Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

A psalm by David.

The Ark^(A)

37 Bezalel made the ark 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 molding around it. ³ He cast four gold rings for its four feet, two rings on each side. ⁴ Then he made poles out of acacia wood and covered them with gold. ⁵ He put them through the rings on the sides of the ark in order to carry it.

⁶ He made the throne of mercy out of pure gold 45 inches long and 27 inches wide. ⁷ Then he made two angels ^[a] out of hammered gold for the two ends of the throne of mercy, ⁸ one on each end. He formed the angels and the throne of mercy out of one piece ⌞of gold⌟. ⁹ The angels had their wings spread above the throne of mercy, overshadowing it. They faced each other, looking at the throne of mercy.

The Table^(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 molding around it. ¹² He made a rim 3 inches wide around it and put a gold molding around the rim. ¹³ He cast four gold rings for it and fastened the rings to the four corners, where the four legs were. ¹⁴ The rings were put close to the rim to hold the poles for carrying the table. ¹⁵ These poles were made out of acacia wood and were covered with gold. ¹⁶ For the table he made plates, dishes, bowls, and pitchers to be used for pouring wine offerings. All of them were made out of pure gold.

Advice for All Christians

² Keep praying. Pay attention when you offer prayers of thanksgiving. ³ At the same time also pray for us. Pray that God will give us an opportunity to speak the word so that we may tell the mystery about Christ. It is because of this mystery that I am a prisoner. ⁴ Pray that I may make this mystery as clear as possible. This is what I have to do.

⁵ Be wise in the way you act toward those who are outside ⌞the Christian faith⌟. Make the most of your opportunities.

⁶ Everything you say should be kind and well thought out so that you know how to answer everyone.

Greetings from Paul and His Coworkers

⁷ I’m sending Tychicus to you. He is our dear brother, trustworthy deacon, and partner in the Lord’s work. He will tell you everything that is happening to me. ⁸ I’m sending him to you so that you may know how we are doing and so that he may encourage you. ⁹ I’m sending Onesimus with him. Onesimus is from your city and is our faithful and dear brother. They will tell you about everything that’s happening here.

¹⁰ Aristarchus, who is a prisoner like me, sends greetings. So does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. You have received instructions about Mark. If he comes to you, welcome him. ¹¹ Jesus, called Justus, also greets you. They are the only converts from the Jewish religion who are working with me for God’s kingdom. They have provided me with comfort. ¹² Epaphras, a servant of Christ Jesus from your city, greets you. He always prays intensely for you. He prays that you will continue to be mature and completely convinced of everything that God wants. ¹³ I assure you that he works hard for you and the people in Laodicea and Hierapolis. ¹⁴ My dear friend Luke, the physician, and Demas greet you. ¹⁵ Greet our brothers and sisters in Laodicea, especially Nympha and the church that meets in her house.

¹⁶ After you have read this letter, read it in the church at Laodicea. Make sure that you also read the letter from Laodicea.

¹⁷ Tell Archippus to complete all the work that he started as the Lord’s servant.

¹⁸ I, Paul, am writing this greeting with my own hand. Remember that I’m a prisoner. God’s good will ^[a] be with you.