Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Yahweh Is King Over All the Earth

¹⁶ And some of the sons of Benjamin and from Judah came to the fortress, to David. ¹⁷ And David went out to meet them^[a] and answered and said to them, “If you come in peace to me, to help me, my heart will be joined with you,^[b] but if you come to betray me to my adversaries, although there is no wrong on my hands, may the God of our fathers see and pass judgment.” ¹⁸ Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the thirty who said:

So David appointed them as heads of the troops.

¹⁹ And some Manassites deserted to David when he came with the Philistines to the battle against Saul, but he did not help them, for the rulers of the Philistines sent him away upon counsel, saying, “He will desert to his master Saul at the cost of our heads.” ²⁰ When he went to Ziklag some Manassites deserted to him: Adnah, Jehozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, heads of the thousands that were for Manasseh. ²¹ And they themselves helped David against the troops, for all of them were mighty men of strength and were commanders in the army. ²² Day in and day out^[c] they came to David to help him until there was a great army, like the army of God.

⁵ And the one seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new!” And he said, “Write, because these words are faithful and true.” ⁶ And he said to me, “It is done! I am^[a] the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the one who is thirsty I will give water from the spring of the water of life freely.^{[b] 7} The one who conquers will inherit these things, and I will be his God^[c] and he will be my son^[d]. ⁸ But as for the cowards and unbelievers and detestable persons and murderers and sexually immoral people and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their share is in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death.

A Description of the New Jerusalem

⁹ And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” ¹⁰ And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and lofty mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, ¹¹ that has the glory of God. Its radiance is like a precious stone, something like a jasper stone, shining like crystal. ¹² It has^[e] a great and high wall that has twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written on the gates which are^[f] of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel— ¹³ on the east, three gates, and on the north, three gates, and on the south, three gates, and on the west, three gates. ¹⁴ And the wall of the city has twelve foundations, and on them are twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.