Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
David's last words
23 These are David's last words. The God that Jacob worshipped made Jesse's son David great. God chose him to rule Israel as king. He also wrote beautiful songs for the Israelites. This is David's message:
2 ‘The Spirit of the Lord gives me his message.
I speak what he tells me to say.
3 Israel's God has spoken.
The one who keeps Israel safe said to me,
“A king should rule over people in a way that is right and fair.
He should show that he respects and obeys God.
4 A king who rules like that is like the light of the sun at dawn.
He is like the sky when it has no clouds in it in the morning.
He is like bright sun after rain,
that helps the grass to grow strongly.”
5 That is how God will bless my descendants.
He has made a promise to me that will continue for ever.
It is a strong promise that will never change.
I know that he will always help me.
He will do for me everything that I hope for.
6 But God will remove all wicked people.
He will throw them away like weeds.
They are like thorn bushes
that you cannot pull out with your hands.
7 You need an iron tool or a spear to remove them.
Then you burn them completely in a fire.’
A song to sing as we climb.
The house of God
132 Lord, remember King David
and all the troubles that he suffered.
2 He made a special promise to the Lord.
He promised you, the Mighty One of Jacob.[a]
3 He said, ‘I will not go into my house or get into my bed;
4 I will not sleep even for a moment,
5 until I find a house for the Lord.
Yes, the Mighty One of Jacob needs a proper home.’[b]
6 Listen! We heard the news at Ephrathah.[c]
We found God's Covenant Box in the fields of Jaar.[d]
7 We will go to the Lord's home!
We will worship him on his throne!
8 Lord, come now and stay here, in your home!
Come with the Covenant Box that shows your great power.[e]
9 May your priests serve you in a good way.
Cause your faithful people to shout with joy!
10 Remember your servant, King David.
Do not turn away from your chosen king.[f]
11 The Lord made a strong promise to David.
He will not change what he has promised to do.
The Lord said,
‘I will put one of your sons on your throne to rule as king.
12 If your sons obey my covenant and my rules,
their descendants will rule for ever.’
13 The Lord has chosen Zion to be his home.
14 He said, ‘This is where I will live for ever.
This is where I want my home to be.
15 I will give Zion's people everything that they need.
Zion's poor people will have plenty of food to eat.
16 I will keep Zion's priests safe.
The people who serve God faithfully will shout loudly,
because they are so happy.
17 In Zion I will give strength to King David's family.
My chosen king will continue to rule well,
like a light that shines brightly.
18 I will cause his enemies to be ashamed.
But his own kingdom will be great!’
John writes to the seven churches
4 I am John. I am writing to the seven churches that are in the region of Asia. I pray that God will be very kind to you. I pray that he will give you peace in your minds. God is alive now. He has always been alive. He will continue to be alive for ever.
God will help you, and the seven spirits that are in front of his throne will help you.[a]
5 Jesus Christ will also help you. He always speaks a true message. He is the first person who became alive again after death.[b] He rules the kings of the earth.
Jesus loves us and he died for us. That is how he made us free. Because of Jesus, God will not punish us for the bad things that we have done. 6 Jesus has brought us into his family, so that we belong to God's kingdom. He has made us priests, so that we serve his God and Father.
So we praise Jesus Christ! He will always be very great! He has power for all time. Amen. This is true!
7 Look! He will come on the clouds!
At that time, everyone will see him!
Even the people who pushed a spear into his body will see him.[c]
People from all the nations on earth will be sad when they see him.
Yes, it is true! Amen!
8 The Lord God says, ‘I caused all things to begin and I will cause the end of all things. I have all power and authority. I am alive. I have always been alive. I will continue to be alive for ever.’
33 Pilate went back inside his palace. He told Jesus to come and stand in front of him. He asked Jesus, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ 34 Jesus said, ‘Is that your own idea, or have other people spoken to you about me?’ 35 Pilate replied, ‘I am not a Jew, am I? It was your own people and the leaders of your priests who brought you to me. What have you done?’
36 Jesus said, ‘My kingdom does not belong to this world. If it did, my disciples would have fought for me. They would have fought so that the Jewish leaders could not take hold of me. No, my kingdom belongs to another place.’ 37 Pilate said to him, ‘So that means you really are a king!’
Jesus answered, ‘You have said that I am a king! I was born for this reason: I came into the world to tell people the truth about God. Everyone who believes the truth listens to my message.’
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