Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
11 False witnesses step forward
and question me about things I do not know.
12 They give me back evil in place of good
and leave my soul in sorrow.
13 Yet, when they were ill, I put on sackcloth[a]
and afflicted myself with fasting,
while I poured forth prayers from my heart.
14 I went about as though in grief,
as though for a friend or brother.
I bowed down in sorrow
as though lamenting for a mother.
15 But when I stumbled, they rejoiced and came together;
they came together and struck me unawares.
They slandered me without letup.
16 They mocked me with ever increasing fury
as they gnashed their teeth at me.
17 How long,[b] O Lord, will you look on?
Rescue me from these ravening beasts;
preserve my precious life from these lions.
18 I will offer you thanks in the great assembly;
I will praise you amid the vast throng.
19 Do not allow my treacherous enemies
to gloat over me;
do not permit those who hate me without reason[c]
to wink their eyes at me.
20 [d]For they do not speak words of peace,
but they contrive deceitful words
to lead astray the peaceful in the land.
21 They open wide their mouths shouting, “Aha! Aha!
We have seen it with our own eyes.”
22 You have seen, O Lord; do not be silent.
O Lord, do not be far from me.
23 Awaken and be diligent in my defense;
come to my aid, my God and my Lord.
24 [e]Defend me, O Lord, my God,
according to your righteousness,
and do not let them gloat over me.
25 Do not let them think,
“Aha! This is just what we wanted.”
Do not let them say,
“We have swallowed him up.”
26 Let all those who rejoice at my downfall
be put to shame and dismayed.
Let those who rise up arrogantly against me
be covered with shame and dishonor.
27 But let those who desire my vindication
shout for joy and be glad.
Let them cry out continually,
“Exalted be the Lord
who delights to see his servant in peace.”
28 Then my tongue shall proclaim your righteousness
and sing your praise all the day long.
The Construction and Furnishing of the Sanctuary[a]
Chapter 35
Sabbath Regulations. 1 Moses assembled the whole community of the children of Israel and said to them, “These are the things that the Lord has commanded you to do: 2 For six days you shall work, but the seventh shall be a holy day for you, a day of absolute rest, sacred to the Lord. Whoever works on that day shall be put to death. 3 You shall light no fires on the Sabbath in all of your dwellings.”
Materials for the Tabernacle. 4 Moses told the whole community of the children of Israel, “This is what the Lord has commanded you to do: 5 Take up an offering from among yourselves for the Lord. Whoever is generous, let him bring the offering to the Lord: gold, silver, and bronze, 6 blue, purple, and scarlet material, fine twisted linen, goat hair, 7 rams’ skins dyed red, sheep skins, acacia wood, 8 oil for lamps, balsam for anointing, and oil for fragrant incense, 9 onyx stones and stones for setting in the ephod and the breastplate.
10 “All the artisans among you shall come and make what the Lord has commanded: 11 the tabernacle, its tent, its covering, its hooks, its boards, its bars, its pillars, its bases; 12 the Ark and its poles, the seat of atonement, and the veil of the screen; 13 the table with its poles and all its accessories, the bread of the Presence; 14 the lampstand that provides light and its accessories, the lamps, and the oil for light; 15 the altar of incense with its poles, the anointing oil, and the fragrant incense; the screen for the door at the entrance to the tabernacle; 16 the altar of burnt offerings with its bronze grate, its poles, and all its accessories; the basin and its base; 17 the drapes for the courtyard, their columns, and their bases, and the screen for the gate of the courtyard; 18 the pegs for the tabernacle and the pegs for the courtyard and their cords; 19 the carefully prepared cloths for ministering in the sanctuary, the sacred vestments for Aaron the priest and the vestments for his sons to exercise their priesthood.”
20 All the community of the children of Israel left the presence of Moses. 21 Then those whose hearts were stirred and whose spirits moved them came and brought the Lord’s offerings to be used for the construction of the meeting tent and for all its service and for the sacred vestments. 22 Men and women came forward, those whose hearts were willing, and they brought brooches and earrings and rings and armlets, all kinds of golden objects, and each man dedicated his gold unto the Lord.
23 All those who had blue or purple or scarlet cloth, or fine linen, or goat hair, or rams’ skins dyed red, or sheep skins brought them. 24 Those who could make an offering of silver or bronze offered it to the Lord. Likewise, those who had acacia wood for some purpose brought it.
25 Furthermore, all the skilled women spun with their hands and brought the blue, purple, and scarlet cloth and the fine linen they had spun. 26 All the women whose hearts were moved by wisdom spun goat hair. 27 The leaders brought onyx stones and stones for setting in the ephod and the breastplate, 28 balsam and oil for light, oil of anointing, and fragrant incense. 29 Thus, all the men and women whose hearts moved them to bring something for the construction that the Lord had commanded them to build through Moses brought it. The children of Israel brought their freewill offerings to the Lord.
The Vision of Peter.[a] 9 About noon[b] the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while it was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He then saw heaven opened and something that looked like a large sheet descending, being lowered to the ground by its four corners. 12 In it were all kinds of four-footed animals as well as reptiles and birds of the air.
13 A voice then said to him, “Get up, Peter! Kill and eat!” 14 But Peter said, “Certainly not, Lord. For I have never eaten anything profane or unclean.” 15 The voice spoke again to him, for a second time, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” 16 This happened three times, and then immediately the object was taken up into heaven again.
17 While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision he had seen, suddenly the men who were sent by Cornelius appeared. They had asked for directions to Simon’s house, and now they were standing at the entrance 18 and inquiring whether Simon known as Peter was lodging there.
19 As Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Some men have come to see you. 20 Hurry down and go with them without any hesitation, for I have sent them.”
21 Then Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason you have come?” 22 They replied, “A centurion named Cornelius, who is greatly respected by the entire Jewish nation as an upright and Godfearing man, was directed by a holy angel to summon you to his house and to hear what you have to say.” 23 So he invited them in and gave them lodging.
The next day, he set out with them, accompanied by some of the brethren from Joppa.
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