Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Lord Saves, Idols Do Not
135 Praise the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord;
praise him, you servants of the Lord,
2 you who stand in the Lord’s ·Temple [L house]
and in the ·Temple courtyards [L courtyards of the house of our God].
3 Praise the Lord, because the Lord is good;
·sing praises [make a psalm] to him, because it is pleasant.
4 The Lord has chosen the people of Jacob for himself;
he has chosen the people of Israel ·for his very own [as his special possession/treasure; Ex. 19:5–6; Deut. 7:6; 14:2; Mal. 3:17].
5 I know that the Lord is great.
Our Lord is greater than all the gods.
6 The Lord does what he pleases,
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and the deep oceans.
7 He brings the clouds from the ends of the earth.
He ·sends [L makes] the lightning with the rain.
He brings out the wind from his storehouses [Job 38:22–23].
8 He ·destroyed [L struck] the firstborn sons in Egypt
the firstborn of both people and animals [Ex. 12].
9 He ·did [L sent] many signs and ·miracles [wonders] in Egypt
against ·the king [L Pharaoh] and all his servants [L the plagues; Ex. 7–12].
10 He ·defeated [L struck] many nations
and killed ·powerful [strong] kings:
11 Sihon king of the Amorites,
Og king of Bashan [Num. 21:21–35],
and all the kings of Canaan [Num. 21:1–3; Josh. 1–12].
12 Then he gave their land as a ·gift [L inheritance],
a ·gift [L inheritance] to his people, the Israelites [Josh. 13–24].
13 Lord, your name is everlasting;
Lord, you will be remembered forever.
14 The Lord ·defends [vindicates] his people
and ·has mercy on [shows grace to] his servants.
15 The idols of other nations are made of silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
16 They have mouths, but they cannot speak.
They have eyes, but they cannot see.
17 They have ears, but they cannot hear.
They have no breath in their mouths.
18 People who make idols will be like them,
and so will those who ·trust [have confidence in] them [115:4–8; Is. 44:9–20; 46:6–7; Jer. 10:1–9; Hab. 2:18–19].
19 ·Family [L House] of Israel, ·praise [bless] the Lord.
·Family [L House] of Aaron [C the priests], ·praise [bless] the Lord.
20 ·Family [L House] of Levi [C assistants to the priests], ·praise [bless] the Lord.
You who ·respect [fear] the Lord [Prov. 1:7] should ·praise [bless] him.
21 You ·people of [L who live in] Jerusalem, ·praise [bless] the Lord on Mount Zion [C the location of the Temple].
Praise the Lord!
Stop Worshiping Idols
14 Some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat down in front of me. 2 Then the ·Lord spoke his word [L word of the Lord came] to me, saying: 3 “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], these people ·want to worship idols [L have set up idols in their hearts]. They put up ·evil things that cause people to sin [L wicked stumbling blocks/obstacles before their faces]. Should I allow them to ·ask me for help [consult me]? 4 So speak to them and tell them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: When any of the ·people [L house] of Israel ·want to worship idols [sets up idols in their heart] and put up ·evil things that cause people to sin [L wicked stumbling blocks/obstacles before their faces] and then ·come to the [consult a] prophet, I, the Lord, will answer them myself ·for worshiping idols [L in accordance with the multitude of their idols]. 5 Then I will ·win back [take hold of/recapture the hearts of] my people Israel, who have left me because of all their idols.’
6 “So say to the ·people [L house] of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord God says: ·Change your hearts and lives [Repent], and ·stop worshiping [L turn from your] idols. ·Stop doing [L Turn your faces from] all ·the things I hate [your abominations/detestable practices]. 7 Any of the Israelites or foreigners in Israel can separate themselves from me by ·wanting to worship idols [L setting up idols in their hearts] or by putting ·up things that cause people to sin [L before their face a wicked stumbling block/obstacle]. Then if they come to the prophet to ·ask me questions [consult me], I, the Lord, will answer them myself. 8 I will ·reject [L set my face against] them. I will make them a sign and an ·example [proverb; byword], and I will ·separate them [L cut them off] from my people. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
9 “‘But if the prophet is ·tricked [deceived; or enticed] into giving a prophecy, it is because I, the Lord, have ·tricked [deceived; or enticed] that prophet to speak. Then I will ·use my power [L stretch out my hand] against him and destroy him from among my people Israel. 10 The prophet will be ·as guilty [or punished the same] as the one who asks him for help; both will ·be responsible [or bear the punishment] for their guilt. 11 Then the ·nation [L house] of Israel will ·not leave me anymore [no longer go astray] or ·make themselves unclean [defile themselves; C ritually] anymore with all their sins. They will be my people, and I will be their God, says the Lord God.’”
Peter Heals a Crippled Man
3 One day Peter and John went to the Temple at ·three o’clock [L the ninth hour; time was reckoned from dawn, traditionally set at 6 AM], ·the time set each day for the afternoon prayer service [L the hour of prayer]. 2 There, at the Temple gate called Beautiful Gate [C unknown location, perhaps one of several gates between various courtyards], was a man who had been ·crippled [lame] ·all his life [L from his mother’s womb]. Every day ·he was carried to [people would lay him at] this gate to beg for ·money [alms] from the people going into the Temple [C the Temple complex; 2:46]. 3 The man saw Peter and John going into the Temple [C courts; 2:46] and asked them for ·money [alms; help]. 4 Peter and John looked ·straight [intently] at him and said, “Look at us!” 5 The man ·looked at [paid attention to] them, thinking they were going to give him ·some money [L something]. 6 But Peter said, “·I don’t have any silver or gold, but ·I do have something else I can give you [L what I do have, I give to you]. ·By the power [L In the name] of Jesus Christ ·from Nazareth [or the Nazarene], stand up and walk [Luke 5:23]!” 7 Then Peter took the man’s right hand and ·lifted [raised] him up. Immediately the man’s feet and ankles became strong. 8 He ·jumped up [leaped], stood on his feet, and began to walk. He went into the Temple [C courts; 2:46] with them, walking and ·jumping [leaping] and praising God [Is. 35:4–6].
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