Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

⁹ And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A ^(A)man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” ¹⁰ Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go ^(B)to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.

Lydia Baptized at Philippi

¹¹ Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day came to Neapolis, ¹² and from there to ^(C)Philippi, which is the ^[a]foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days. ¹³ And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. ¹⁴ Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of ^(D)Thyatira, who worshiped God. ^(E)The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. ¹⁵ And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So ^(F)she persuaded us.

An Invocation and a Doxology

To the Chief Musician. On ^[a]stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.

¹⁰ And he carried me away ^(A)in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me ^(B)the ^[a]great city, the ^[b]holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

The Glory of the New Jerusalem

^22 (A)But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. ^23 (B)The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine ^[a]in it, for the ^[b]glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. ^24 (C)And the nations ^[c]of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor ^[d]into it. ^25 (D)Its gates shall not be shut at all by day ^(E)(there shall be no night there). ^26 (F)And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into ^[e]it. ²⁷ But ^(G)there shall by no means enter it anything ^[f]that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s ^(H)Book of Life.

The River of Life

22 And he showed me ^(I)a ^[g]pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. ^2 (J)In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was ^(K)the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were ^(L)for the healing of the nations. ³ And ^(M)there shall be no more curse, ^(N)but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His ^(O)servants shall serve Him. ^4 (P)They shall see His face, and ^(Q)His name shall be on their foreheads. ^5 (R)There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor ^(S)light of the sun, for ^(T)the Lord God gives them light. ^(U)And they shall reign forever and ever.

²³ Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, ^(A)and We will come to him and make Our home with him. ²⁴ He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and ^(B)the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.

The Gift of His Peace

²⁵ “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. ²⁶ But ^(C)the ^[a]Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will ^(D)send in My name, ^(E)He will teach you all things, and bring to your ^(F)remembrance all things that I said to you. ^27 (G)Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. ²⁸ You have heard Me ^(H)say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because ^[b]I said, ^(I)‘I am going to the Father,’ for ^(J)My Father is greater than I.

²⁹ “And ^(K)now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe.

A Man Healed at the Pool of Bethesda

5 After ^(A)this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus ^(B)went up to Jerusalem. ² Now there is in Jerusalem ^(C)by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, ^[a]Bethesda, having five porches. ³ In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, ^[b]paralyzed, ^[c]waiting for the moving of the water. ⁴ For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. ⁵ Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. ⁶ When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”

⁷ The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”

⁸ Jesus said to him, ^(D)“Rise, take up your bed and walk.” ⁹ And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.

And ^(E)that day was the Sabbath.