Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Davidic Psalm, while he was in the Judean wilderness.
Joyful Trust in God
63 God, you are my God!
I will fervently seek you.
My soul thirsts for you;
my flesh longs for you in a dry, weary, and parched land.
2 So I have looked for you in the sanctuary,
to behold your power and glory.
3 Because your gracious love is better than life itself,
my lips will praise you.
4 So I will bless you as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands in your name.
5 Just as I am satisfied with the choicest of foods,[a]
so my lips will praise you joyfully.
6 When I think of you in bed,
I will meditate on you in the night watches.
7 For you have been my strength,
and in the shadow of your wings I will shout for joy.
8 My soul clings to you,
even as your right hand supports me.
Aaron and Miriam Rebel
12 Miriam and Aaron rebelled against Moses on account of the Cushite woman that he had married. 2 They asked, “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t he also spoken through us?”
But the Lord heard it.
3 Now the man Moses was very humble—more than any person on earth. 4 All of a sudden, the Lord told Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “The three of you are to come out to the Tent of Meeting.” So the three of them went out. 5 Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud, stood at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, and summoned Aaron and Miriam. So both of them went forward.
6 Then he told the two of them: “Pay attention to what I have to say! When there is a prophet among you, won’t I, the Lord, reveal myself to him in a vision? Won’t I speak with him in a dream? 7 But that’s not how it is with my servant Moses, since he has been entrusted with my entire household! 8 I speak to him audibly[a] and in visions, not in mysteries.[b] If he can gaze at the image of the Lord, why aren’t you afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” 9 Because the Lord was very angry with them, he left,
The Vision of the Powerful Angel with the Millstone
21 Then a powerful angel picked up a stone that was like a large millstone and threw it into the sea, saying,
“The great city Babylon will be thrown down violently—
and will never be found again.
22 The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters
will never be heard within you again.
No artisan of any trade
will ever be found within you again.
The sound of a millstone
will never be heard within you again.
23 The light from a lamp
will never shine within you again.
The voice of a bridegroom and bride
will never be heard within you again.
For your merchants were the important people of the world,
and all the nations were deceived by your witchcraft.
24 The blood of the world’s prophets, saints,
and all who had been murdered
was found within her.”
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.