Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

The Majesty of the Lord

¹⁶ Other people from the tribes of Benjamin and Judah also came to David at his stronghold. ¹⁷ David went out to meet them and said to them, “If you have come peacefully to help me, I welcome you. Join me. But if you have come to turn me over to my enemies, even though I have done nothing wrong, the God of our ancestors will see this and punish you.”

¹⁸ Then the Spirit entered Amasai, the leader of the Thirty, and he said:

So David welcomed these men and made them leaders of his army.

¹⁹ Some of the men from Manasseh also joined David when he went with the Philistines to fight Saul. But David and his men did not really help the Philistines. After talking about it, the Philistine leaders decided to send David away. They said, “If David goes back to his master Saul, we will be killed.” ²⁰ These are the men from Manasseh who joined David when he went to Ziklag: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai. Each of them was a leader of a thousand men from Manasseh. ²¹ All these men of Manasseh were brave soldiers, and they helped David fight against groups of men who went around the country robbing people. These soldiers became commanders in David’s army. ²² Every day more men joined David, and his army became large, like the army of God.

⁵ The One who was sitting on the throne said, “Look! I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this, because these words are true and can be trusted.”

⁶ The One on the throne said to me, “It is finished. I am the Alpha and the Omega,^[a] the Beginning and the End. I will give free water from the spring of the water of life to anyone who is thirsty. ⁷ Those who win the victory will receive this, and I will be their God, and they will be my children. ⁸ But cowards, those who refuse to believe, who do evil things, who kill, who sin sexually, who do evil magic, who worship idols, and who tell lies—all these will have a place in the lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

⁹ Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last troubles came to me, saying, “Come with me, and I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” ¹⁰ And the angel carried me away by the Spirit to a very large and high mountain. He showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. ¹¹ It was shining with the glory of God and was bright like a very expensive jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. ¹² The city had a great high wall with twelve gates with twelve angels at the gates, and on each gate was written the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. ¹³ There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south, and three on the west. ¹⁴ The walls of the city were built on twelve foundation stones, and on the stones were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.