Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

The Lord, a Provider and the One Who Rescues Me.

A Psalm of David, when he pretended to be insane before ^[a]Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.

Hezekiah Shows Babylon His Treasures

^12 (A)At that time ^[a]Berodach-baladan, a son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, because he heard that Hezekiah had been sick. ¹³ And Hezekiah listened to ^[b]them, and showed them ^(B)all his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the balsam oil, the ^[c]scented oil, the house of his armor, and everything that was found in his treasuries. There was nothing in his house nor in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them. ¹⁴ Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where have they come to you?” And Hezekiah said, “They have come from a far country, from Babylon.” ¹⁵ Isaiah said, “What have they seen in your house?” So Hezekiah ^[d]answered, “They have seen everything that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasuries that I have not shown them.”

¹⁶ Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord: ¹⁷ ‘Behold, the days are coming when ^(C)everything that is in your house, and what your fathers have stored up to this day, will be carried to Babylon; nothing will be left,’ says the Lord. ¹⁸ ‘And some ^(D)of your sons who will come from you, whom you will father, will be taken away; and they will become ^(E)officials in the palace of the king of Babylon.’” ¹⁹ Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord which you have spoken is ^(F)good.” For he ^[e]thought, “Is it not good, if there will be peace and ^[f]security in my days?”

Melchizedek’s Priesthood like Christ’s

7 For this ^(A)Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the ^(B)Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, ² to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace. ³ Without father, without mother, ^(C)without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like ^(D)the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually.

⁴ Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham, the ^(E)patriarch, ^(F)gave a tenth of the choicest spoils. ⁵ And those indeed of ^(G)the sons of Levi who receive the priest’s office have a commandment ^[a]in the Law to collect ^[b]a tenth from the people, that is, from their countrymen, although they ^[c]are descended from Abraham. ⁶ But the one ^(H)whose genealogy is not traced from them ^(I)collected ^[d]a tenth from Abraham and ^[e](J)blessed the one who ^(K)had the promises. ⁷ But without any dispute the lesser person is blessed by the greater. ⁸ In this case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case one receives them, ^(L)of whom it is witnessed that he lives on. ⁹ And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, has paid tithes, ¹⁰ for he was still in the loins of his ^[f]forefather when Melchizedek met him.