Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Praise Yahweh!

The Words of Yahweh Against Judah

26 In the beginning of the reign of ^(A)Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from Yahweh, saying, ² “Thus says Yahweh, ‘^(B)Stand in the court of the house of Yahweh, and you shall speak to all the cities of Judah who have ^(C)come to worship in the house of Yahweh ^(D)all the words that I have commanded you to speak to them. ^(E)Do not take away a word! ^3 (F)Perhaps they will listen and everyone will turn from his evil way, that ^(G)I may ^[a]relent of the evil which I am devising to ^[b]bring against them because of the evil of their deeds.’ ⁴ And you will say to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “^(H)If you will not listen to Me, to ^(I)walk in My law which I have given before you, ⁵ to listen to the words of ^(J)My slaves the prophets, whom I have been sending to you, rising up early and sending, but you have not listened, ⁶ then I will make this house like ^(K)Shiloh, and this city I will make a ^(L)curse to all the nations of the earth.”’”

Plot to Murder Jeremiah

⁷ The ^(M)priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of Yahweh. ⁸ Now it happened that when Jeremiah finished speaking all that Yahweh had commanded him to speak to all the people, the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him, saying, “^(N)You must surely die! ⁹ Why have you prophesied in the name of Yahweh saying, ‘This house will be like Shiloh, and this city will be ^(O)laid waste, without inhabitant’?” And ^(P)all the people gathered about Jeremiah in the house of Yahweh.

¹² Then Jeremiah spoke 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 So now, ^(B)make good your ways and your deeds and listen to the voice of Yahweh your God; and Yahweh will ^[a]relent of the evil demise which He has spoken against you. ¹⁴ But as for me, behold, ^(C)I am in your hands; do with me as is good and right in your eyes. ¹⁵ Only know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring ^(D)innocent blood on yourselves and on this city and on its inhabitants; for truly Yahweh has sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing.”

Stephen Accused of Blasphemy

⁸ And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great ^(A)wonders and ^[a]signs among the people. ⁹ But some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including both ^(B)Cyrenians and ^(C)Alexandrians, and some from ^(D)Cilicia and ^[b](E)Asia, rose up and were arguing with Stephen. ¹⁰ But they were unable to oppose the wisdom and the Spirit by whom he was speaking. ¹¹ Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” ¹² And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes, and they ^(F)came up to him, dragged him away, and brought him to ^(G)the Sanhedrin. ¹³ And they put forward ^(H)false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases speaking words against this ^(I)holy place and the Law; ¹⁴ for we have heard him say that ^(J)this Jesus the Nazarene will destroy this place and alter ^(K)the customs which Moses handed down to us.” ¹⁵ And fixing their gaze on him, all who were sitting in the ^(L)Sanhedrin saw his face like the face of an angel.

⁵¹ “You men—^(A)stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears—are always resisting the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. ^52 (B)And which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of ^(C)the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers ^(D)you have now become; ⁵³ you who received the Law as ^(E)ordained by angels, and yet did not observe it.”

Stephen Is Stoned to Death

⁵⁴ Now when they heard this, they became ^(F)furious in their hearts, and they began gnashing their teeth at him. ⁵⁵ But being ^(G)full of the Holy Spirit, he ^(H)gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing ^(I)at the right hand of God; ⁵⁶ and he said, “Behold, I see the ^(J)heavens opened up and ^(K)the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” ⁵⁷ But crying out with a loud voice, they covered their ears and rushed at him with one accord. ⁵⁸ And when they had ^(L)driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and ^(M)the witnesses ^(N)laid aside their garments at the feet of ^(O)a young man named Saul. ⁵⁹ They went on stoning Stephen as he ^(P)was calling out and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” ⁶⁰ Then ^(Q)falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, ^(R)do not hold this sin against them!” And having said this, he ^[a](S)fell asleep.