Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 20
For the music leader. A psalm of David.
20 I pray that the Lord answers you
whenever you are in trouble.
Let the name of Jacob’s God protect you.
2 Let God send help to you from the sanctuary
and support you from Zion.
3 Let God recall your many grain offerings;
let him savor your entirely burned offerings. Selah
4 Let God grant what is in your heart
and fulfill all your plans.
5 Then we will rejoice that you’ve been helped.
We will fly our flags in the name of our God.
Let the Lord fulfill all your requests!
6 Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed one;
God answers his anointed one
from his heavenly sanctuary,
answering with mighty acts of salvation
achieved by his strong hand.
7 Some people trust in chariots, others in horses;
but we praise the Lord’s name.
8 They will collapse and fall,
but we will stand up straight and strong.
9 Lord, save the king!
Let him answer us when we cry out!
Moses sets up the dwelling
40 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 Set up the meeting tent dwelling on the first day of the first month.[a] 3 Place the chest containing the covenant inside the dwelling. Hide the chest from view with the veil. 4 Bring in the table and arrange its items. Bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps. 5 Place the gold altar for burning incense in front of the chest containing the covenant. Set up the screen at the dwelling’s entrance. 6 Put the altar for entirely burned offerings in front of the entrance to the meeting tent dwelling. 7 Put the washbasin between the meeting tent and the altar and put water in it. 8 Set up the courtyard all around. Hang up the screen at the courtyard gate. 9 Then take the anointing oil and anoint the dwelling and everything in it. Make holy the dwelling and all its equipment, and it will be holy. 10 Anoint the altar for entirely burned offerings and all its equipment. Make the altar holy, and the altar will be most holy. 11 Anoint the washbasin with its stand and make it holy.
12 Then bring Aaron and his sons to the meeting tent’s entrance and wash them with water. 13 Dress Aaron in the holy clothes. Anoint him and make him holy so that he may serve me as priest. 14 Then bring his sons and dress them in tunics. 15 Anoint them like you anointed their father so that they may serve me as priests. Their anointing is to the priesthood for all time in every generation.
Second summary of the message
19 Brothers and sisters, we have confidence that we can enter the holy of holies by means of Jesus’ blood, 20 through a new and living way that he opened up for us through the curtain, which is his body, 21 and we have a great high priest over God’s house.
22 Therefore, let’s draw near with a genuine heart with the certainty that our faith gives us, since our hearts are sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies are washed with pure water.
23 Let’s hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, because the one who made the promises is reliable.
24 And let us consider each other carefully for the purpose of sparking love and good deeds. 25 Don’t stop meeting together with other believers, which some people have gotten into the habit of doing. Instead, encourage each other, especially as you see the day drawing near.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible