Solomon’s Dedication of the Temple

At that time Solomon assembled the elders(A) of Israel,(B) all the tribal heads(C) and the ancestral leaders of the Israelites before him at Jerusalem in order to bring the ark of the Lord’s covenant from the city of David,(D) that is Zion.(E) So all the men of Israel were assembled in the presence of King Solomon in the seventh month, the month of Ethanim,[a] at the festival.(F)

All the elders(G) of Israel came, and the priests(H) picked up the ark.(I) The priests and the Levites brought the ark of the Lord, the tent of meeting,(J) and the holy utensils that were in the tent.(K) King Solomon and the entire congregation of Israel, who had gathered around him and were with him in front of the ark, were sacrificing sheep and cattle that could not be counted or numbered, because there were so many.(L) The priests brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the most holy place(M) beneath the wings of the cherubim. For the cherubim were spreading their wings over[b] the place of the ark, so that the cherubim covered the ark and its poles from above.(N) The poles were so long that their ends were seen from the holy place in front of the inner sanctuary, but they were not seen from outside the sanctuary; they are there to this day.(O) Nothing was in the ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had put there at Horeb,[c](P) where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites when they came out of the land of Egypt.(Q)

10 When the priests came out of the holy place, the cloud filled the Lord’s temple,(R) 11 and because of the cloud, the priests were not able to continue ministering, for the glory(S) of the Lord filled the temple.

12 Then Solomon said:

The Lord said that He would dwell in thick darkness.(T)
13 I have indeed built an exalted temple(U) for You,
a place for Your dwelling forever.(V)

14 The king turned around and blessed(W) the entire congregation of Israel while they were standing. 15 He said:

May the Lord God of Israel be praised!
He spoke directly to my father David,
and He has fulfilled the promise(X) by His power.
He said,
16 “Since the day I brought My people Israel out of Egypt,(Y)
I have not chosen a city to build a temple in
among any of the tribes of Israel,
so that My name(Z) would be there.
But I have chosen David to rule My people Israel.”(AA)
17 It was in the desire of my father David
to build a temple for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel.(AB)
18 But the Lord said to my father David,
“Since it was your desire to build a temple for My name,
you have done well to have this desire.(AC)
19 Yet you are not the one to build it;
instead, your son, your own offspring,
will build it for My name.”(AD)
20 The Lord has fulfilled what He promised.
I have taken the place of my father David,(AE)
and I sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised.(AF)
I have built the temple for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel.
21 I have provided a place there for the ark,
where the Lord’s covenant is
that He made with our ancestors
when He brought them out of the land of Egypt.(AG)

Solomon’s Prayer

22 Then Solomon stood(AH) before the altar of the Lord in front of the entire congregation of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven.(AI) 23 He said:

Lord God of Israel,
there is no God like You
in heaven above or on earth below,(AJ)
keeping the gracious covenant
with Your servants who walk before You
with their whole heart.(AK)
24 You have kept what You promised
to Your servant, my father David.
You spoke directly to him
and You fulfilled Your promise by Your power
as it is today.(AL)
25 Therefore, Lord God of Israel,
keep what You promised
to Your servant, my father David:
You will never fail to have a man
to sit before Me on the throne of Israel,(AM)
if only your sons guard their walk before Me
as you have walked before Me.(AN)
26 Now Lord[d] God of Israel,
please confirm what You promised
to Your servant, my father David.(AO)

27 But will God indeed live on earth?
Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain You,
much less this temple I have built.(AP)
28 Listen[e] to Your servant’s prayer and his petition,(AQ)
Lord my God,
so that You may hear the cry and the prayer
that Your servant prays before You today,
29 so that Your eyes may watch over this temple night and day,(AR)
toward the place where You said:
My name will be there,(AS)
and so that You may hear the prayer
that Your servant prays toward this place.
30 Hear the petition of Your servant(AT)
and Your people Israel,
which they pray toward this place.(AU)
May You hear in Your dwelling place in heaven.
May You hear and forgive.

