Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

6 ¶ Again, David gathered together all the chosen of Israel, thirty thousand.

² And David arose and went with all the people that were with him from Baale of Judah to bring up from there the ark of God upon which the name of the LORD of the hosts is invoked, who dwells there between the cherubim.

³ And they set the ark of God upon a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah, and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab drove the new cart.

⁴ And when they brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was at Gibeah, with the ark of God, Ahio went before the ark.

⁵ And David and all the house of Israel danced before the LORD with all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps and on psalteries and on timbrels and on cornets and on cymbals.

¹² ¶ And it was told King David, saying, The LORD has blessed the house of Obededom and all that pertains unto him because of the ark of God. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obededom into the city of David with gladness.

¹³ And it was so that when those that bore the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, he sacrificed oxen and fatlings.

¹⁴ And David danced before the LORD with all his might, and David was girded with a linen ephod.

¹⁵ So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the shofar.

¹⁶ And as the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, and she despised him in her heart.

¹⁷ And they brought in the ark of the LORD and set it in its place, in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it, and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

¹⁸ And as soon as David had finished offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of the hosts.

¹⁹ And he dealt among all the people, even among the whole multitude of Israel, to the men as well to the women, to each one a cake of bread and a good piece of flesh and a flagon of wine. So all the people departed each one to his house.

A Psalm of David.

¹ ¶ The earth is the LORD’s, and the fullness thereof; the world and they that dwell therein.

² For he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.

³ ¶ Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in the place of his holiness?

⁴ He that has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not taken my name in vain, nor sworn deceitfully.

⁵ He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his saving health.

⁶ This is the generation of those that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.

⁷ ¶ Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and lift yourselves up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in.

⁸ Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.

⁹ Lift up your heads, O ye gates; lift yourselves up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in.

¹⁰ Who is this King of glory? The LORD of the hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.

³ ¶ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly things in Christ;

⁴ according as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before him in charity;

⁵ having marked out beforehand the way for us to be adopted as sons by Jesus Christ in himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

⁶ to the praise of the glory of his grace, in which he has made us accepted in the beloved;

⁷ in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace,

⁸ which has over abounded in us in all wisdom and prudence;

⁹ having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he has purposed in himself,

¹⁰ that in the dispensation of the fulfillment of the times he might restore all things by the Christ, both those which are in heaven and those which are on earth,

¹¹ in him in whom likewise we have obtained an inheritance, having had the way marked out beforehand according to the purpose of him who works all things after the counsel of his own will,

¹² so that we should be to the praise of his glory, those of us who first trusted in the Christ.

¹³ In whom ye also trusted, hearing the word of truth, the gospel of your saving health; in whom also after ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of the promise,

¹⁴ which is the earnest of our inheritance unto the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

¹⁴ ¶ And king Herod heard of him (for his name was spread abroad), and he said, John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and therefore virtues operate in him.

¹⁵ Others said, It is Elijah. And others said, It is the prophet or one of the prophets.

¹⁶ But when Herod heard of it, he said, This is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead.

¹⁷ For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John and bound him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife, for he had married her.

¹⁸ For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife.

¹⁹ Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him and would have killed him, but she could not;

²⁰ for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and respected him; and when he heard him, he did many things and heard him gladly.

²¹ And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his princes and tribunes and to the principal people of Galilee;

²² and when the daughter of Herodias came in and danced and pleased Herod and those that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it unto thee.

²³ And he swore unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it unto thee, unto the half of my kingdom.

²⁴ And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist.

²⁵ And she came in with haste unto the king and asked, saying, I will that thou give me immediately in a platter the head of John the Baptist.

²⁶ And the king was exceeding sorry, yet for his oath’s sake and for the sakes of those who sat with him, he would not reject her.

²⁷ And straightway the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought, and he went and beheaded him in the prison

²⁸ and brought his head in a platter and gave it to the damsel, and the damsel gave it to her mother.

²⁹ And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse and laid it in a tomb.