Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Prayer for Protection against Oppressors.
A Prayer of David.
17 Hear a (A)just cause, O Lord, (B)give heed to my cry;
(C)Give ear to my prayer, which is not from (D)deceitful lips.
2 Let (E)my [a]judgment come forth from Your presence;
Let Your eyes look with (F)equity.
3 You have (G)tried my heart;
You have visited me by night;
You have (H)tested me and (I)You find [b]nothing;
I have (J)purposed that my mouth will not transgress.
4 As for the deeds of men, (K)by the word of Your lips
I have kept from the (L)paths of the violent.
5 My (M)steps have held fast to Your [c]paths.
My (N)feet have not slipped.
6 I have (O)called upon You, for You will answer me, O God;
(P)Incline Your ear to me, hear my speech.
7 (Q)Wondrously show Your lovingkindness,
O (R)Savior of those who take refuge [d]at Your right hand
From those who rise up against them.
8 Keep me as [e]the (S)apple of the eye;
Hide me (T)in the shadow of Your wings
9 From the (U)wicked who despoil me,
My (V)deadly enemies who surround me.
5 “When brothers live together and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the deceased shall not be married outside the family to a strange man. (A)Her husband’s brother shall go in to her and take her to himself as wife and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. 6 It shall be that the firstborn whom she bears shall [a]assume the name of his dead brother, so that (B)his name will not be blotted out from Israel. 7 (C)But if the man does not desire to take his brother’s wife, then his brother’s wife shall go up to the gate to the elders and say, ‘My husband’s brother refuses to establish a name for his brother in Israel; he is not willing to perform the duty of a husband’s brother to me.’ 8 Then the elders of his city shall summon him and speak to him. And if he persists and says, ‘I do not desire to take her,’ 9 (D)then his brother’s wife shall come to him in the sight of the elders, and pull his sandal off his foot and (E)spit in his face; and she shall [b]declare, ‘Thus it is done to the man who does not build up his brother’s house.’ 10 In Israel his name shall be called, ‘The house of him whose sandal is removed.’
22 They listened to him up to this statement, and then they raised their voices and said, “(A)Away with such a fellow from the earth, for (B)he should not be allowed to live!” 23 And as they were crying out and (C)throwing off their cloaks and (D)tossing dust into the air, 24 the [a]commander ordered him to be brought into (E)the barracks, stating that he should be (F)examined by scourging so that he might find out the reason why they were shouting against him that way. 25 But when they stretched him out [b]with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it [c]lawful for you to scourge (G)a man who is a Roman and uncondemned?” 26 When the centurion heard this, he went to the [d]commander and told him, saying, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman.” 27 The [e]commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” And he said, “Yes.” 28 The [f]commander answered, “I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money.” And Paul said, “But I was actually born a citizen.” 29 Therefore those who were about to (H)examine him immediately [g]let go of him; and the [h]commander also (I)was afraid when he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had [i](J)put him in chains.
30 But on the next day, (K)wishing to know for certain why he had been accused by the Jews, he (L)released him and ordered the chief priests and all (M)the [j]Council to assemble, and brought Paul down and set him before them.
Paul before the Council
23 Paul, looking intently at (N)the [k]Council, said, “(O)Brethren, (P)I have [l]lived my life with a perfectly good conscience before God up to this day.” 2 The high priest (Q)Ananias commanded those standing beside him (R)to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, (S)you whitewashed wall! Do you (T)sit to try me according to the Law, and in violation of the Law order me to be struck?” 4 But the bystanders said, “Do you revile God’s high priest?” 5 And Paul said, “I was not aware, brethren, that he was high priest; for it is written, ‘(U)You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”
6 But perceiving that one group were (V)Sadducees and the other Pharisees, Paul began crying out in (W)the [m]Council, “(X)Brethren, (Y)I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; I am on trial for (Z)the hope and resurrection of the dead!” 7 As he said this, there occurred a dissension between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 For (AA)the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. 9 And there occurred a great uproar; and some of (AB)the scribes of the Pharisaic party stood up and began to argue heatedly, saying, “(AC)We find nothing wrong with this man; (AD)suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” 10 And as a great dissension was developing, the [n]commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them and ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force, and bring him into (AE)the barracks.
11 But on (AF)the night immediately following, the Lord stood at his side and said, “(AG)Take courage; for (AH)as you have (AI)solemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.