31 When a man sins against his neighbor
and is forced to take an oath,[f](AV)
and he comes to take an oath
before Your altar in this temple,
32 may You hear in heaven and act.
May You judge Your servants,
condemning the wicked man by bringing
what he has done on his own head
and providing justice for the righteous
by rewarding him according to his righteousness.(AW)

33 When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy,
because they have sinned against You,(AX)
and they return to You and praise Your name,
and they pray and plead with You
for mercy in this temple,
34 may You hear in heaven
and forgive the sin of Your people Israel.
May You restore them to the land
You gave their ancestors.(AY)

35 When the skies are shut and there is no rain,
because they have sinned against You,(AZ)
and they pray toward this place
and praise Your name,
and they turn from their sins
because You are afflicting them,(BA)
36 may You hear in heaven
and forgive the sin of Your servants
and Your people Israel,
so that You may teach them the good way
they should walk in.(BB)
May You send rain on Your land
that You gave Your people for an inheritance.(BC)

37 When there is famine on the earth,
when there is pestilence,
when there is blight, mildew, locust, or grasshopper,(BD)
when their enemy besieges them
in the region of their fortified cities,[g]
when there is any plague or illness,
38 whatever prayer or petition
anyone from Your people Israel might have—
each man knowing his own afflictions[h](BE)
and spreading out his hands toward this temple(BF)
39 may You hear in heaven, Your dwelling place,
and may You forgive, act, and repay the man,
according to all his ways, since You know his heart,
for You alone know every human heart,(BG)
40 so that they may fear(BH) You
all the days they live on the land(BI)
You gave our ancestors.

41 Even for the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel
but has come from a distant land(BJ)
because of Your name—
42 for they will hear of Your great name,
mighty hand,(BK) and outstretched arm,
and will come(BL) and pray toward this temple—
43 may You hear in heaven, Your dwelling place,
and do according to all the foreigner asks You for.
Then all the people on earth will know(BM) Your name,
to fear You as Your people Israel do
and know that this temple I have built
is called by Your name.

44 When Your people go out to fight against their enemies,[i]
wherever You send them,
and they pray to Yahweh
in the direction of the city You have chosen(BN)
and the temple I have built for Your name,
45 may You hear their prayer and petition in heaven
and uphold their cause.(BO)

46 When they sin against You—
for there is no one who does not sin(BP)
and You are angry with them
and hand them over to the enemy,
and their captors deport them to the enemy’s country(BQ)
whether distant or nearby—
47 and when they come to their senses[j]
in the land where they were deported
and repent and petition You in their captors’ land:
“We have sinned and done wrong;
we have been wicked,”(BR)
48 and when they return to You with their whole mind and heart
in the land of their enemies who took them captive,(BS)
and when they pray to You in the direction of their land
that You gave their ancestors,
the city You have chosen,(BT)
and the temple I have built for Your name,
49 may You hear in heaven, Your dwelling place,
their prayer and petition and uphold their cause.
50 May You forgive Your people
who sinned against You
and all their rebellions[k] against You,
and may You give them compassion
in the eyes of their captors,
so that they may be compassionate to them.(BU)
51 For they are Your people and Your inheritance;(BV)
You brought them out of Egypt,
out of the middle of an iron furnace.(BW)
52 May Your eyes be open to Your servant’s petition
and to the petition of Your people Israel,
listening to them whenever they call to You.
53 For You, Lord God, have set them apart as Your inheritance
from all the people on earth,
as You spoke through Your servant Moses
when You brought their ancestors out of Egypt.(BX)

Solomon’s Blessing

54 When Solomon finished praying this entire prayer and petition to the Lord, he got up from kneeling before the altar of the Lord, with his hands spread out toward heaven,(BY) 55 and he stood and blessed the whole congregation of Israel(BZ) with a loud voice: 56 “May the Lord be praised! He has given rest(CA) to His people Israel according to all He has said. Not one of all the good promises He made through His servant Moses has failed.(CB) 57 May the Lord our God be with us as He was with our ancestors. May He not abandon us or leave us(CC) 58 so that He causes us to be devoted[l] to Him,(CD) to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commands, statutes, and ordinances, which He commanded our ancestors. 59 May my words I have made my petition with before the Lord be near the Lord our God day and night, so that He may uphold His servant’s cause and the cause of His people Israel, as each day requires,(CE) 60 and so that all the peoples of the earth may know that Yahweh is God. There is no other!(CF) 61 Let your heart be completely devoted to the Lord our God(CG) to walk in His statutes and to keep His commands, as it is today.”

