁶ the table and all its utensils and the bread of the Presence (showbread); ³⁷ the pure gold lampstand and its lamps, with the lamps placed in order, all its utensils, and the oil for the light; ³⁸ the golden altar [of incense], the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the [hanging] veil for the doorway of the tent; ³⁹ the bronze altar [of burnt offering] and its grating of bronze, its poles and all its utensils, the basin and its base; ⁴⁰ the curtains of the courtyard, its support poles and sockets, and the screen (curtain) for the courtyard gate, its cords and pegs, and all the utensils for the service of the tabernacle, for the Tent of Meeting [of God with His people];^{(A) 41} the [finely] woven garments for serving and ministering in the Holy Place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons to minister as priests. ⁴² So the Israelites did all the work according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses. ⁴³ And Moses [carefully] inspected all the work, and behold, they had done it; just as the Lord had commanded, so had they done it. So Moses blessed them.

John the Baptist Beheaded

14 At that time Herod [Antipas], the tetrarch [who governed a portion of Palestine including Galilee and Perea], heard the reports about Jesus,^{(A) 2} and said to his attendants, “This is John the Baptist; he has been raised from the dead, and that is why the miraculous powers are at work in him.”

³ For Herod had John arrested and bound him and put him in prison [at the fortress of Machaerus, east of the Jordan, to keep him away] because of ^[a]Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip,^{(B) 4} for John had said to him, “It is not lawful (morally right) for you to have her [living with you as your wife].”^{(C) 5} Although Herod wished to have him put to death, he feared the people, for they regarded John as a prophet.

⁶ But when Herod’s birthday came, [his niece Salome], the daughter of Herodias danced [immodestly] before them and pleased and fascinated Herod, ⁷ so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. ⁸ She, being coached by her mother [Herodias], said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” ⁹ The king was distressed, but because of his oaths, and because of his dinner guests, he ordered it to be given her. ¹⁰ He sent and had John beheaded in the prison. ¹¹ His head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother [Herodias]. ¹² And John’s disciples came and took away the body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.