Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

135 Hallelujah! ² Yes, let his people praise him as they stand in his Temple courts. ³ Praise the Lord because he is so good; sing to his wonderful name. ⁴ For the Lord has chosen Israel as his personal possession.

⁵ I know the greatness of the Lord—that he is greater far than any other god. ⁶ He does whatever pleases him throughout all of heaven and earth and in the deepest seas. ⁷ He makes mists rise throughout the earth; he sends the lightning to bring down the rain and sends the winds from his treasuries. ⁸ He destroyed the eldest child in each Egyptian home, along with the firstborn of the flocks. ⁹ He did great miracles in Egypt before Pharaoh and all his people. ¹⁰ He smote great nations, slaying mighty kings— ¹¹ Sihon, king of Amorites; and Og, the king of Bashan; and the kings of Canaan— ¹² and gave their land as an eternal gift to his people Israel.

¹³ O Jehovah, your name endures forever; your fame is known to every generation. ¹⁴ For Jehovah will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants.

¹⁵ The heathen worship idols of gold and silver made by men— ¹⁶ idols with speechless mouths, sightless eyes, ¹⁷ and ears that cannot hear; they cannot even breathe. ¹⁸ Those who make them become like them! And so do all who trust in them!

¹⁹ O Israel, bless Jehovah! High Priests of Aaron, bless his name. ²⁰ O Levite priests, bless the Lord Jehovah! Oh, bless his name, all of you who trust and reverence him. ²¹ All people of Jerusalem, praise the Lord,^[a] for he lives here in Jerusalem. Hallelujah!

14 Then some of the elders of Israel visited me to ask me for a message from the Lord, ² and this is the message that came to me to give to them:

³ “Son of dust, these men worship idols in their hearts—should I let them ask me anything? ⁴ Tell them, ‘The Lord God says: I, the Lord, will personally deal with anyone in Israel who worships idols and then comes to ask my help. ⁵ For I will punish the minds and hearts of those who turn from me to idols.’

^6-7 “Therefore, warn them that the Lord God says: ‘Repent and destroy your idols, and stop worshiping them in your hearts. I the Lord will personally punish everyone, whether people of Israel or the foreigners living among you, who rejects me for idols and then comes to a prophet to ask for my help and advice. ⁸ I will turn upon him and make a terrible example of him, destroying him; and you shall know I am the Lord. ⁹ And if one of the false prophets gives him a message anyway, it is a lie. His prophecy will not come true, and I will stand against that “prophet” and destroy him from among my people Israel. ¹⁰ False prophets and hypocrites—evil people who say they want my words—all will be punished for their sins, ¹¹ so that the people of Israel will learn not to desert me and not to be polluted any longer with sin. They will be my people and I their God.’ So says the Lord.”

3 Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o’clock daily prayer meeting. ² As they approached the Temple, they saw a man lame from birth carried along the street and laid beside the Temple gate—the one called The Beautiful Gate—as was his custom every day. ³ As Peter and John were passing by, he asked them for some money.

⁴ They looked at him intently, and then Peter said, “Look here!”

⁵ The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting a gift.

⁶ But Peter said, “We don’t have any money for you! But I’ll give you something else! I command you in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!”

^7-8 Then Peter took the lame man by the hand and pulled him to his feet. And as he did, the man’s feet and ankle bones were healed and strengthened so that he came up with a leap, stood there a moment and began walking! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them.

⁹ When the people inside saw him walking and heard him praising God, ¹⁰ and realized he was the lame beggar they had seen so often at The Beautiful Gate, they were inexpressibly surprised!