Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 99
99 The Lord rules—
the nations shake!
He sits enthroned on the winged heavenly creatures—
the earth quakes!
2 The Lord is great in Zion;
he is exalted over all the nations.
3 Let them thank your great and awesome name.
He is holy!
4 Strong king[a] who loves justice,
you are the one who established what is fair.
You worked justice and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Magnify the Lord, our God!
Bow low at his footstool!
He is holy!
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
Samuel too among those who called on his name.
They cried out to the Lord, and he himself answered them—
7 he spoke to them from a pillar of cloud.
They kept the laws and the rules God gave to them.
8 Lord our God, you answered them.
To them you were a God who forgives
but also the one who avenged their wrong deeds.
9 Magnify the Lord our God!
Bow low at his holy mountain
because the Lord our God is holy!
Completion of dwelling construction
32 In this way all the work of the meeting tent dwelling was finished. The Israelites did everything just exactly as the Lord had commanded Moses. 33 Then they brought to Moses the dwelling, the tent, and all its equipment:
its clasps, its boards, its bars, its posts, and its bases,
34 the covering of rams’ skins dyed red, the covering of beaded leather, and the veil for a screen,
35 the chest containing the covenant with its poles and the cover,
36 the table with all its equipment and the bread of the presence,
37 the pure lampstand with its lamps set on it and all its equipment, and the oil for the light,
38 the gold altar, the anointing oil, and the sweet-smelling incense,
the screen for the tent’s entrance,
39 the copper altar and its copper grate, its poles, and all its equipment,
the washbasin with its stand,
40 the courtyard’s drapes, its posts, and its bases,
the screen for the plaza’s gate, its cords, and its tent pegs,
and all the other equipment for the service of the dwelling, for the meeting tent,
41 the woven clothes for ministering as priests in the sanctuary, the holy clothes for the priest Aaron and the clothes for his sons to serve as priests.
42 The Israelites did all of the work just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 43 When Moses saw that they in fact had done all the work exactly as the Lord had commanded, Moses blessed them.
Death of John the Baptist
14 At that time Herod the ruler[a] heard the news about Jesus. 2 He said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist. He’s been raised from the dead. This is why these miraculous powers are at work through him.” 3 Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison because of Herodias, the wife of Herod’s brother Philip.
4 That’s because John told Herod, “It’s against the law for you to marry her.”
5 Although Herod wanted to kill him, he feared the crowd because they thought John was a prophet. 6 But at Herod’s birthday party Herodias’ daughter danced in front of the guests and thrilled Herod. 7 Then he swore to give her anything she asked.
8 At her mother’s urging, the girl said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a plate.” 9 Although the king was upset, because of his solemn pledge and his guests he commanded that they give it to her. 10 Then he had John beheaded in prison. 11 They brought his head on a plate and gave it to the young woman, and she brought it to her mother. 12 But John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus what had happened.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible