Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 24
The King of Glory
Heading
By David. A psalm.
The King of Glory Owns the Whole World
1 The earth is the Lord’s
and everything that fills it,
the world and all who live in it,
2 because he founded it on the seas,
and he established it on the rivers.[a]
The King of Glory Is Served by a Holy People
3 Who may go up to the mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
whose soul is not set on what is false,
who does not swear deceitfully.
5 He will receive blessing from the Lord
and righteousness from the God who saves him.
6 Such are the people of Jacob who look for the Lord,
who seek your face.[b] Interlude
The King of Glory Comes
7 Lift up your heads, you gates.
Lift yourselves up, you ancient doors,
and the King of Glory will come in.
8 Who is this King of Glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
the Lord mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, you gates.
Lift up, you ancient doors,
and the King of Glory will come in.
10 Who is he, this King of Glory?
The Lord of Armies—he is the King of Glory. Interlude[c]
The Ark of the Covenant
37 Bezalel[a] made the ark[b] of acacia wood. It was forty-five inches long, twenty-seven inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high. 2 He overlaid it with pure gold on the inside and the outside, and he made a gold border around it. 3 He cast four gold rings for it and placed them next to its four feet—two rings on one side of it and two rings on the other side. 4 He made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. 5 He put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark.
6 He made an atonement seat[c] of pure gold, forty-five inches long and twenty-seven inches wide. 7 He made two cherubim of hammered gold for the two ends of the atonement seat, 8 one cherub for one end and one cherub for the other. The cherubim on its two ends formed one piece with the atonement seat.[d] 9 The cherubim spread their wings upward so that they covered the atonement seat with their wings, and they faced each other. The faces of the cherubim were looking inward toward the atonement seat.
The Table
10 He made a table of acacia wood, thirty-six inches long, eighteen inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high. 11 He overlaid it with pure gold and made a gold border around it.[e] 12 He made a three-inch rim around it. He made a gold border on its rim all the way around it. 13 He made four gold rings for it and put the rings at the four corners above the four legs of the table. 14 The rings were close to the border to hold the poles used to carry the table. 15 He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold, so that the table could be carried with them. 16 He made the vessels and the accessories for the table out of pure gold—its dishes,[f] its small bowls,[g] its larger bowls, and its pitchers[h] to pour out drink offerings.
Exhortations
2 Be persistent in prayer, and as you pray, be alert and thankful. 3 At the same time, pray for us too, that God might open a door for our message, so that we can tell the mystery about Christ, for which I am in prison. 4 Pray that I may make it known clearly, as it is necessary for me to speak. 5 Walk in wisdom in the way you act toward those on the outside, making the most of your opportunity.[a] 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you know how you are to answer each person.
Final Greetings
7 Tychicus, my dear brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord, will tell you everything about me. 8 I am sending him to you for this very reason, that you may know how we are,[b] and that he may comfort your hearts. 9 I am sending him along with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is going on here.
10 Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, greets you, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. You received instructions about him. If he comes to you, welcome him. 11 Jesus, who is called Justus, also greets you. These are my only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are circumcised,[c] and who have been a source of comfort to me. 12 Epaphras greets you. He is one of you and is a servant of Christ.[d] He is always struggling in prayer for you, praying that you may stand complete and fully assured in all the will of God. 13 Indeed, I can testify about him that he has worked very hard in your place, in the place of those in Laodicea, and in the place of those in Hierapolis. 14 Luke, the dearly loved doctor, greets you, as does Demas.
15 Greet the brothers in Laodicea. Greet Nympha and the church at her[e] house. 16 When this letter has been read among you, make sure that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans. And make sure that you also read the letter from Laodicea. 17 Tell Archippus, “See to it that you fulfill the ministry that you received in the Lord.”
18 This greeting is written by me, Paul, with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you. Amen.[f]
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.