Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
(By David.)
Praise the Lord with All Your Heart
1 With all my heart
I praise you, Lord.
In the presence of angels[a]
I sing your praises.
2 I worship at your holy temple
and praise you for your love
and your faithfulness.
You were true to your word
and made yourself more famous
than ever before.[b]
3 When I asked for your help,
you answered my prayer
and gave me courage.[c]
4 All kings on this earth
have heard your promises, Lord,
and they will praise you.
5 You are so famous
that they will sing about
the things you have done.
6 Though you are above us all,
you care for humble people,
and you keep a close watch
on everyone who is proud.
7 I am surrounded by trouble,
but you protect me
against my angry enemies.
With your own powerful arm
you keep me safe.
8 You, Lord, will always
treat me with kindness.
Your love never fails.
You have made us what we are.
Don't give up on us now![d]
Joshua Is Appointed Israel's Leader
(Deuteronomy 31.1-8)
12 (A) The Lord said to Moses, “One day you will go up into the Abarim Mountains, and from there you will see the land I am giving the Israelites. 13 After you have seen it, you will die,[a] just like your brother Aaron, 14 because both of you disobeyed me at Meribah near the town of Kadesh in the Zin Desert. When the Israelites insulted me there, you didn't believe in my holy power.”[b]
15 Moses replied, 16 “You are the Lord God, and you know what is in everyone's heart. So I ask you to appoint a leader for Israel. 17 (B) Your people need someone to lead them into battle, or else they will be like sheep wandering around without a shepherd.”
18 (C) The Lord answered, “Joshua son of Nun can do the job. Place your hands on him to show that he is the one to take your place. 19 Then go with him and tell him to stand in front of Eleazar the priest and the Israelites. Appoint Joshua as their new leader 20 and tell them they must now obey him, just as they obey you. 21 (D) But Joshua must depend on Eleazar to find out from me[c] what I want him to do as he leads Israel into battle.”
22 Moses followed the Lord's instructions and took Joshua to Eleazar and the people, 23 (E) then he placed his hands on Joshua and appointed him Israel's leader.
Saul in Jerusalem
26 When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to join the followers. But they were all afraid of him, because they did not believe he was a true follower. 27 Then Barnabas helped him by taking him to the apostles. He explained how Saul had seen the Lord and how the Lord had spoken to him. Barnabas also said when Saul was in Damascus, he had spoken bravely in the name of Jesus.
28 Saul moved about freely with the followers in Jerusalem and told everyone about the Lord. 29 He was always arguing with the Jews who spoke Greek, and so they tried to kill him. 30 But the followers found out about this and took Saul to Caesarea. From there they sent him to the city of Tarsus.
31 The church in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria now had a time of peace and kept on worshiping the Lord. The church became stronger, as the Holy Spirit encouraged it and helped it grow.
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