Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

¶ A Song of degrees.

¹ LORD, remember David and all his afflictions:

² How he swore unto the LORD and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob;

³ surely I will not come into the habitation of my house nor go up into my bed,

⁴ I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids,

⁵ until I find out a place for the LORD, a habitation for the mighty God of Jacob.

⁶ Behold, we heard of her in Ephratah; we found her in the fields of the wood.

⁷ We will go into his tents; we will worship at his footstool.

⁸ Arise, O LORD, into thy rest; thou, and the ark of thy strength.

⁹ Thy priests are clothed with righteousness, and thy merciful ones shout for joy.

¹⁰ For the love of thy slave David, do not turn away thy face from thine anointed.

¹¹ ¶ The LORD has sworn truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body I will set upon thy throne.

¹² If thy sons will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their sons shall also sit upon thy throne for ever.

¹³ For the LORD has chosen Zion; he has desired her for his habitation.

¹⁴ This shall be my rest for ever; here I will dwell; for I have desired her.

¹⁵ I will abundantly bless her provision; I will satisfy her poor with bread.

¹⁶ I will also clothe her priests with saving health, and her merciful ones shall shout aloud for joy.

¹⁷ There will I make the horn of David to bud; I have ordained a lamp for my anointed.

¹⁸ His enemies I will clothe with shame, but upon himself shall his crown blossom.

¹¹ ¶ And when the king heard the words of the book of the law, he rent his clothes.

¹² And the king commanded Hilkiah, the priest, and Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, and Achbor, the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan, the scribe, and Asahiah, a slave of the king’s, saying,

¹³ Go and enquire of the LORD for me and for the people and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found, for great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.

¹⁴ So Hilkiah, the priest, and Ahikam and Achbor and Shaphan and Asahiah went unto Huldah, the prophetess, the wife of Shallum, the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe, who dwelt in Jerusalem in the house of doctrine; and they spoke with her.

¹⁵ And she said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Tell the man that sent you to me,

¹⁶ Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place and upon its inhabitants, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read,

¹⁷ because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore, my wrath is kindled against this place and shall not be quenched.

¹⁸ But to the king of Judah who sent you to enquire of the LORD, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Because thou didst hear the words of the book,

¹⁹ and thy heart became tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the LORD when thou didst hear what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they should become desolate and cursed, and hast rent thy clothes and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the LORD.

²⁰ Behold, therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace, and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And they brought the king word again.

²⁰ ¶ But now Christ is risen from the dead and become the firstfruits of those that slept.

²¹ For since by a man came death, by a man came also the resurrection of the dead.

²² For as in Adam all die, even so in the Christ shall all be made alive.

²³ But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward, those that are Christ’s at his coming.

²⁴ Then comes the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father, when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.

²⁵ For he must reign until he has put all enemies under his feet.

²⁶ The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

²⁷ For he has put all things under his feet. But when he says all things are put under him, it is clear that he is excepted, who did put all things under him.

²⁸ And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also subject himself unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.