Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

The King Rules

110 The Lord says to my Lord, “Sit at My right side, for those who hate You will be a place to rest Your feet.” ² The Lord will send out Your strength from Zion, saying, “Rule in front of those who hate You.” ³ Your people will be willing to help in the day of Your power. Your young men will be dressed in holy clothes. They will come to You like water on the grass in the early morning.

⁴ The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind: “You are a Religious Leader forever, in the same way as Melchizedek.”

⁷ So Moses came and called the leaders of the people. He told them all these words which the Lord had told him. ⁸ And all the people answered together and said, “We will do all that the Lord has said!” Then Moses went to tell the Lord what the people had said. ⁹ The Lord said to Moses, “See, I will come to you in a thick cloud. So the people may hear when I speak with you, and may believe you forever.” Then Moses told the Lord what the people had said. ¹⁰ The Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people. Today and tomorrow set them apart to be holy. Have them wash their clothes. ¹¹ And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day people will see the Lord come down on Mount Sinai. ¹² Let the people know the places all around that they must not pass. Tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not go up on the mountain or touch any place around it. Whoever touches the mountain will be put to death. ¹³ No hand will touch him. But he will be killed with stones or arrows. If he be animal or man, he will not live.’ When a long sound from a horn is heard, they may come up to the mountain.”

¹⁴ So Moses went down from the mountain to the people. He set the people apart to be holy, and they washed their clothes. ¹⁵ He said to the people, “Be ready for the third day. Do not go near a woman.”

¹⁶ On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning. A cloud covered the mountain, and a very loud horn sounded. All the people among the tents shook with fear. ¹⁷ Then Moses brought the people from among the tents to meet God. They stood at the base of the mountain. ¹⁸ Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the Lord came down upon it in fire. Its smoke went up like the smoke of a stove. And the whole mountain shook. ¹⁹ The sound of the horn became louder and louder. Moses spoke, and God answered him with thunder. ²⁰ Then the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. The Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and he went up. ²¹ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down and tell the people not to break through to look at the Lord. For then many of them would be destroyed. ²² Have the religious leaders who come near to the Lord set themselves apart to be holy. Or the Lord will go against them.” ²³ Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai. For You told us, ‘Set places around the mountain that must not be passed, and set it apart as holy.’” ²⁴ Then the Lord said to him, “Go down, and then come up with Aaron. But do not let the religious leaders and the people break through to come up to the Lord, or He will go against them.” ²⁵ So Moses went down to the people and told them.

Do Not Wait to Be Saved from the Punishment of Sin

2 That is why we must listen all the more to the truths we have been told. If we do not, we may slip away from them. ² These truths given by the angels proved to be true. People were punished when they did not obey them. ³ God was so good to make a way for us to be saved from the punishment of sin. What makes us think we will not go to hell if we do not take the way to heaven that He has made for us? The Lord was the first to tell us of this. Then those who heard Him told it later. ⁴ God proved what they said was true by showing us special things to see and by doing powerful works. He gave the gifts of the Holy Spirit as He wanted to.