Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
148 Halleluyah!
Praise Adonai from the heavens!
Praise him in the heights!
2 Praise him, all his angels!
Praise him, all his armies!
3 Praise him, sun and moon!
Praise him, all shining stars!
4 Praise him, highest heaven,
and waters above the heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of Adonai;
for he commanded, and they were created.
6 He established them forever and ever;
he has given a law to which they must conform.
7 Praise Adonai from the earth,
sea monsters and watery depths,
8 fire and hail, snow and mist,
storm-winds that obey his word,
9 mountains and every hill,
fruit trees and all cedars,
10 wild animals and all livestock,
creeping reptiles, flying birds,
11 kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers on earth,
12 young men and women alike,
old men and children.
13 Let them praise the name of Adonai,
for his name alone is exalted;
his glory is above both earth and heaven.
14 He has increased the power of his people,
granted praise to all his faithful,
to the descendants of Isra’el,
a people close to him.
Halleluyah!
26 At the beginning of the reign of Y’hoyakim the son of Yoshiyahu, king of Y’hudah, this word came from Adonai: 2 “Adonai says: ‘Stand in the courtyard of Adonai’s house and speak to the people from all the cities in Y’hudah who come to worship at Adonai’s house; say everything I order you to say to them, and don’t leave out a word. 3 Maybe they will listen, and each of them turn from his evil way; then I will be able to relent from the disaster I intend to bring on them because of how evil their deeds are. 4 So tell them that this is what Adonai says: “If you will not pay attention to me and live according to my Torah, which I have given you, 5 and listen to what my servants the prophets, whom I send to you, say — I have sent them frequently, but you haven’t listened — 6 then I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city an object of cursing for all the nations of the earth.”’”
7 The cohanim, the prophets and all the people heard Yirmeyahu speaking these words in the house of Adonai. 8 When Yirmeyahu had finished saying everything Adonai had ordered him to say to all the people, the cohanim, prophets and all the people seized him, shouting, “You will die for this! 9 Why have you prophesied in the name of Adonai, ‘This house will become like Shiloh,’ and, ‘This city will become uninhabited ruins’?” The people all crowded in on Yirmeyahu in Adonai’s house.
12 Then Yirmeyahu said to the officials and all the people, “Adonai sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words you have heard. 13 Therefore now, improve your ways and your doings; and listen to the voice of Adonai your God; then Adonai will relent from the disaster he has decreed against you. 14 But as for me, here, I am in your hands; do with me whatever seems good and right to you. 15 Only know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood on yourselves, on this city and on its inhabitants; because the fact is that Adonai sent me to you to speak all these words, so that you could hear them.”
8 Now Stephen, full of grace and power, performed great miracles and signs among the people. 9 But opposition arose from members of the Synagogue of the Freed Slaves (as it was called), composed of Cyrenians, Alexandrians and people from Cilicia and the province of Asia. They argued with Stephen, 10 but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by which he spoke.
11 So they secretly persuaded some men to allege, “We heard him speak blasphemously against Moshe and against God.” 12 They stirred up the people, as well as the elders and the Torah-teachers; so they came and arrested him and led him before the Sanhedrin. 13 There they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never stops speaking against this holy place and against the Torah; 14 for we have heard him say that Yeshua from Natzeret will destroy this place and will change the customs Moshe handed down to us.”
15 Everyone sitting in the Sanhedrin stared at Stephen and saw that his face looked like the face of an angel.
51 “Stiffnecked people,[a] with uncircumcised hearts and ears![b] You continually oppose the Ruach HaKodesh![c] You do the same things your fathers did! 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who told in advance about the coming of the Tzaddik, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers! — 53 you! — who receive the Torah as having been delivered by angels — but do not keep it!”
54 On hearing these things, they were cut to their hearts and ground their teeth at him. 55 But he, full of the Ruach HaKodesh, looked up to heaven and saw God’s Sh’khinah, with Yeshua standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look!” he exclaimed, “I see heaven opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”[d]
57 At this, they began yelling at the top of their voices, so that they wouldn’t have to hear him; and with one accord, they rushed at him, 58 threw him outside the city and began stoning him. And the witnesses laid down their coats at the feet of a young man named Sha’ul.
59 As they were stoning him, Stephen called out to God, “Lord Yeshua! Receive my spirit!” 60 Then he kneeled down and shouted out, “Lord! Don’t hold this sin against them!” With that, he died;
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.