62 The king and all Israel with him were offering sacrifices in the Lord’s presence. 63 Solomon offered a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to the Lord: 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep.(CH) In this manner the king and all the Israelites dedicated(CI) the Lord’s temple.(CJ)

64 On the same day, the king consecrated the middle of the courtyard that was in front of the Lord’s temple because that was where he offered the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the fat of the fellowship offerings(CK) since the bronze altar before the Lord was too small to accommodate the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat of the fellowship offerings.(CL)

65 Solomon and all Israel with him—a great assembly, from the entrance of Hamath[m](CM) to the Brook of Egypt(CN)—observed the festival at that time(CO) in the presence of the Lord our God, seven days, and seven more days—14 days.[n](CP) 66 On the fifteenth day[o] he sent the people away. So they blessed the king and went home to their tents rejoicing and with joyful hearts for all the goodness that the Lord had done for His servant David and for His people Israel.(CQ)

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 8:2 = September–October
  2. 1 Kings 8:7 LXX; MT reads toward
  3. 1 Kings 8:9 = Sinai
  4. 1 Kings 8:26 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Tg, Vg, 2Ch 6:16; other Hb mss omit Lord
  5. 1 Kings 8:28 Lit Turn
  6. 1 Kings 8:31 Lit and he lifts a curse against him to curse him
  7. 1 Kings 8:37 Lit besieges him in the land of his gates
  8. 1 Kings 8:38 Lit knowing in his heart of a plague
  9. 1 Kings 8:44 Some Hb mss, some ancient versions, 2Ch 6:34; other Hb mss read enemy
  10. 1 Kings 8:47 Lit they return to their heart
  11. 1 Kings 8:50 Lit rebellions that they have rebelled
  12. 1 Kings 8:58 Lit causes our hearts to be inclined
  13. 1 Kings 8:65 Or from Lebo-hamath
  14. 1 Kings 8:65 Temple dedication lasted seven days, and the Festival of Tabernacles lasted seven days.
  15. 1 Kings 8:66 Lit the eighth day

The Ark Brought to the Temple(A)

Then King Solomon summoned into his presence at Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs(B) of the Israelite families, to bring up the ark(C) of the Lord’s covenant from Zion, the City of David.(D) All the Israelites came together to King Solomon at the time of the festival(E) in the month of Ethanim, the seventh month.(F)

When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the priests(G) took up the ark, and they brought up the ark of the Lord and the tent of meeting(H) and all the sacred furnishings in it. The priests and Levites(I) carried them up, and King Solomon and the entire assembly of Israel that had gathered about him were before the ark, sacrificing(J) so many sheep and cattle that they could not be recorded or counted.

The priests then brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant(K) to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place,(L) and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim.(M) The cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and overshadowed(N) the ark and its carrying poles. These poles were so long that their ends could be seen from the Holy Place in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are still there today.(O) There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets(P) that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.

10 When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud(Q) filled the temple of the Lord. 11 And the priests could not perform their service(R) because of the cloud, for the glory(S) of the Lord filled his temple.

12 Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud;(T) 13 I have indeed built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to dwell(U) forever.”

14 While the whole assembly of Israel was standing there, the king turned around and blessed(V) them. 15 Then he said:

“Praise be to the Lord,(W) the God of Israel, who with his own hand has fulfilled what he promised with his own mouth to my father David. For he said, 16 ‘Since the day I brought my people Israel out of Egypt,(X) I have not chosen a city in any tribe of Israel to have a temple built so that my Name(Y) might be there, but I have chosen(Z) David(AA) to rule my people Israel.’

17 “My father David had it in his heart(AB) to build a temple(AC) for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 18 But the Lord said to my father David, ‘You did well to have it in your heart to build a temple for my Name. 19 Nevertheless, you(AD) are not the one to build the temple, but your son, your own flesh and blood—he is the one who will build the temple for my Name.’(AE)

20 “The Lord has kept the promise he made: I have succeeded(AF) David my father and now I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the Lord promised, and I have built(AG) the temple for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 21 I have provided a place there for the ark, in which is the covenant of the Lord that he made with our ancestors when he brought them out of Egypt.”

Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication(AH)

22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands(AI) toward heaven 23 and said:

Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like(AJ) you in heaven above or on earth below—you who keep your covenant of love(AK) with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. 24 You have kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled it—as it is today.

25 “Now Lord, the God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father the promises(AL) you made to him when you said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants are careful in all they do to walk before me faithfully as you have done.’ 26 And now, God of Israel, let your word that you promised(AM) your servant David my father come true.

27 “But will God really dwell(AN) on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven,(AO) cannot contain(AP) you. How much less this temple I have built! 28 Yet give attention to your servant’s prayer and his plea for mercy, Lord my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day. 29 May your eyes be open(AQ) toward(AR) this temple night and day, this place of which you said, ‘My Name(AS) shall be there,’ so that you will hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place. 30 Hear the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray(AT) toward this place. Hear(AU) from heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.(AV)

31 “When anyone wrongs their neighbor and is required to take an oath and they come and swear the oath(AW) before your altar in this temple, 32 then hear from heaven and act. Judge between your servants, condemning the guilty by bringing down on their heads what they have done, and vindicating the innocent by treating them in accordance with their innocence.(AX)

33 “When your people Israel have been defeated(AY) by an enemy because they have sinned(AZ) against you, and when they turn back to you and give praise to your name, praying and making supplication to you in this temple,(BA) 34 then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them back to the land you gave to their ancestors.

