Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

The Whole Creation Invoked to Praise the Lord.

Cities of Judah Warned

26 In the beginning of the reign of ^(A)Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the Lord, saying, ² “This is what the Lord says: ‘^(B)Stand in the courtyard of the Lord’s house, and speak to all the cities of Judah who have ^(C)come to worship in the Lord’s house ^(D)all the words that I have commanded you to speak to them. ^(E)Do not omit a word! ^3 (F)Perhaps they will listen and everyone will turn from his evil way, and ^(G)I will relent of the disaster which I am planning to inflict on them because of the evil of their deeds.’ ⁴ And you shall say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: “^(H)If you do not listen to Me, to ^(I)walk in My Law which I have set before you, ⁵ to listen to the words of ^(J)My servants the prophets, whom I have been sending to you again and again, but you have not listened; ⁶ then I will make this house like ^(K)Shiloh, and I will make this city a ^(L)curse to all the nations of the earth.”’”

A Plot to Murder Jeremiah

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

¹² Then Jeremiah spoke to all the officials and to all the people, saying, “^(A)The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that you have heard. ¹³ Now then, ^(B)reform your ways and your deeds and obey the voice of the Lord your God; and the Lord will relent of the disaster which He has pronounced against you. ¹⁴ But as for me, behold, ^(C)I am in your hands; do with me as is good and right in your sight. 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 its inhabitants; for truly the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words ^[a]so that you hear them.”

⁸ And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing 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 argued with Stephen. ¹⁰ But they were unable to ^[c]cope with his 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 and dragged him away, and brought him ^[d]before ^(G)the ^[e]Council. ¹³ They put forward ^(H)false witnesses who said, “This man does not stop ^[f]speaking against this ^(I)holy place and the Law; ¹⁴ for we have heard him say that ^(J)this Nazarene, Jesus, will destroy this place and change ^(K)the customs which Moses handed down to us.” ¹⁵ And all who were sitting in the ^[g](L)Council stared at him, and they saw his face, which was like the face of an angel.

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

Stephen Put to Death

⁵⁴ Now when they heard this, they were ^(F)infuriated, and they began gnashing their teeth at him. ⁵⁵ But he, being ^(G)full of the Holy Spirit, ^(H)looked 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 and ^(K)the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” ⁵⁷ But they shouted with loud voices, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one ^[a]mind. ⁵⁸ When they had ^(L)driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and ^(M)the witnesses ^(N)laid aside their cloaks at the feet of ^(O)a young man named Saul. ⁵⁹ They went on stoning Stephen as he ^(P)called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” ⁶⁰ Then he ^(Q)fell on his knees and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, ^(R)do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he ^[b](S)fell asleep.