Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

¹⁶ Then Paul stood up and put out his hand. He said, `Men of Israel and you who worship and fear God, please listen to me.

¹⁷ The God of the people of Israel chose our fathers. He made the people into a large tribe when they were strangers in the land of Egypt. God brought them out of Egypt by his power.

¹⁸ For forty years in the wilderness God cared for them like a father.

¹⁹ God took seven tribes out of the land of Canaan. Then he divided the land among our people.

²⁰ God gave judges to rule over them until Samuel the prophet came. About four hundred and fifty years had passed.

²¹ Then the people asked for a king. God gave them Saul. He was the son of Kish, a man from Benjamin's family. Saul was their king for forty years.

²² Then God took him away. He made David king over them. This is what God said about him, "David, Jesse's son, is the kind of man I love. He will do all that I want him to do."

²³ God has given Israel a Saviour from David's family, as he promised to do. His name is Jesus.

²⁴ Before he came, John [the baptiser] talked to all the people of Israel. He said they should stop doing wrong things and be baptised.

²⁵ When John was finishing his work, he said, "Who do you think I am? I am not the one. But wait, someone else will come after me. I am not good enough to untie his shoe strings."