Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Praise the Lord’s Wonderful Works. Futility of Idols.
135 [a](A)Praise [b]the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord;
Praise Him, you (B)servants of the Lord,
2 You who stand in the house of the Lord,
In the (C)courtyards of the house of our God!
3 [c]Praise [d]the Lord, for (D)the Lord is good;
(E)Sing praises to His name, (F)for it is lovely.
4 For [e]the Lord has (G)chosen Jacob for Himself,
Israel as His (H)own possession.
5 For I know that (I)the Lord is great
And that our Lord is (J)above all gods.
6 (K)Whatever the Lord pleases, He does,
In heaven and on earth, in the seas and in all the ocean depths.
7 [f]He (L)causes the [g]mist to ascend from the ends of the earth,
[h]He (M)makes lightning for the rain;
[i]He (N)brings forth the wind from His treasuries.
8 [j]He (O)struck the firstborn of Egypt,
[k]Both human firstborn and animal.
9 [l]He sent (P)signs and wonders into your midst, Egypt,
Upon (Q)Pharaoh and all his servants.
10 [m](R)He (S)struck many nations
And brought death to mighty kings,
11 (T)Sihon, king of the Amorites,
(U)Og, king of Bashan,
And (V)all the kingdoms of Canaan;
12 And He (W)gave their land as an inheritance,
An inheritance to His people Israel.
13 Your (X)name, Lord, is everlasting,
The mention of You, Lord, is [n]throughout all generations.
14 For the Lord will (Y)judge His people
And (Z)will have compassion on His servants.
15 The (AA)idols of the nations are nothing but silver and gold,
The work of human hands.
16 They have mouths, but they do not speak;
They have eyes, but they do not see;
17 They have ears, but they do not hear,
Nor is there any breath at all in their mouths.
18 Those who make them will become like them,
Yes, everyone who trusts in them.
Idolatrous Elders Condemned
14 Then some (A)elders of Israel came to me and (B)sat down before me. 2 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 3 “Son of man, these men have (C)set up their idols in their hearts and have (D)put in front of their faces the stumbling block of their wrongdoing. Should I let Myself be (E)consulted by them at all? 4 Therefore speak to them and tell them, ‘This is what the Lord [a]God says: “Anyone of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, puts in front of his face the stumbling block of his wrongdoing, and then comes to the prophet, I the Lord will let Myself answer him in [b]the matter in view of the (F)multitude of his idols, 5 in order to take hold of [c](G)the hearts of the house of Israel who have [d](H)turned away from Me due to all their idols.”’
6 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “(I)Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your (J)abominations. 7 For anyone of the house of Israel, or of the (K)strangers who reside in Israel, who deserts Me, sets up his idols in his heart, puts in front of his face the stumbling block of his wrongdoing, and then comes to the prophet to request something of Me for himself, (L)I the Lord will let Myself answer him Myself. 8 I will (M)set My face against that person and make him a (N)sign and [e]a proverb, and I will eliminate him from among My people. So you will know that I am the Lord.
9 “But if the prophet is persuaded so that he speaks a word, it is I, the Lord, who have persuaded that prophet; and I will stretch out My hand against him and (O)eliminate him from among My people Israel. 10 And they will bear the punishment for their wrongdoing; as the wrongdoing of the inquirer is, so the wrongdoing of the prophet will be, 11 in order that the house of Israel may no longer (P)stray from Me and no longer (Q)defile themselves with all their offenses. So they will be (R)My people, and I shall be their God,”’ declares the Lord God.”
Healing the Beggar Who Was Unable to Walk
3 Now (A)Peter and John were going up to the temple at the [a]ninth hour, (B)the hour of prayer. 2 And (C)a man who had been unable to walk from [b]birth was being carried, whom they (D)used to set down every day at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, (E)in order for him to beg for charitable gifts from those entering the temple grounds. 3 When he saw (F)Peter and John about to go into the temple grounds, he began asking to receive a charitable gift. 4 But Peter, along with John, (G)looked at him intently and said, “Look at us!” 5 And he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 6 But Peter said, “I do not have silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: (H)In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk!” 7 And grasping him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened. 8 And (I)leaping up, he stood and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 9 And (J)all the people saw him walking and praising God; 10 and they recognized him as being the very one who used to (K)sit at the Beautiful Gate of the temple to beg for charitable gifts, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
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