Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 63

Praise God Who Satisfies

A Davidic psalm. When he was in the Wilderness of Judah.^(A)

¹⁵ He even tore down the altar at Bethel^(A) and the high place^(B) that Jeroboam son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin, had made. Then he burned the high place, crushed it to dust, and burned the Asherah.^{(C) 16} As Josiah turned, he saw the tombs there on the mountain. He sent someone to take the bones out of the tombs, and he burned them on the altar.^(D) He defiled it according to the word of the Lord proclaimed by the man of God^[a] who proclaimed these things.^{(E) 17} Then he said, “What is this monument I see?”

The men of the city told him, “It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things that you have done to the altar at Bethel.”^(F)

¹⁸ So he said, “Let him rest. Don’t let anyone disturb his bones.” So they left his bones undisturbed with the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria.^(G)

¹⁹ Josiah also removed all the shrines of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke the Lord.^(H) Josiah did the same things to them that he had done at Bethel. ²⁰ He slaughtered on the altars all the priests of the high places^(I) who were there, and he burned human bones on the altars.^(J) Then he returned to Jerusalem.

Passover Observed

²¹ The king commanded all the people, “Keep the Passover of the Lord your God as written in the book of the covenant.”^{(K) 22} No such Passover had ever been kept from the time of the judges who judged Israel through the entire time of the kings of Israel and Judah. ²³ But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, this Passover was observed to the Lord in Jerusalem.^(L)

Further Zeal for the Lord

²⁴ In addition, Josiah removed the mediums, the spiritists,^(M) household idols,^(N) images, and all the detestable things^(O) that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem. He did this in order to carry out the words of the law that were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the Lord’s temple.^{(P) 25} Before him there was no king like him who turned to the Lord with all his mind and with all his heart and with all his strength^(Q) according to all the law of Moses, and no one like him arose after him.^(R)

The Two Witnesses

11 Then I was given a measuring reed^(A) like a rod,^[a] with these words: “Go^[b] and measure God’s sanctuary and the altar, and count those who worship there. ² But exclude the courtyard outside the sanctuary. Don’t measure it, because it is given to the nations,^[c] and they will trample the holy city for 42 months. ³ I will empower^[d] my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days,^[e](B) dressed in sackcloth.”^{[f] 4} These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord^[g] of the earth.^{(C) 5} If anyone wants to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and consumes their enemies;^(D) if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. ⁶ These men have the power to close up the sky so that it does not rain during the days of their prophecy.^(E) They also have power over the waters to turn them into blood^(F) and to strike the earth with every plague whenever they want.

The Witnesses Martyred

⁷ When they finish their testimony, the beast^[h](G) that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, conquer them, and kill them. ⁸ Their dead bodies^[i](H) will lie in the public square^[j] of the great city, which prophetically^[k] is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. ⁹ And representatives from^[l] the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations^(I) will view their bodies for three and a half days and not permit their bodies to be put into a tomb. ¹⁰ Those who live on the earth will gloat over them and celebrate and send gifts to one another because these two prophets brought judgment to those who live on the earth.

The Witnesses Resurrected

¹¹ But after 3½ days, the breath^[m] of life^(J) from God entered them, and they stood on their feet. So great fear fell on those who saw them. ¹² Then they heard^[n] a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” They went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies watched them.^{(K) 13} At that moment a violent earthquake took place,^(L) a tenth of the city fell, and 7,000 people were killed in the earthquake. The survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. ¹⁴ The second woe^(M) has passed. Take note: The third woe is coming quickly!