Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

¹² When Peter saw this, he talked to the people. He said, `Men of Israel, why are you so surprised at this? Do you think that we have power or are good enough to make this man walk? Why do you look at us that way?

¹³ The God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and of our fathers, has made his Son Jesus great. You gave him up to Pilate. You did not want to believe who he was. You did not want him back when Pilate agreed to let him go free.

¹⁴ You would not receive the one who was holy and good. You asked for a bad man, who killed people, to be given to you.

¹⁵ You killed the one who gives life, the one whom God brought back from death. We saw it and are telling people about it.

¹⁶ This man whom you see and know, believed in the name of Jesus Christ. This man's faith in that name has healed him. Yes, believing in Jesus Christ has made him well here in front of you all.

¹⁷ `My brothers, I know that you and your rulers killed Jesus because you did not understand what you were doing.

¹⁸ But in this way God did what he had told us would happen. Through all the prophets he had told us that Christ would suffer.

¹⁹ `Stop doing wrong things. Turn to God again. Then the wrong things you have done will be wiped away altogether. The Lord will give you a new start and make you very glad.

3 See how much the Father has loved us! We are called God's children. It is true, we are God's children. People in this world did not know him and so they do not know us.

² My dear brothers, we are God's children now. No one knows yet what we shall be like. But we know that when Jesus comes, we will be like him. We will see him as he really is.

³ Everyone who has this hope about Christ makes his life holy. He makes his life holy and clean, just as Christ is holy.

⁴ Everyone who does wrong things is breaking God's law. Doing wrong things is breaking the law.

⁵ You know that Christ came to take away the wrong things people have done. He is the one who has done no wrong.

⁶ Everyone who stays with him does not do wrong things. Everyone who does wrong things has never seen him and has never known him.

⁷ My children, do not let anyone fool you. Anyone who does what is good, is good just as Christ is good.

³⁶ They were troubled and afraid. They thought they were seeing a spirit.

³⁷ He said to them, `Why are you troubled? Why do you wonder about these things in your hearts?

³⁸ Look at my hands and my feet. You can see that it is I myself. Touch me with your hands and see. A spirit does not have a body and bones as you see I have.'

³⁹ They gave him a piece of cooked fish.

⁴⁰ He took the fish and ate it in front of them.

⁴¹ Then he said, `I told you this while I was with you. I told you that things were written about me in the books of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms. And I told you that all of these things must come true.'

⁴² Then he taught them so that they understood the things in the holy writings.

⁴³ He said, `It is written that the Christ must have trouble. On the third day he will rise from death.

⁴⁴ Men will talk in his name to people in all countries. They will tell them to stop their wrong ways and ask to be forgiven. They will begin in Jerusalem.

⁴⁵ You are the men who have seen these things, and will tell people about them.

⁴⁶ I will send you what the Father has promised to give you. So wait in the city of Jerusalem until you have been given power from God.'

⁴⁷ Jesus led the disciples out as far as the town of Bethany. He put up his hands and blessed them.

⁴⁸ While he was blessing them, he left them. He was taken up into heaven.