Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

⁵⁵ But Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit. He looked at the sky and saw the greatness of God. He saw Jesus standing at God's right side.

⁵⁶ `Look,' he said, `I see the sky open. I see the Son of man standing at God's right hand side.'

⁵⁷ Then the men shouted. They put their fingers in their ears. All together they ran at Stephen.

⁵⁸ They put him out of the city and threw stones at him. (Those who had talked against him laid their clothes down by the feet of a young man named Saul.)

⁵⁹ They kept on throwing stones at Stephen. He spoke to God and said, `Oh, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.'

⁶⁰ Then he kneeled down and said in a loud voice, `Lord, do not punish them for this wrong thing they are doing,' After he said this, he died.

² Babies who have just been born want milk very much. In the same way, you should want God's word. That is like good milk. It will make you grow up so that you will then be fully saved.

³ You should want God's word if you have already tasted and know that the Lord is good.

⁴ Come to the Lord Jesus. He is like a living stone. People did not want to use it. But God chose it. It was worth very much to him.

⁵ You also are like living stones. You are being built into a temple, a holy place for God. You are to be holy priests there. You are to give sacrifices to God from your heart. God will accept them because of Jesus Christ.

⁶ The holy writings say, `Listen, I am placing a stone in Zion. It is the main stone of the house. I have chosen it and it is worth very much. Anyone who believes in him will not be ashamed.'

⁷ He is worth very much to you who believe in him. But some people do not believe in him. To them he is, `the stone that the men who were building would not use. But now it is the chief stone at the corner.'

⁸ And to them he is also, `a stone on which people will hit their feet, and a rock that will make them fall down.' They hit their feet on it, because they do not obey the word. It was planned that this would happen to them!

⁹ But you are a chosen people. You are priests to your king. You are a holy nation. You are God's very own people. All this is so that you will tell how good he is. He called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

¹⁰ At one time you were not God's people. But now you are God's people. At one time you did not know God's kindness. Now you do.

14 Jesus said, `Do not let anything trouble your heart. You believe in God and you must believe in me also.

² In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going to make a place ready for you.

³ If I go to make a place ready for you, I will come again. I will come to take you so that you may be with me.

⁴ You know where I am going, and you know the way.

⁵ Thomas said to Jesus, `Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?'

⁶ Jesus said to him, `I am the way. I am the truth. I give life. No one can come to my Father unless I take him there.

⁷ If you knew me, you would have known my Father also. But from now on you do know him because you have seen him.'

⁸ Philip said to him, `Lord, show us the Father, then we will be happy.'

⁹ Jesus said to him, `Philip, you mean to say that I have been with you all this time and yet you do not know me? The person who has seen me has seen my Father also. Why do you say, "Show us your Father"?

¹⁰ Do you not believe that I am in my Father and my Father is in me? The things that I say, I speak not from my own mind. But my Father lives in me and he does the work.

¹¹ I tell you that I am in my Father and my Father is in me. But you do not believe me. So then let the work that I do prove it to you.

¹² `I tell you the truth. The person who believes in me will do the big work that I do. And he will do even bigger work because I go to my Father.

¹³ I will do anything you ask of my Father in my name. In that way the Son will make my Father's name great.

¹⁴ If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.'