Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
5
The heavens (angels) praise Your wonders, O Lord,
Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.
6
For who in the heavens can be compared to the Lord?
Who among the divine beings is like the Lord,
7
A God greatly feared and reverently worshiped in the council of the holy [angelic] ones,
And awesome above all those who are around Him?
8
O Lord God of hosts, who is like You, O mighty Lord?
Your faithfulness surrounds You [as an intrinsic, unchangeable part of Your very being].
9
You rule the swelling of the sea;
When its waves rise, You still them.(A)
10
You have crushed Rahab (Egypt) like one who is slain;
You have scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.
11
The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours;
The world and all that is in it, You have founded and established them.(B)
12
The north and the south, You have created them;
Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon shout for joy at Your name.
13
You have a strong arm;
Mighty is Your hand, Your right hand is exalted.
14
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;
Lovingkindness and truth go before You.
15
Blessed and happy are the people who know the joyful sound [of the trumpet’s blast]!
They walk, O Lord, in the light and favor of Your countenance!
16
In Your name they rejoice all the day,
And in Your righteousness they are exalted.
17
For You are the glory of their strength [their proud adornment],
And by Your favor our horn is exalted.
18
For our shield belongs to the Lord,
And our king to the Holy One of Israel.
19
Once You spoke in a vision to Your godly ones,
And said, “I have given help to one who is mighty [giving him the power to be a champion for Israel];
I have exalted one chosen from the people.
20
“I have found David My servant;
With My holy oil I have anointed him,(C)
21
With whom My hand shall be established and steadfast;
My arm also shall strengthen him.
22
“The enemy will not outwit him,
Nor will the wicked man afflict or humiliate him.
23
“I will crush his adversaries before him,
And strike those who hate him.
24
“My faithfulness and My steadfast lovingkindness shall be with him,
And in My name shall his horn be exalted [great power and prosperity shall be conferred upon him].
25
“I will also [a]set his hand on the [Mediterranean] sea,
And his right hand on the rivers [the tributaries of the Euphrates].
26
“He will cry to Me, ‘You are my Father,
My God, and the rock of my salvation.’
27
“I will also make him My firstborn (preeminent),
The highest of the kings of the earth.(D)
28
“My lovingkindness I will keep for him forevermore,
And My covenant will be confirmed to him.
29
“His descendants I will establish forever,
And his throne [will endure] as the days of heaven.(E)
30
“If his children [b]turn away from My law
And do not walk in My ordinances,
31
If they break My statutes
And do not keep My commandments,
32
Then I will punish their transgression with the rod [of discipline],
And [correct] their wickedness with stripes.(F)
33
“Nevertheless, I will not break off My lovingkindness from him,
Nor allow My faithfulness to fail.
34
“My covenant I will not violate,
Nor will I alter the utterance of My lips.
35
“Once [for all] I have sworn by My holiness, [My vow which cannot be violated];
I will not lie to David.
36
“His [c]descendants shall endure forever
And his throne [will continue] as the sun before Me.(G)
37
“It shall be established forever like the moon,
And the witness in the heavens is ever faithful.”(H) Selah.
Jacob Moves to Bethel
35 Then God said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethel and live there, and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you [in a distinct manifestation] when you fled [years ago] from Esau your brother.”(A) 2 Then Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the [idols and images of] foreign gods that are among you, and ceremonially purify yourselves and change [into fresh] clothes; 3 then let us get up and go up to Bethel, and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” 4 So they gave Jacob all the [idols and images of the] foreign gods they had and the rings which were in their ears [worn as charms against evil], and Jacob buried them under the [a]oak tree near Shechem.
5 As they journeyed, there was a great [supernatural] terror [sent from God] on the cities around them, and [for that reason] the Canaanites did not pursue the sons of Jacob. 6 So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him. 7 There he built an altar [to worship the Lord], and called the place El-bethel (God of the House of God), because there God had revealed Himself to him when he escaped from his brother. 8 Now Deborah, [who once was] Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried below Bethel under the oak; and the name of it was called Allon-bacuth (Oak of Weeping).
Jacob Is Named Israel
9 Then God [in a visible manifestation] appeared to Jacob again when he came out of Paddan-aram, and declared a blessing on him.(B) 10 Again God said to him,
“Your name is Jacob;
You shall no longer be called Jacob,
But Israel shall be your name.”
So he was called [b]Israel. 11 And God said to him,
“I am [c]God Almighty.
Be fruitful and multiply;
A nation and a company of nations shall come from you,
And kings shall be born of your [d]loins.
12
“The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac
I will give to you,
and to your descendants after you I will give the land.”
13 Then God ascended from Jacob in the place where He had spoken with him. 14 Jacob set up a pillar (memorial, monument) in the place where he had talked with God, a pillar of stone, and he poured a drink offering [of wine] on it; he also poured oil on it [to declare it sacred for God’s purpose]. 15 So Jacob named the place where God had spoken with him, Bethel (the House of God).
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all those who were listening to the message [confirming God’s acceptance of Gentiles]. 45 All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they heard them talking in [unknown] tongues (languages) and exalting and magnifying and praising God. Then Peter said, 47 “Can anyone refuse water for these people to be baptized, since they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?” 48 And he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay there for a few days.
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.