Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Let All Creation Praise Yahweh
148 Praise Yah.[a]
Praise Yahweh from the heavens;
praise him in the heights.
2 Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his hosts.[b]
3 Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all stars of light.
4 Praise him, highest heavens,[c]
and waters above the heavens.
5 Let them praise the name of Yahweh,
because he commanded and they were created.
6 And he put them in place forever and ever,
by a decree he gave that will not pass away.
7 Praise Yahweh from the earth—
great sea creatures and all deeps,
8 fire and hail, snow and cloud,[d]
stormy wind doing his bidding,[e]
9 the mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
10 beasts and all cattle,[f]
creeping things and flying birds,[g]
11 kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all judges of the earth,
12 young men and young women as well,
the old together with the young—
13 let them praise the name of Yahweh,
because his name alone is is exalted.
His splendor is above earth and heavens.
14 And he has raised high a horn for his people,
praise for all his faithful—
for the children of Israel,
a people close to him.
Praise Yah.[h]
Jeremiah Escapes Death
26 At the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, this word came from Yahweh, saying,[a] 2 “Thus says Yahweh: ‘Stand in the courtyard of the house of Yahweh, and you must speak to all the cities of Judah that come to bow in worship in the house of Yahweh all the words that I command you to speak to them. You must not omit a word. 3 Perhaps they will listen and turn back each from his evil way, and I will relent of the disaster that I am planning to do to them because of their evil deeds. 4 And you shall say to them, “Thus says Yahweh: ‘If you will not listen to me, to walk in my law that I have set[b] before you,[c] 5 to listen to the words of my servants the prophets whom I have sent to you, over and over again,[d] though you have not listened, 6 then I will make this house like Shiloh, and this city I will make a curse for all the nations of the earth.’”’”
7 And the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the temple of Yahweh. 8 And then[e] as Jeremiah finished speaking all that Yahweh had commanded him to speak to all the people, then the priests and the prophets and all the people laid hold of him, saying,[f] “You will die! 9 Why have you prophesied in the name of Yahweh, saying,[g] ‘This house will be like Shiloh, and this city will be in ruins, without[h] inhabitant’?” And all the people gathered around Jeremiah in the temple of Yahweh.
12 Then Jeremiah said to all the officials and to all the people, saying,[a] “Yahweh sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that you have heard. 13 Now therefore[b] amend your ways and your deeds, and obey the voice of Yahweh your God, and Yahweh will relent of the disaster that he has spoken over you. 14 But as for me, look, I am in your hand, do to me what is good and right in your eyes. 15 Only you must certainly know that if you put me to death, you will bring on yourselves innocent blood, and on this city and on its inhabitants, for truly[c] Yahweh sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears.”
Stephen Arrested
8 Now Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. 9 But some of those from the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called),[a] both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia,[b] stood up and[c] disputed with Stephen. 10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. 11 Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God!” 12 And they incited the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came up and[d] seized him and brought him[e] to the Sanhedrin.[f] 13 And they put forward false witnesses who said, “This man does not stop speaking words against the holy place[g] and the law! 14 For we have heard him saying that this Nazarene Jesus will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses handed down to us.” 15 And as they[h] looked intently at him, all those who were sitting in the Sanhedrin[i] saw his face was like the face of an angel.
51 “You stiff-necked people and uncircumcised in hearts and in your[a] ears! You constantly resist the Holy Spirit! As your fathers did, so also do you! 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand about the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become, 53 you who received the law by directions of angels and have not observed it!”
Stephen’s Martyrdom
54 Now when they[b] heard these things, they were infuriated in their hearts and gnashed their[c] teeth at him. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently into heaven and[d] saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” 57 But crying out with a loud voice, they stopped their ears and rushed at him with one purpose. 58 And after they[e] had driven him[f] out of the city, they began to stone[g] him,[h] and the witnesses laid aside their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And they kept on stoning Stephen as he[i] was calling out and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60 And falling to his[j] knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” And after he[k] said this, he fell asleep.[l]
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