Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Cry for Help
A prayer of David.
86 Lord, ·listen to me [L incline your ear] and answer me.
I am poor and ·helpless [needy].
2 ·Protect [Guard] me, because I ·worship you [am loyal/holy/a saint].
My God, ·save me [give me victory], your servant who ·trusts [has confidence] in you.
3 Lord, ·have mercy on [be gracious to] me,
because I have called to you all day.
4 Give ·happiness [joy] to me, your servant,
because I ·give [lift up] my life to you, Lord.
5 Lord, you are ·kind [good] and forgiving
and have great ·love [loyalty] for those who call to you [Ex. 34:7].
6 Lord, ·hear [L give ear to] my prayer,
and ·listen [pay attention] ·when I ask for mercy [L to the sound of my supplication].
7 I call to you in ·times of trouble [L the day of my distress],
because you will answer me.
8 Lord, there is ·no god like you [L none like you among the gods; Ex. 15:11; 20:3]
and no works like yours.
9 Lord, all the nations you have made
will come and ·worship [bow down before] you.
They will ·honor you [L glorify your name].
10 You are great and you do ·miracles [wonderful acts].
Only you are God.
Jacob in Bethel
35 God said to Jacob, “·Go [L Rise up and go up] to the city of Bethel [12:8] and live there. Make an altar to the God who appeared to you there when you were ·running away [fleeing] from your brother Esau [28:1–22].”
2 So Jacob said to his ·family [household] and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods you have, and ·make yourselves clean [purify yourselves], and change your clothes. 3 We will ·leave here and go [L rise up and go up] to Bethel. There I will build an altar to God, who ·has helped [L answered] me ·during my time of trouble [L in the day of my distress]. He has been with me [C an indication of a covenant relationship] everywhere I have gone.” 4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods ·they had [in their possession; L in their hands], and the earrings ·they were wearing [L on their ears], and he hid them under the ·great tree [L oak; or terebinth; 12:6] near the town of Shechem.
Leaders Try to Stop the Apostles
17 The high priest and all his friends (a ·group [sect; religious party] called the Sadducees [4:1]) became very ·jealous [indignant; or zealous; C perhaps referring to their religious zeal]. 18 They ·took [seized; arrested; L put hands on] the apostles and put them in [public] ·jail [custody]. 19 But during the night, an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the ·jail [prison] and led the apostles outside. The angel said, 20 “Go stand in the Temple [C courts; 2:46] and tell the people ·everything [or the full message; L all the words] about this new life.” 21 When the apostles heard this, they obeyed and went into the Temple [C courts; 2:46] early in the morning and ·continued [or began] teaching.
When the high priest and his friends arrived, they called a meeting of the ·leaders [L Sanhedrin; 4:15] ·and [or that is,] ·all the important elders [L the whole senate/council of the sons of Israel]. They sent some men to the ·jail [prison] to bring the apostles to them. 22 But, upon arriving, the ·officers [temple police] could not find the apostles. So they went back and reported to the leaders. 23 They said, “·The jail was [L We found the jail] closed and locked, and the guards were standing at the doors. But when we opened the doors, ·the jail was empty [L we found no one inside]!” 24 Hearing this, the captain of the Temple guards and the ·leading [T chief] priests were ·confused [puzzled; confounded] and wondered what ·was happening [or this might lead to].
25 Then someone came and told them, “Listen [L Look]! The men you put in ·jail [prison] are standing in the Temple [courts] teaching the people.” 26 Then the captain and ·his men [the officers/attendants; C the temple police] went out and brought the apostles back. But they did not use force, because they were afraid the people would stone them to death.
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