Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Psalm of David.
1 ¶ The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside the still waters.
3 He restores my soul: he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff shall comfort me.
5 Thou shalt prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; thou hast anointed my head with oil; my cup is running over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will rest in the house of the LORD for ever.
11 ¶ And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me through the east gate of the LORD’s house, which looks eastward; and behold at the entrance of the gate twenty-five men; among whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azur and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.
2 Then said he unto me, Son of man, these are the men that devise mischief and give wicked counsel in this city:
3 who say, It is not near; let us build houses; these shall be the caldron, and we the flesh.
4 Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man.
5 And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me and said unto me, Say: Thus hath the LORD said, Thus have ye said, O house of Israel: for I have understood the things that come up into your spirit.
6 Ye have multiplied your slain in this city, and ye have filled the streets thereof with the slain.
7 Therefore thus hath the Lord GOD said; Your slain whom ye have laid in the midst of it, they are the flesh, and it is the caldron; but I will bring you forth out of the midst of it.
8 Ye have feared the sword, and I will bring a sword upon you, said the Lord GOD.
9 And I will bring you out of the midst thereof and deliver you into the hands of strangers and will execute judgments in you.
10 Ye shall fall by the sword; I will judge you in the border of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
11 This city shall not be your caldron, neither shall ye be the flesh in the midst thereof; but I must judge you in the border of Israel:
12 And ye shall know that I am the LORD; for ye have not walked in my statutes, neither have ye acted according to my judgments, but according to the judgments of the Gentiles that are round about you.
13 And it came to pass, as I was prophesying that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then I fell down upon my face and cried with a loud voice and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?
14 ¶ And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
15 Son of man, thy brethren, even thy brethren, the men of thy kindred, and all the house of Israel together, are they unto whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, Get you far from the LORD; unto us is this land given in possession.
16 Therefore say, Thus hath the Lord GOD said: Although I have cast them far off among the Gentiles and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet I will be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come.
17 Therefore say, Thus hath the Lord GOD said: I will even gather you from the peoples, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.
18 And they shall come there, and they shall remove all her contaminations and all her abominations from her.
19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh and will give them a heart of flesh:
20 that they may walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and fulfil them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.
21 But as for those whose heart walks after the desire of their contaminations and of their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads, said the Lord GOD.
22 ¶ Then the cherubim lifted up their wings and the wheels after them; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.
23 And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city.
24 Afterwards the Spirit took me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into the land of the Chaldeans to the captives. So the vision that I had seen went up from me.
25 Then I spoke unto the captives all the words of the LORD that he had showed me.
5 ¶ And I saw in the right hand of him that was seated on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
2 And I saw a strong angel preaching with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book and to loose its seals?
3 And no one was able not in the heaven nor in the earth neither under the earth to open the book neither to look upon it.
4 And I wept much because no one was found worthy to open the book nor to read it neither to look upon it.
5 And one of the elders said unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, who has overcome to open the book and to loose its seven seals.
6 ¶ And I saw, and, behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four animals and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that was seated upon the throne.
8 And when he had taken the book, the four animals and the twenty-four elders fell on their faces before the Lamb, each one of them having harps, and golden vials full of incense, which are the prayers of saints.
9 And they sang a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book and to open its seals, for thou wast slain and hast redeemed us unto God by thy blood, out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation
10 and hast made us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth.
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