Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

¹³ On the next day, Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from the morning until the evening. ¹⁴ When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why are you sitting by yourself while all the people stand around you from morning until evening?”

¹⁵ Then Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God. ¹⁶ When they have a dispute, it comes to me, and I judge between a man and his neighbor, and I make known the statutes of God and His laws.”

¹⁷ Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. ¹⁸ You will surely wear yourself out, both you, and these people who are with you, for this thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it by yourself. ¹⁹ Now listen to me, I will advise you, and may God be with you: You be a representative for the people to God so that you may bring their disputes to God. ²⁰ And you shall teach them the statutes and laws and shall show them the way in which they must walk and the work that they must do. ²¹ Moreover, you shall choose out of all the people capable men who fear God, men of truth, hating dishonest gain, and place these men over them, to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. ²² Let them judge the people at all times, and let it be that every difficult matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they shall judge, so that it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. ²³ If you shall do this thing and God commands you so, then you will be able to endure, and all these people also will go to their place in peace.”

²⁴ So Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything that he had said. ²⁵ Moses chose capable men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. ²⁶ They judged the people at all times. They brought the difficult cases to Moses, but they judged every small matter themselves.

²⁷ Moses sent out his father-in-law, and he went his way to his own land.

¹³ When they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were illiterate and uneducated men, they marveled. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. ¹⁴ But seeing the man who was healed standing with them, they had nothing to say against it. ¹⁵ So when they had commanded them to go outside of the Sanhedrin, they conferred among themselves, ¹⁶ saying, “What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that an acknowledged miracle has been done through them is revealed to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. ¹⁷ But lest it spread further among the people, let us threaten them that they no longer speak to anyone in this name.”

¹⁸ Then they called them and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹ But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. ²⁰ For we cannot help but declare what we have seen and heard.”

²¹ When they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people. For all glorified God for what was done, ²² for the man on whom this miracle of healing was performed was over forty years old.

The Believers Pray for Boldness

²³ On being released, they went to their own people and reported what the chief priests and elders had said to them. ²⁴ When they heard this, they lifted their voices in unity to God and prayed, “Lord, You are God, who has made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, ²⁵ and who by the mouth of Your servant David said:

²⁷ Indeed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were assembled together against Your holy Son Jesus whom You have anointed, ²⁸ to do what Your hand and Your counsel had foreordained to be done. ²⁹ Now, Lord, look on their threats and grant that Your servants may speak Your word with great boldness, ³⁰ by stretching out Your hand to heal and that signs and wonders may be performed in the name of Your holy Son Jesus.”

³¹ When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.