Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 118^[a]

Thanksgiving for Salvation

Chapter 6

The Ark Brought to Jerusalem. ¹ David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand in all. ² Then he set forth with his entire force to Baalah of Judah to bring up from there the Ark of God, which bears the name of the Lord of hosts who is enthroned above the cherubim.

³ They placed the Ark of God on a new cart and brought it forth from the house of Abinadab, which stood on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart. ⁴ Uzzah walked alongside the Ark of God, with Ahio walking in front. ⁵ David and the entire house of Israel danced joyfully before the Lord with all their might, singing to the accompaniment of lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.

⁶ When they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out his hand to the Ark of God and steadied it because the oxen were stumbling. ⁷ This aroused the Lord’s anger against Uzzah because of his irreverent act, and he died there beside the Ark of God. ⁸ David became greatly upset because the Lord had vented his anger against Uzzah, and to this very day that place is called Perez-uzzah.

⁹ David greatly feared the Lord that day, and he said: “How can the Ark of the Lord be placed in my care?” ¹⁰ Therefore, he decided not to take the Ark of the Lord to be in his care in the City of David. Instead he took it to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. ¹¹ The Ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and his entire household.

¹² When King David was informed that the Lord had blessed the family of Obed-edom and everything that belonged to him because of the Ark of God, David went and brought up the Ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the City of David amid great rejoicing.

¹³ When the bearers of the Ark of the Lord had advanced six steps, David sacrificed an ox and a fattened calf. ^14 [a]Then, girded with a linen ephod, he danced before the Lord with all his might, ¹⁵ as he and all the Israelites brought up the Ark of the Lord with shouts of joy and the blowing of trumpets.

The Resurrection

Chapter 24

Jesus Rises from the Dead.^{[a] 1} At daybreak on the first day of the week, the women came to the tomb with the spices they had prepared. ² They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³ but when they went inside, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

⁴ While they stood there wondering about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes appeared at their side. ⁵ They were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look among the dead for one who is alive? ⁶ He is not here. He has been raised. Remember what he told you while he was still in Galilee: ⁷ that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners and be crucified and rise again on the third day.” ⁸ Then they recalled his words.

⁹ When they returned from the tomb, they reported all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. ¹⁰ It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. ¹¹ However, this story of theirs seemed to be nonsense, and the apostles did not believe them. ¹² Nonetheless, Peter got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he looked inside and saw only the linen cloths. Then he returned home, wondering what had occurred.