Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
An Appeal from God to Israel
For the music director; on the Gittith. Of Asaph.[a]
81 Shout out to God our strength;
shout joyfully to the God of Jacob.
2 Lift up a song and strike[b] the tambourine,
the pleasant lyre, together with the harp.
3 Blow the horn at new moon,
at full moon, for our feast day,
4 because it is a statute for Israel,
an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
5 He made it a statute[c] in Joseph
when he went out against the land of Egypt,
where I heard a language I did not know.[d]
6 “I removed his shoulder from a burden.
His hands were freed from the basket.
7 In this[e] trouble you called, and I rescued you.
Within the secret place of thunder I answered you;
I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah
8 Hear, O my people, and I will admonish you;
O Israel, if you would but listen to me.
9 There shall be no strange god among you,
and you shall not bow down to a foreign god.
10 I am Yahweh your God,
who brought you up from the land of Egypt.
Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.
Provision of Rest from Work
12 And Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, 13 “And you, speak to the Israelites,[a] saying, ‘Surely you must keep my Sabbaths, because it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, in order to know that I am Yahweh, who consecrates you. 14 And you must keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you; defilers[b] of it will surely be put to death, because anyone who does work on it—that person will be cut off from among his people. 15 On six days work can be done, and on the seventh is a Sabbath of complete rest,[c] a holy day[d] for Yahweh; anyone doing work on the Sabbath day will surely be put to death. 16 The Israelites[e] will pay attention to the Sabbath in order to fulfill the Sabbath[f] throughout their generations as a lasting covenant. 17 It is a sign between me and the Israelites[g] forever, because in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh he ceased[h] and recovered.”[i]
18 And when he finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, he gave to Moses the two tablets of the testimony, stone tablets, written with the finger of God.
Paul Appeals to Caesar
25 Now when[a] Festus set foot in the province, after three days he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea. 2 And the chief priests and the most prominent men of the Jews brought charges against Paul to him, and were urging him, 3 asking for a favor against him, that he summon him to Jerusalem, because they[b] were preparing an ambush to do away with him along the way. 4 Then Festus replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea, and he himself was about to go there[c] in a short time. 5 So he said, “Let those among you who are prominent go down with me,[d] and[e] if there is any wrong in the man, let them bring charges against him.”
6 And after he[f] had stayed among them not more than eight or ten days, he went down to Caesarea. On the next day he sat down on the judgment seat and[g] gave orders for Paul to be brought. 7 And when[h] he arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many and serious charges that they were not able to prove, 8 while[i] Paul said in his defense, “Neither against the law of the Jews nor against the temple nor against Caesar have I sinned with reference to anything!” 9 But Festus, because he[j] wanted to do a favor for the Jews, answered and[k] said to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem to be tried before me there concerning these things?” 10 But Paul said, “I am standing before the judgment seat of Caesar, where it is necessary for me to be judged. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you also know very well. 11 If then I am doing wrong[l] and have done anything deserving death, I am not trying to avoid[m] dying. But if there is nothing true of the things which these people are accusing me, no one can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar!” 12 Then Festus, after[n] discussing this[o] with his[p] council, replied, “You have appealed to Caesar—to Caesar you will go!”
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