Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

The Lord Has Chosen Zion

A Song of ^(A)Ascents.

¹¹ When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, ^(A)he tore his clothes. ¹² And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and ^(B)Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and ^(C)Achbor the son of ^(D)Micaiah, and Shaphan the secretary, and Asaiah the king's servant, saying, ¹³ “Go, inquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found. For great is ^(E)the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.”

¹⁴ So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of ^(F)Tikvah, son of ^(G)Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in ^(H)the Second Quarter), and they talked with her. ¹⁵ And she said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Tell the man who sent you to me, ¹⁶ Thus says the Lord, Behold, I will bring disaster upon this place and upon its inhabitants, all the words of the book that the king of Judah has read. ^17 (I)Because they have forsaken me and have made offerings to other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore ^(J)my wrath will be kindled against this place, and it will not be quenched. ¹⁸ But to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus shall you say to him, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Regarding the words that you have heard, ^19 (K)because your heart was penitent, and you ^(L)humbled yourself before the Lord, when you heard how I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they should become ^(M)a desolation and ^(N)a curse, and you ^(O)have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, declares the Lord. ²⁰ Therefore, behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and ^(P)you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the disaster that I will bring upon this place.’” And they brought back word to the king.

²⁰ But in fact ^(A)Christ has been raised from the dead, ^(B)the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹ For as ^(C)by a man came death, ^(D)by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. ²² For ^(E)as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. ²³ But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then ^(F)at his coming ^(G)those who belong to Christ. ²⁴ Then comes the end, when he delivers ^(H)the kingdom to God the Father after destroying ^(I)every rule and every authority and power. ²⁵ For he must reign ^(J)until he has put all his enemies under his feet. ²⁶ The last enemy to be ^(K)destroyed is death. ²⁷ For ^(L)“God^[a] has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. ²⁸ When ^(M)all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that ^(N)God may be all in all.