Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

A Song of Praise for the Lord’s Faithfulness to His People

^(A)A Psalm of Thanksgiving.

¹⁵ And ^(A)he blessed Joseph, and said:

¹⁷ Now when Joseph saw that his father ^(F)laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took hold of his father’s hand to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. ¹⁸ And Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”

¹⁹ But his father refused and said, ^(G)“I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly ^(H)his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.”

²⁰ So he blessed them that day, saying, ^(I)“By you Israel will bless, saying, ‘May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!’ ” And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh.

²¹ Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am dying, but ^(J)God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers. ²² Moreover ^(K)I have given to you one ^[a]portion above your brothers, which I took from the hand ^(L)of the Amorite with my sword and my bow.”

The Lamb and the 144,000

14 Then I looked, and behold, ^[a]a ^(A)Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him ^(B)one hundred and forty-four thousand, ^[b]having His Father’s name ^(C)written on their foreheads. ² And I heard a voice from heaven, ^(D)like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of ^(E)harpists playing their harps. ³ They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song ^(F)except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth. ⁴ These are the ones who were not defiled with women, ^(G)for they are virgins. These are the ones ^(H)who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These ^(I)were ^[c]redeemed from among men, ^(J)being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. ⁵ And ^(K)in their mouth was found no ^[d]deceit, for ^(L)they are without fault ^[e]before the throne of God.

The Proclamations of Three Angels

⁶ Then I saw another angel ^(M)flying in the midst of heaven, ^(N)having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—^(O)to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people— ⁷ saying with a loud voice, ^(P)“Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; ^(Q)and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”

⁸ And another angel followed, saying, ^(R)“Babylon^[f] is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because ^(S)she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”

⁹ Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, ^(T)“If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his ^(U)mark on his forehead or on his hand, ¹⁰ he himself ^(V)shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is ^(W)poured out full strength into ^(X)the cup of His indignation. ^(Y)He shall be tormented with ^(Z)fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. ¹¹ And ^(AA)the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”