Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

The Voice of Yahweh

A Psalm of David.

¹² Then the ^(A)Spirit lifted me up, and I heard a great ^(B)rumbling sound behind me, “Blessed be the glory of Yahweh ^[a]in His place.” ¹³ And I heard the sound of the wings of the living creatures touching one another and the sound of the ^(C)wheels beside them, even a great rumbling sound. ¹⁴ So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away; and I went embittered in the wrath of my spirit, and ^(D)the hand of Yahweh was strong on me. ¹⁵ Then I came to the exiles who lived beside the river Chebar at Tel-abib, and I sat there ^(E)seven days where they were living, causing ^[b]consternation among them.

^16 (F)Now it happened at the end of seven days, that the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ¹⁷ “Son of man, I have given you as a ^(G)watchman to the house of Israel; so you will hear a word from My mouth, and you shall ^(H)warn them from Me. ¹⁸ When I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his ^(I)blood I will require at your hand. ¹⁹ Yet if you have ^(J)warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have ^(K)delivered yourself. ²⁰ Again, ^(L)when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and does evil, and I put a ^(M)stumbling block before him, he will die; since you have not warned him, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. ²¹ However, if you have ^(N)warned ^[c]the righteous man that the righteous should not sin and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; and you have delivered yourself.”

Peter Confesses Jesus Is the Christ

^18 (A)And it happened that while He was ^(B)praying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them, saying, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” ¹⁹ And they answered and said, “John the Baptist, and others say Elijah, but others, that one of the prophets of old has risen again.” ²⁰ And He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered and said, “^(C)The ^[a]Christ of God.” ²¹ But He ^[b](D)warned them and directed them not to tell this to anyone, ^22 (E)saying, “^(F)The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day.”

Take Up Your Cross

²³ And He was saying to them all, “^(G)If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. ²⁴ For ^(H)whoever wishes to save his ^[c]life will lose it, but whoever loses his ^[d]life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. ²⁵ For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and ^(I)loses or forfeits himself? ^26 (J)For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. ²⁷ But I say to you truthfully, ^(K)there are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”