Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Chapter 6
The Ark Brought to Jerusalem. 1 (A)David again assembled all the picked men of Israel, thirty thousand in number. 2 Then David and all the people who were with him set out for Baala of Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which bears the name “the Lord of hosts enthroned above the cherubim.”(B) 3 They transported the ark of God on a new cart and took it away from the house of Abinadab on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the cart,(C) 4 with Ahio walking before it, 5 while David and all the house of Israel danced before the Lord with all their might, with singing, and with lyres, harps, tambourines, sistrums, and cymbals.(D)
12 (A)When it was reported to King David that the Lord had blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that he possessed because of the ark of God, David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the City of David with joy.(B) 13 As soon as the bearers of the ark of the Lord had advanced six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. 14 Then David came dancing before the Lord with abandon, girt with a linen ephod.[a](C) 15 David and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts of joy and sound of horn. 16 As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal, daughter of Saul, looked down from her window, and when she saw King David jumping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart. 17 (D)They brought in the ark of the Lord and set it in its place within the tent which David had pitched for it. Then David sacrificed burnt offerings and communion offerings before the Lord. 18 When David had finished sacrificing burnt offerings and communion offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts, 19 and distributed among all the people, the entire multitude of Israel, to every man and every woman, one loaf of bread, one piece of meat, and one raisin cake. Then all the people returned to their homes.
Psalm 24[a]
The Glory of God in Procession to Zion
1 A psalm of David.
I
The earth is the Lord’s and all it holds,(A)
the world and those who dwell in it.
2 For he founded it on the seas,
established it over the rivers.(B)
II
3 Who may go up the mountain of the Lord?(C)
Who can stand in his holy place?
4 [b]“The clean of hand and pure of heart,
who has not given his soul to useless things,
what is vain.
5 He will receive blessings from the Lord,
and justice from his saving God.
6 Such is the generation that seeks him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.”
Selah
III
7 Lift up your heads, O gates;[c]
be lifted, you ancient portals,
that the king of glory may enter.(D)
8 Who is this king of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in war.
9 Lift up your heads, O gates;
rise up, you ancient portals,
that the king of glory may enter.
10 Who is this king of glory?
The Lord of hosts, he is the king of glory.
Selah
The Father’s Plan of Salvation. 3 [a]Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,(A) who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens,[b] 4 as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him.(B) In love 5 he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will,(C) 6 for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved.(D)
Fulfillment Through Christ. 7 In him we have redemption by his blood, the forgiveness of transgressions, in accord with the riches of his grace(E) 8 that he lavished upon us. In all wisdom and insight,(F) 9 he has made known to us the mystery[c] of his will in accord with his favor that he set forth in him(G) 10 as a plan for the fullness of times, to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth.(H)
Inheritance Through the Spirit. 11 In him we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will,(I) 12 so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped[d] in Christ. 13 In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed[e] with the promised holy Spirit,(J) 14 which is the first installment[f] of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s possession, to the praise of his glory.(K)
II. Unity of the Church in Christ
The Church as Christ’s Body.[g]
14 King Herod[a] heard about it, for his fame had become widespread, and people were saying,(A) “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead; that is why mighty powers are at work in him.”(B) 15 Others were saying, “He is Elijah”; still others, “He is a prophet like any of the prophets.”(C) 16 But when Herod learned of it, he said, “It is John whom I beheaded. He has been raised up.”
The Death of John the Baptist.[b] 17 Herod was the one who had John arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married.(D) 18 John had said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”(E) 19 Herodias[c] harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so. 20 Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and kept him in custody. When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him. 21 She had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday, gave a banquet for his courtiers, his military officers, and the leading men of Galilee. 22 Herodias’s own daughter came in and performed a dance that delighted Herod and his guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you.” 23 He even swore [many things] to her, “I will grant you whatever you ask of me, even to half of my kingdom.”(F) 24 She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” She replied, “The head of John the Baptist.” 25 The girl hurried back to the king’s presence and made her request, “I want you to give me at once on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” 26 The king was deeply distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests he did not wish to break his word to her. 27 (G)So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders to bring back his head. He went off and beheaded him in the prison. 28 He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl. The girl in turn gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
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