Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 24[a]
A psalm of David.
24 The Lord owns the earth and all it contains,
the world and all who live in it.
2 For he set its foundation upon the seas,
and established[b] it upon the ocean currents.[c]
3 Who is allowed to ascend[d] the mountain of the Lord?[e]
Who may go up to his holy dwelling place?
4 The one whose deeds are blameless
and whose motives are pure,[f]
who does not lie,[g]
or make promises with no intention of keeping them.[h]
5 Such godly people are rewarded by the Lord,[i]
and vindicated by the God who delivers them.[j]
6 Such purity characterizes the people who seek his favor,
Jacob’s descendants, who pray to him.[k] (Selah)
7 Look up,[l] you gates.
Rise up,[m] you eternal doors.
Then the majestic king[n] will enter.[o]
8 Who is this majestic king?[p]
The Lord who is strong and mighty.
The Lord who is mighty in battle.
9 Look up, you gates.
Rise up, you eternal doors.
Then the majestic king will enter.
10 Who is this majestic king?
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies.[q]
He is the majestic king. (Selah)
The Journey From Sinai to Kadesh
11 [a] On the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle of the testimony.[b] 12 So the Israelites set out[c] on their journeys from the desert[d] of Sinai; and the cloud settled in the wilderness of Paran.
Judah Begins the Journey
13 This was the first time they set out on their journey according to the commandment[e] of the Lord, by the authority[f] of Moses.
14 The standard[g] of the camp of the Judahites set out first according to their companies, and over his company was Nahshon son of Amminadab.
15 Over the company of the tribe of Issacharites was Nathanel son of Zuar, 16 and over the company of the tribe of the Zebulunites was Eliab son of Helon. 17 Then the tabernacle was dismantled, and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari set out, carrying the tabernacle.
Journey Arrangements for the Tribes
18 The standard of the camp of Reuben set out according to their companies; over his company was Elizur son of Shedeur. 19 Over the company of the tribe of the Simeonites was Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai, 20 and over the company of the tribe of the Gadites was Eliasaph son of Deuel. 21 And the Kohathites set out, carrying the articles for the sanctuary;[h] the tabernacle was to be set up[i] before they arrived.[j] 22 And the standard of the camp of the Ephraimites set out according to their companies; over his company was Elishama son of Ammihud. 23 Over the company of the tribe of the Manassehites was Gamaliel son of Pedahzur, 24 and over the company of the tribe of Benjaminites was Abidan son of Gideoni.
25 The standard of the camp of the Danites set out, which was the rear guard[k] of all the camps by their companies; over his company was Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai. 26 Over the company of the tribe of the Asherites was Pagiel son of Ocran, 27 and over the company of the tribe of the Naphtalites was Ahira son of Enan. 28 These were the traveling arrangements[l] of the Israelites according to their companies when they traveled.[m]
The Appeal to Hobab
29 [n] Moses said to Hobab son of Reuel, the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law,[o] “We are journeying to the place about which the Lord said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us and we will treat you well,[p] for the Lord has promised good things[q] for Israel.” 30 But Hobab[r] said to him, “I will not go, but I will go instead to my own land and to my kindred.” 31 Moses[s] said, “Do not leave us,[t] because you know places for us to camp in the wilderness, and you could be our guide.[u] 32 And if you come with us, it is certain[v] that whatever good things the Lord will favor us with, we will share with you as well.”
33 So they traveled from the mountain of the Lord three days’ journey;[w] and the ark of the covenant of the Lord was traveling before them during the three days’ journey, to find a resting place for them. 34 [x] And the cloud of the Lord was over them by day, when they traveled[y] from the camp. 35 And when the ark traveled, Moses would say, “Rise up, O Lord! May your enemies be scattered, and may those who hate you flee before you!” 36 And when it came to rest he would say, “Return, O Lord, to the many thousands of Israel!”[z]
The Birth of John
57 Now the time came[a] for Elizabeth to have her baby,[b] and she gave birth to a son. 58 Her[c] neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown[d] great mercy to her, and they rejoiced[e] with her.
59 On[f] the eighth day[g] they came to circumcise the child, and they wanted to name[h] him Zechariah after his father. 60 But[i] his mother replied,[j] “No! He must be named[k] John.”[l] 61 They[m] said to her, “But[n] none of your relatives bears this name.”[o] 62 So[p] they made signs to the baby’s[q] father,[r] inquiring what he wanted to name his son.[s] 63 He[t] asked for a writing tablet[u] and wrote,[v] “His name is John.” And they were all amazed.[w] 64 Immediately[x] Zechariah’s[y] mouth was opened and his tongue[z] released,[aa] and he spoke, blessing God. 65 All[ab] their neighbors were filled with fear, and throughout the entire hill country of Judea all these things were talked about. 66 All[ac] who heard these things[ad] kept them in their hearts,[ae] saying, “What then will this child be?”[af] For the Lord’s hand[ag] was indeed with him.
Zechariah’s Praise and Prediction
67 Then[ah] his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied,[ai]
68 “Blessed[aj] be the Lord God of Israel,
because he has come to help[ak] and has redeemed[al] his people.
69 For[am] he has raised up[an] a horn of salvation[ao] for us in the house of his servant David,[ap]
70 as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from long ago,[aq]
71 that we should be saved[ar] from our enemies,[as]
and from the hand of all who hate us.
72 He has done this[at] to show mercy[au] to our ancestors,[av]
and to remember his holy covenant[aw]—
73 the oath[ax] that he swore to our ancestor[ay] Abraham.
This oath grants[az]
74 that we, being rescued from the hand of our[ba] enemies,
may serve him without fear,[bb]
75 in holiness and righteousness[bc] before him for as long as we live.[bd]
76 And you, child,[be] will be called the prophet[bf] of the Most High.[bg]
For you will go before[bh] the Lord to prepare his ways,[bi]
77 to give his people knowledge of salvation[bj] through the forgiveness[bk] of their sins.
78 Because of[bl] our God’s tender mercy[bm]
the dawn[bn] will break[bo] upon us from on high
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,[bp]
to guide our feet into the way[bq] of peace.”
80 And the child kept growing[br] and becoming strong[bs] in spirit, and he was in the wilderness[bt] until the day he was revealed[bu] to Israel.
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