Book of Common Prayer

By David.

A psalm by David sung at the dedication of the temple.

¹⁷ After he died, the officials of Judah bowed in front of the king with their faces touching the ground. Then the king listened to their advice. ¹⁸ They abandoned the temple of the Lord God of their ancestors and worshiped idols and the poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah. This offense of theirs brought God’s anger upon Judah and Jerusalem.

¹⁹ The Lord sent them prophets to bring them back to himself. The prophets warned them, but they wouldn’t listen. ²⁰ God’s Spirit gave Zechariah, son of the priest Jehoiada, strength. Zechariah stood in front of the people and said to them, “This is what God says: Why are you breaking the Lord’s commands? You won’t prosper that way! The Lord has abandoned you because you have abandoned him.” ²¹ But they plotted against Zechariah, and by the king’s order they stoned him to death in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple. ²² King Joash did not remember how kind Zechariah’s father, Jehoiada, had been to him. Instead, he killed Jehoiada’s son. As Zechariah died, he said, “May the Lord see ⌞this⌟ and get revenge!”

The Disciples Choose Seven Men to Help the Apostles

6 At that time, as the number of disciples grew, Greek-speaking Jews complained about the Hebrew-speaking Jews. The Greek-speaking Jews claimed that the widows among them were neglected every day when food and other assistance was distributed.

² The twelve apostles called all the disciples together and told them, “It’s not right for us to give up God’s word in order to distribute food. ³ So, brothers and sisters, choose seven men whom the people know are spiritually wise. We will put them in charge of this problem. ⁴ However, we will devote ourselves to praying and to serving in ways that are related to the word.”

⁵ The suggestion pleased the whole group. So they chose Stephen, who was a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and they chose Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, who had converted to Judaism in the city of Antioch. ⁶ The disciples had these men stand in front of the apostles, who prayed and placed their hands on these seven men.

⁷ God’s word continued to spread, and the number of disciples in Jerusalem grew very large. A large number of priests accepted the faith.

⁵⁹ While council members were executing Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, welcome my spirit.” ⁶⁰ Then he knelt down and shouted, “Lord, don’t hold this sin against them.” After he had said this, he died.

8 Saul approved of putting Stephen to death.

On that day widespread persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem. Most believers, except the apostles, were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.

² Devout men buried Stephen as they mourned loudly for him.

³ Saul tried to destroy the church. He dragged men and women out of one home after another and threw them into prison.

Some Samaritans Become Believers

⁴ The believers who were scattered went from place to place, where they spread the word. ⁵ Philip went to the city of Samaria and told people about the Messiah. ⁶ The crowds paid close attention to what Philip said. They listened to him and saw the miracles that he performed. ⁷ Evil spirits screamed as they came out of the many people they had possessed. Many paralyzed and lame people were cured. ⁸ As a result, that city was extremely happy.