Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 24
Entrance into the Temple
Of David. A Psalm.
1 The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it,
the world, and those who live in it,(A)
2 for he has founded it on the seas
and established it on the rivers.
3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?(B)
4 Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,
who do not lift up their souls to what is false
and do not swear deceitfully.(C)
5 They will receive blessing from the Lord
and vindication from the God of their salvation.(D)
6 Such is the company of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob.[a] Selah
7 Lift up your heads, O gates!
and be lifted up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in!(E)
8 Who is the King of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle.(F)
9 Lift up your heads, O gates!
and be lifted up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in!(G)
10 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
he is the King of glory. Selah
Departure from Sinai
11 In the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day of the month, the cloud lifted from over the tabernacle of the covenant.(A) 12 Then the Israelites set out by stages from the wilderness of Sinai, and the cloud settled down in the wilderness of Paran. 13 They set out for the first time at the command of the Lord by Moses.(B) 14 The standard of the camp of Judah set out first, company by company, and over the whole company was Nahshon son of Amminadab.(C) 15 Over the company of the tribe of Issachar was Nethanel son of Zuar, 16 and over the company of the tribe of Zebulun was Eliab son of Helon.
17 Then the tabernacle was taken down, and the Gershonites and the Merarites, who carried the tabernacle, set out.(D) 18 Next the standard of the camp of Reuben set out, company by company, and over the whole company was Elizur son of Shedeur.(E) 19 Over the company of the tribe of Simeon was Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai, 20 and over the company of the tribe of Gad was Eliasaph son of Deuel.
21 Then the Kohathites, who carried the holy things, set out, and the tabernacle was set up before their arrival.(F) 22 Next the standard of the camp of Ephraim set out, company by company, and over the whole company was Elishama son of Ammihud.(G) 23 Over the company of the tribe of Manasseh was Gamaliel son of Pedahzur, 24 and over the company of the tribe of Benjamin was Abidan son of Gideoni.
25 Then the standard of the camp of Dan, acting as the rear guard of all the camps, set out, company by company, and over the whole company was Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai.(H) 26 Over the company of the tribe of Asher was Pagiel son of Ochran, 27 and over the company of the tribe of Naphtali was Ahira son of Enan. 28 This was the order of march of the Israelites, company by company, when they set out.
29 Moses said to Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’s father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place of which the Lord said, ‘I will give it to you’; come with us, and we will treat you well, for the Lord has promised good to Israel.”(I) 30 But he said to him, “I will not go, but I will go back to my own land and to my kindred.” 31 He said, “Do not leave us, for you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you will serve as eyes for us. 32 Moreover, if you go with us, whatever good the Lord does for us, the same we will do for you.”(J)
33 So they set out from the mount of the Lord three days’ journey with the ark of the covenant of the Lord going before them three days’ journey, to seek out a resting place for them,(K) 34 the cloud of the Lord being over them by day when they set out from the camp.(L)
35 Whenever the ark set out, Moses would say,
“Arise, O Lord, let your enemies be scattered
and your foes flee before you.”(M)
36 And whenever it came to rest, he would say,
“Return, O Lord, to the ten thousand thousands of Israel.”[a]
The Birth of John the Baptist
57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.(A)
59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father.(B) 60 But his mother said, “No; he is to be called John.” 61 They said to her, “None of your relatives has this name.” 62 Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him. 63 He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And all of them were amazed. 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. 65 Fear came over all their neighbors, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea. 66 All who heard them pondered them and said, “What then will this child become?” For indeed the hand of the Lord was with him.(C)
Zechariah’s Prophecy
67 Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:(D)
68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has looked favorably on[a] his people and redeemed them.(E)
69 He has raised up a mighty savior[b] for us
in the house of his child David,(F)
70 as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,(G)
71 that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.
72 Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors
and has remembered his holy covenant,(H)
73 the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham,
to grant us 74 that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies,
might serve him without fear,(I) 75 in holiness and righteousness
in his presence all our days.(J)
76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,(K)
77 to give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins.(L)
78 Because of the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break[c] upon[d] us,
79 to shine upon those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.”(M)
80 The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel.(N)
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.