Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Great King[a]
24 (A)The world and all that is in it belong to the Lord;
the earth and all who live on it are his.
2 He built it on the deep waters beneath the earth
and laid its foundations in the ocean depths.
3 Who has the right to go up the Lord's hill?[b]
Who may enter his holy Temple?
4 (B)Those who are pure in act and in thought,
who do not worship idols
or make false promises.
5 The Lord will bless them and save them;
God will declare them innocent.
6 Such are the people who come to God,
who come into the presence of the God of Jacob.
7 Fling wide the gates,
open the ancient doors,
and the great king will come in.
8 Who is this great king?
He is the Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, victorious in battle.
9 Fling wide the gates,
open the ancient doors,
and the great king will come in.
10 Who is this great king?
The triumphant Lord—he is the great king!
Making the Covenant Box(A)
37 Bezalel made the Covenant Box out of acacia wood, 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high. 2 He covered it with pure gold inside and out and put a gold border all around it. 3 He made four carrying rings of gold for it and attached them to its four feet, with two rings on each side. 4 He made carrying poles of acacia wood, covered them with gold, 5 and put them through the rings on each side of the Box. 6 He made a lid of pure gold, 45 inches long and 27 inches wide. 7 He made two winged creatures of hammered gold, 8 one for each end of the lid. He made them so that they formed one piece with the lid. 9 The winged creatures faced each other across the lid, and their outspread wings covered it.
Making the Table for the Bread Offered to God(B)
10 He made the table out of acacia wood, 36 inches long, 18 inches wide, and 27 inches high. 11 He covered it with pure gold and put a gold border around it. 12 He made a rim 3 inches wide around it and put a gold border around the rim. 13 He made four carrying rings of gold for it and put them at the four corners, where the legs were. 14 The rings to hold the poles for carrying the table were placed near the rim. 15 He made the poles of acacia wood and covered them with gold. 16 He made the dishes of pure gold for the table: the plates, the cups, the jars, and the bowls to be used for the wine offering.
Instructions
2 Be persistent in prayer, and keep alert as you pray, giving thanks to God. 3 At the same time pray also for us, so that God will give us a good opportunity to preach his message about the secret of Christ. For that is why I am now in prison. 4 Pray, then, that I may speak, as I should, in such a way as to make it clear.
5 (A)Be wise in the way you act toward those who are not believers, making good use of every opportunity you have. 6 (B)Your speech should always be pleasant and interesting, and you should know how to give the right answer to everyone.
Final Greetings
7 (C)Our dear friend Tychicus, who is a faithful worker and fellow servant in the Lord's work, will give you all the news about me. 8 That is why I am sending him to you, in order to cheer you up by telling you how all of us are getting along. 9 (D)With him goes Onesimus, that dear and faithful friend, who belongs to your group. They will tell you everything that is happening here.
10 (E)Aristarchus, who is in prison with me, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have already received instructions to welcome Mark if he comes your way.) 11 Joshua, also called Justus, sends greetings too. These three are the only Jewish believers who work with me for the Kingdom of God, and they have been a great help to me.
12 (F)Greetings from Epaphras, another member of your group and a servant of Christ Jesus. He always prays fervently for you, asking God to make you stand firm, as mature and fully convinced Christians, in complete obedience to God's will. 13 I can personally testify to his hard work for you and for the people in Laodicea and Hierapolis. 14 (G)Luke, our dear doctor, and Demas send you their greetings.
15 Give our best wishes to the believers in Laodicea and to Nympha and the church that meets in her house.[a] 16 After you read this letter, make sure that it is read also in the church at Laodicea. At the same time, you are to read the letter that the believers in Laodicea will send you. 17 (H)And tell Archippus, “Be sure to finish the task you were given in the Lord's service.”
18 With my own hand I write this: Greetings from Paul Do not forget my chains!
May God's grace be with you.
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.