35 “When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain(BB) because your people have sinned(BC) against you, and when they pray toward this place and give praise to your name and turn from their sin because you have afflicted them, 36 then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Teach(BD) them the right way(BE) to live, and send rain(BF) on the land you gave your people for an inheritance.

37 “When famine(BG) or plague(BH) comes to the land, or blight(BI) or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers,(BJ) or when an enemy besieges them in any of their cities, whatever disaster or disease may come, 38 and when a prayer or plea is made by anyone among your people Israel—being aware of the afflictions of their own hearts, and spreading out their hands(BK) toward this temple— 39 then hear(BL) from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive(BM) and act; deal with everyone according to all they do, since you know(BN) their hearts (for you alone know every human heart), 40 so that they will fear(BO) you all the time they live in the land(BP) you gave our ancestors.

41 “As for the foreigner(BQ) who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your name— 42 for they will hear(BR) of your great name and your mighty hand(BS) and your outstretched arm—when they come and pray toward this temple, 43 then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know(BT) your name and fear(BU) you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name.(BV)

44 “When your people go to war against their enemies, wherever you send them, and when they pray(BW) to the Lord toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name, 45 then hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause.(BX)

46 “When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin(BY)—and you become angry with them and give them over to their enemies, who take them captive(BZ) to their own lands, far away or near; 47 and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead(CA) with you in the land of their captors and say, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly’;(CB) 48 and if they turn back(CC) to you with all their heart(CD) and soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive, and pray(CE) to you toward the land you gave their ancestors, toward the city you have chosen and the temple(CF) I have built for your Name;(CG) 49 then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause. 50 And forgive your people, who have sinned against you; forgive all the offenses they have committed against you, and cause their captors to show them mercy;(CH) 51 for they are your people and your inheritance,(CI) whom you brought out of Egypt, out of that iron-smelting furnace.(CJ)

52 “May your eyes be open(CK) to your servant’s plea and to the plea of your people Israel, and may you listen to them whenever they cry out to you.(CL) 53 For you singled them out from all the nations of the world to be your own inheritance,(CM) just as you declared through your servant Moses when you, Sovereign Lord, brought our ancestors out of Egypt.”

54 When Solomon had finished all these prayers and supplications to the Lord, he rose from before the altar of the Lord, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven. 55 He stood and blessed(CN) the whole assembly of Israel in a loud voice, saying:

56 “Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest(CO) to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises(CP) he gave through his servant Moses. 57 May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our ancestors; may he never leave us nor forsake(CQ) us. 58 May he turn our hearts(CR) to him, to walk in obedience to him and keep the commands, decrees and laws he gave our ancestors. 59 And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, that he may uphold the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel according to each day’s need, 60 so that all the peoples(CS) of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is no other.(CT) 61 And may your hearts(CU) be fully committed(CV) to the Lord our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time.”

The Dedication of the Temple(CW)

62 Then the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifices(CX) before the Lord. 63 Solomon offered a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to the Lord: twenty-two thousand cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the Israelites dedicated(CY) the temple of the Lord.

64 On that same day the king consecrated the middle part of the courtyard in front of the temple of the Lord, and there he offered burnt offerings, grain offerings and the fat(CZ) of the fellowship offerings, because the bronze altar(DA) that stood before the Lord was too small to hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings.(DB)

65 So Solomon observed the festival(DC) at that time, and all Israel with him—a vast assembly, people from Lebo Hamath(DD) to the Wadi of Egypt.(DE) They celebrated it before the Lord our God for seven days and seven days more, fourteen days in all. 66 On the following day he sent the people away. They blessed the king and then went home, joyful and glad in heart for all the good(DF) things the Lord had done for his servant David and his people Israel.

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Resisting the Holy Spirit

51 “You stiff-necked(A) people with uncircumcised hearts and ears!(B) You are always resisting the Holy Spirit; as your ancestors did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute?(C) They even killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers(D) you have now become. 53 You received the law under the direction of angels(E) and yet have not kept it.”

