Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Prayer of a Man in Trouble
102 Hear my prayer, O Lord! Let my cry for help come to You. 2 Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my trouble. Turn Your ear to me. Hurry to answer me in the day when I call. 3 For my days go up in smoke. And my bones are burned as with fire. 4 My heart is crushed and dried like grass. And I forget to eat my food. 5 I am nothing but skin and bones because of my loud cries. 6 I am like a pelican in the desert. I am like an owl of the waste places. 7 I lie awake. And I feel like a bird alone on the roof.
8 Those who hate me have made it hard for me all day long. Those who are angry with me curse my name. 9 For I have eaten ashes like bread and have mixed my drink with tears, 10 because of Your great anger. For You have lifted me up and thrown me away. 11 My days are like the evening shadow. I dried up like grass.
12 But You and Your name, O Lord, will always be forever and to all people for all time. 13 You will rise up and have loving-pity on Zion. For it is time to show favor to her. The set time has come. 14 For Your servants respect her stones and show pity for her dust. 15 The nations will fear the name of the Lord. All the kings of the earth will fear Your shining-greatness. 16 For the Lord has built up Zion. He will come in His shining-greatness. 17 He will answer the prayer of those in need. He will not turn from their prayer.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not trust in your own understanding. 6 Agree with Him in all your ways, and He will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and turn away from what is sinful. 8 It will be healing to your body and medicine to your bones. 9 Honor the Lord with your riches, and with the first of all you grow. 10 Then your store-houses will be filled with many good things and your barrels will flow over with new wine. 11 My son, listen when the Lord punishes you. Do not give up when He tells you what you must do. 12 The Lord punishes everyone He loves. He whips every son He receives.
The Place of Worship and the House of God
44 “Our early fathers had the tent to worship in. They used it in the desert. God told Moses to make it like the plan which he had seen. 45 This was received by our early fathers. They brought it here when they won the wars with the people who were not Jews. It was when Joshua was our leader. God made those people leave as our early fathers took the land. The tent was here until the time of David. 46 David pleased God and wanted to build a house for worship for the God of Jacob. 47 But Solomon was the one who built the house of God for Him. 48 But the Most High does not live in buildings made by hands. The early preacher said, 49 ’Heaven is the place where I sit and the earth is the place where I rest My feet. What house will you build Me?’ says the Lord. ‘Or what is My place of rest? 50 Did not My hands make all these things?’ (A)
The Jews Are Hurt
51 “You have hard hearts and ears that will not listen to me! You are always working against the Holy Spirit. Your early fathers did. You do too. 52 Which of the early preachers was not beaten and hurt by your early fathers? They killed those who told of the coming of the One Right with God. Now you have handed Him over and killed Him. 53 You had the Law given to you by angels. Yet you have not kept it.”
Stephen Is Killed
54 The Jews and religious leaders listened to Stephen. Then they became angry and began to grind their teeth at him. 55 He was filled with the Holy Spirit. As he looked up to heaven, he saw the shining-greatness of God and Jesus standing at the right side of God. 56 He said, “See! I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right side of God!”
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