Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

78 O my people, listen to my teaching. Open your ears to what I am saying. ^2-3 For I will show you lessons from our history, stories handed down to us from former generations. ⁴ I will reveal these truths to you so that you can describe these glorious deeds of Jehovah to your children and tell them about the mighty miracles he did. ⁵ For he gave his laws to Israel and commanded our fathers to teach them to their children, ⁶ so that they in turn could teach their children too. Thus his laws pass down from generation to generation. ⁷ In this way each generation has been able to obey his laws and to set its hope anew on God and not forget his glorious miracles. ⁸ Thus they did not need to be as their fathers were—stubborn, rebellious, unfaithful, refusing to give their hearts to God.

¹⁷ Yet they kept on with their rebellion, sinning against the God who is above all gods. ¹⁸ They murmured and complained, demanding other food than God was giving them. ^19-20 They even spoke against God himself. “Why can’t he give us decent food as well as water?” they grumbled. ²¹ Jehovah heard them and was angry; the fire of his wrath burned against Israel ²² because they didn’t believe in God or trust in him to care for them, ²³ even though he commanded the skies to open—he opened the windows of heaven— ²⁴ and rained down manna for their food. He gave them bread from heaven! ²⁵ They ate angels’ food! He gave them all they could hold.

²⁶ And he led forth the east wind and guided the south wind by his mighty power. ²⁷ He rained down birds as thick as dust, clouds of them like sands along the shore! ²⁸ He caused the birds to fall to the ground among the tents. ²⁹ The people ate their fill. He gave them what they asked for.

26 “When you arrive in the land and have conquered it and are living there, ^2-3 you must present to the Lord at his sanctuary the first sample from each annual^[a] harvest. Bring it in a basket and hand it to the priest on duty and say to him, ‘This gift is my acknowledgment that the Lord my God has brought me to the land he promised our ancestors.’ ⁴ The priest will then take the basket from your hand and set it before the altar. ⁵ You shall then say before the Lord your God, ‘My ancestors were migrant Arameans who went to Egypt for refuge. They were few in number, but in Egypt they became a mighty nation. ^6-7 The Egyptians mistreated us and we cried to the Lord God. He heard us and saw our hardship, toil, and oppression, ⁸ and brought us out of Egypt with mighty miracles and a powerful hand. He did great and awesome miracles before the Egyptians ⁹ and has brought us to this place and given us this land “flowing with milk and honey”! ¹⁰ And now, O Lord, see, I have brought you a token of the first of the crops from the ground you have given me.’ Then place the samples before the Lord your God, and worship him. ¹¹ Afterwards, go and feast on all the good things he has given you. Celebrate with your family and with any Levites or migrants living among you.

¹² “Every third year is a year of special tithing. That year you are to give all your tithes to the Levites, migrants, orphans, and widows, so that they will be well fed. ¹³ Then you shall declare before the Lord your God, ‘I have given all of my tithes to the Levites, the migrants, the orphans, and the widows, just as you commanded me; I have not violated or forgotten any of your rules. ¹⁴ I have not touched the tithe while I was ceremonially defiled (for instance, while I was in mourning), nor have I offered any of it to the dead. I have obeyed the Lord my God and have done everything you commanded me. ¹⁵ Look down from your holy home in heaven and bless your people and the land you have given us, as you promised our ancestors; make it a land “flowing with milk and honey”!’

³⁷ These words of Peter’s moved them deeply, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”

³⁸ And Peter replied, “Each one of you must turn from sin, return to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; then you also shall receive this gift, the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ For Christ promised him to each one of you who has been called by the Lord our God, and to your children and even to those in distant lands!”

⁴⁰ Then Peter preached a long sermon, telling about Jesus and strongly urging all his listeners to save themselves from the evils of their nation. ⁴¹ And those who believed Peter were baptized—about three thousand in all! ⁴² They joined with the other believers in regular attendance at the apostles’ teaching sessions and at the Communion services^[a] and prayer meetings.

⁴³ A deep sense of awe was on them all, and the apostles did many miracles.

⁴⁴ And all the believers met together constantly and shared everything with each other, ⁴⁵ selling their possessions and dividing with those in need. ⁴⁶ They worshiped together regularly at the Temple each day, met in small groups in homes for Communion, and shared their meals with great joy and thankfulness, ⁴⁷ praising God. The whole city was favorable to them, and each day God added to them all who were being saved.