Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 100[a]
Processional Hymn
1 A psalm of thanksgiving.
Shout joyfully to the Lord, all you lands;
2 serve the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
3 [b]Know that the Lord is God,
he made us, we belong to him,
we are his people, the flock he shepherds.(A)
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, bless his name;(B)
5 good indeed is the Lord,
His mercy endures forever,
his faithfulness lasts through every generation.
15 Then he blessed them with these words:
“May the God in whose presence
my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
The God who has been my shepherd
from my birth to this day,(A)
16 The angel who has delivered me from all harm,
bless these boys
That in them my name be recalled,
and the names of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac,
And they may become teeming multitudes
upon the earth!”
17 When Joseph saw that his father had laid his right hand on Ephraim’s head, this seemed wrong to him; so he took hold of his father’s hand, to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s, 18 saying, “That is not right, father; the other one is the firstborn; lay your right hand on his head!” 19 But his father refused. “I know it, son,” he said, “I know. That one too shall become a people, and he too shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall surpass him, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.” 20 So he blessed them that day and said, “By you shall the people of Israel pronounce blessings, saying, ‘God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’” Thus he placed Ephraim before Manasseh.(B)
21 Then Israel said to Joseph: “I am about to die. But God will be with you and will restore you to the land of your ancestors. 22 (C)As for me, I give to you, as to the one above his brothers, Shechem, which I captured from the Amorites with my sword and bow.”[a]
Chapter 14
The Lamb’s Companions.[a] 1 Then I looked and there was the Lamb standing on Mount Zion,[b] and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.(A) 2 I heard a sound from heaven like the sound of rushing water or a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. 3 They were singing [what seemed to be] a new hymn before the throne, before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn this hymn except the hundred and forty-four thousand who had been ransomed from the earth.(B) 4 These are they who were not defiled with women; they are virgins[c] and these are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been ransomed as the firstfruits of the human race for God and the Lamb.(C) 5 On their lips no deceit[d] has been found; they are unblemished.(D)
The Three Angels.[e] 6 Then I saw another angel flying high overhead, with everlasting good news[f] to announce to those who dwell on earth, to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people. 7 He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, for his time has come to sit in judgment. Worship him who made heaven and earth and sea and springs of water.”(E)
8 A second angel followed, saying:
“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great,(F)
that made all the nations drink
the wine of her licentious passion.”[g]
9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice, “Anyone who worships the beast or its image, or accepts its mark on forehead or hand, 10 will also drink the wine of God’s fury,[h] poured full strength into the cup of his wrath, and will be tormented in burning sulfur before the holy angels and before the Lamb. 11 The smoke of the fire that torments them will rise forever and ever, and there will be no relief day or night for those who worship the beast or its image or accept the mark of its name.”(G)
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.