The First Christian Martyr

54 When they heard these things, they were enraged in their hearts[a] and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen, filled by the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven. He saw God’s glory, with[b] Jesus standing at the right hand of God,(F) and he said, 56 “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”(G)

57 Then they screamed at the top of their voices, covered their ears, and together rushed against him. 58 They threw him out of the city and began to stone(H) him. And the witnesses laid their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul.(I) 59 They were stoning Stephen as he called out: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”(J) 60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice,(K) “Lord, do not charge them with this sin!” And saying this, he fell asleep.(L)

Saul the Persecutor

Saul agreed with putting him to death.

On that day a severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the land of Judea and Samaria.(M) Devout men buried Stephen and mourned deeply over him. Saul,(N) however, was ravaging the church. He would enter house after house, drag off men and women, and put them in prison.(O)

Philip in Samaria

So those who were scattered went on their way preaching the message of good news. Philip went down to a[c] city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to them.(P) The crowds paid attention with one mind to what Philip said, as they heard and saw the signs he was performing. For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed, and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.(Q) So there was great joy in that city.

The Response of Simon

A man named Simon had previously practiced sorcery in that city and astounded the Samaritan people, while claiming to be somebody great.(R) 10 They all paid attention to him, from the least of them to the greatest, and they said, “This man is called the Great Power of God!”[d](S) 11 They were attentive to him because he had astounded them with his sorceries for a long time. 12 But when they believed Philip, as he preached the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized.(T) 13 Then even Simon himself believed. And after he was baptized, he went around constantly with[e] Philip and was astounded as he observed the signs and great miracles(U) that were being performed.

Footnotes

  1. Acts 7:54 Or were cut to the quick
  2. Acts 7:55 Lit and
  3. Acts 8:5 Other mss read the
  4. Acts 8:10 Or This is the power of God called Great
  5. Acts 8:13 Or he kept close company with

51 “You stiff-necked people!(A) Your hearts(B) and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! 52 Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute?(C) They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him(D) 53 you who have received the law that was given through angels(E) but have not obeyed it.”

The Stoning of Stephen

54 When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious(F) and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit,(G) looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.(H) 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open(I) and the Son of Man(J) standing at the right hand of God.”

57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city(K) and began to stone him.(L) Meanwhile, the witnesses(M) laid their coats(N) at the feet of a young man named Saul.(O)

59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”(P) 60 Then he fell on his knees(Q) and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”(R) When he had said this, he fell asleep.(S)

And Saul(T) approved of their killing him.

The Church Persecuted and Scattered

On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered(U) throughout Judea and Samaria.(V) Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul(W) began to destroy the church.(X) Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.

Philip in Samaria

Those who had been scattered(Y) preached the word wherever they went.(Z) Philip(AA) went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many,(AB) and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed.(AC) So there was great joy in that city.

Simon the Sorcerer

Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery(AD) in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great,(AE) 10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.”(AF) 11 They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. 12 But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God(AG) and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized,(AH) both men and women. 13 Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles(AI) he saw.

Psalm 129

Protection of the Oppressed

A song of ascents.

Since my youth they have often attacked me—
let Israel say—
Since my youth they have often attacked me,
but they have not prevailed against me.(A)
Plowmen plowed over my back;
they made their furrows long.(B)
The Lord is righteous;
He has cut the ropes of the wicked.(C)

Let all who hate Zion
be driven back in disgrace.(D)
Let them be like grass on the rooftops,
which withers before it grows up[a](E)
and can’t even fill the hands of the reaper
or the arms of the one who binds sheaves.(F)
Then none who pass by will say,
“May the Lord’s blessing be on you.”

We bless you in the name of Yahweh.(G)

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 129:6 Or it can be pulled out

Psalm 129

A song of ascents.

“They have greatly oppressed(A) me from my youth,”(B)
    let Israel say;(C)
“they have greatly oppressed me from my youth,
    but they have not gained the victory(D) over me.
Plowmen have plowed my back
    and made their furrows long.
But the Lord is righteous;(E)
    he has cut me free(F) from the cords of the wicked.”(G)

May all who hate Zion(H)
    be turned back in shame.(I)
May they be like grass on the roof,(J)
    which withers(K) before it can grow;
a reaper cannot fill his hands with it,(L)
    nor one who gathers fill his arms.
May those who pass by not say to them,
    “The blessing of the Lord be on you;
    we bless you(M) in the name of the Lord.”

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17 Better a dry crust with peace
than a house full of feasting with strife.(A)

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17 Better a dry crust with peace and quiet
    than a house full of feasting, with strife.(A)

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