¹⁸ And I, behold, I make you this day ^(A)a fortified city, ^(B)an iron pillar, and ^(C)bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. ^19 (D)They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for ^(E)I am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you.”

⁹ Like ^(A)emery harder than flint have I made your forehead. ^(B)Fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.”

¹⁶ At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. ^(A)May it not be charged against them! ¹⁷ But ^(B)the Lord stood by me and ^(C)strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and ^(D)all the Gentiles might hear it. So ^(E)I was rescued ^(F)from the lion's mouth.

⁸ Then Peter, ^(A)filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, ⁹ if we are being examined today ^(B)concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, ¹⁰ let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that ^(C)by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, ^(D)whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. ^11 (E)This Jesus^[a] is the stone that was ^(F)rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.^{[b] 12} And there is ^(G)salvation ^(H)in no one else, for ^(I)there is no other ^(J)name under heaven given among men^[c] by which we must be saved.”

^13 (K)Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.

They Have Afflicted Me from My Youth

A Song of ^(A)Ascents.