Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Tell the Coming Generation
A Maskil[a] of (A)Asaph.
78 (B)Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;
incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
2 (C)I will open my mouth (D)in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings from of old,
3 things that we have heard and known,
that our (E)fathers have told us.
4 We will not (F)hide them from their children,
but (G)tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,
and (H)the wonders that he has done.
52 Then he led out his people (A)like sheep
and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
53 (B)He led them in safety, so that they (C)were not afraid,
but (D)the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
54 And he brought them to his (E)holy land,
(F)to the mountain which his right hand had (G)won.
55 He (H)drove out nations before them;
he (I)apportioned them for a possession
and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
56 Yet they (J)tested and (K)rebelled against the Most High God
and did not keep his testimonies,
57 but turned away and acted treacherously like their fathers;
they twisted like (L)a deceitful bow.
58 For they (M)provoked him to anger with their (N)high places;
they (O)moved him to jealousy with their (P)idols.
59 When God heard, he was full of (Q)wrath,
and he utterly rejected Israel.
60 He (R)forsook his dwelling at (S)Shiloh,
the tent where he dwelt among mankind,
61 and delivered his (T)power to captivity,
his (U)glory to the hand of the foe.
62 He (V)gave his people over to the sword
and (W)vented his wrath on his heritage.
63 (X)Fire devoured their young men,
and their young women had no (Y)marriage song.
64 Their (Z)priests fell by the sword,
and their (AA)widows made no lamentation.
65 Then the Lord (AB)awoke as from sleep,
like a strong man shouting because of wine.
66 And he (AC)put his adversaries to rout;
he put them to everlasting shame.
67 He rejected the tent of (AD)Joseph;
he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
68 but he chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion, which he (AE)loves.
69 He (AF)built his sanctuary like the high heavens,
like the earth, which he has founded forever.
70 He (AG)chose David his servant
and took him from the sheepfolds;
71 from (AH)following the nursing ewes he brought him
to (AI)shepherd Jacob his people,
Israel his (AJ)inheritance.
72 With (AK)upright heart he shepherded them
and (AL)guided them with his skillful hand.
27 On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. 28 And the Lord said to Moses, (A)“How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws? 29 See! The Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Remain each of you in his place; let no one go out of his place on the seventh day.” 30 So the people (B)rested on the seventh day.
31 Now the house of Israel called its name (C)manna. It was (D)like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. 32 Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Let an omer of it be kept throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’” 33 And Moses said to Aaron, “Take a (E)jar, and put an omer of manna in it, and place it before the Lord to be kept throughout your generations.” 34 As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before (F)the testimony to be kept. 35 The people of Israel (G)ate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land. They ate the manna till (H)they came to the border of the land of Canaan. 36 (An omer is (I)the tenth part of an ephah.)[a]
The Jerusalem Council
15 (A)But some men came down from Judea and were teaching (B)the brothers, “Unless you are (C)circumcised (D)according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and (E)debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and (F)some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to (G)the apostles and the elders about this question. 3 So, (H)being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, (I)describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and (J)brought great joy to all (K)the brothers.[a] 4 (L)When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and (M)the apostles and the elders, and (N)they declared all that God had done with them. 5 But some believers who belonged to (O)the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, (P)“It is necessary (Q)to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”
The Council's Letter to Gentile Believers
22 Then it seemed good to (A)the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called (B)Barsabbas, and (C)Silas, leading men among (D)the brothers, 23 with the following letter: (E)“The brothers, both (F)the apostles and the elders, to the brothers[a] who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, (G)greetings. 24 Since we have heard that (H)some persons have gone out from us and (I)troubled you[b] with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, 25 it has seemed good to us, having come (J)to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our (K)beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 (L)men who have (M)risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 We have therefore sent (N)Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. 28 For it has seemed good (O)to the Holy Spirit and (P)to us (Q)to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: 29 (R)that you abstain from (S)what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”
30 So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. 31 And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. 32 And Judas and Silas, who were themselves (T)prophets, encouraged and (U)strengthened (V)the brothers with many words. 33 And after they had spent some time, they were sent off (W)in peace by (X)the brothers to those who had sent them.[c] 35 But (Y)Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.