Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

The Holy Spirit Comes On the Followers of Jesus

2 The followers of Jesus were all together in one place fifty days after the special religious gathering to remember how the Jews left Egypt. ² All at once there was a sound from heaven like a powerful wind. It filled the house where they were sitting. ³ Then they saw tongues which were divided that looked like fire. These came down on each one of them. ⁴ They were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they began to speak in other languages which the Holy Spirit made them able to speak.

⁵ There were many religious Jews staying in Jerusalem. They were from every country of the world. ⁶ When they heard this strange sound, they gathered together. They all listened! It was hard for them to believe they were hearing words in their own language. ⁷ They were surprised and wondered about it. They said to each other, “Are not these Galileans who are speaking? ⁸ How is it that each one of us can hear his own language? ⁹ We are Parthians and Medes, Elamites and from the countries of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and in the countries of Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene. Some have come from the city of Rome. Some are Jews by birth and others have become Jews. ¹¹ Some are also men of the countries of Crete and Arabia. They are speaking of the powerful works of God to all of us in our own language!” ¹² They were all surprised and wondered about this. They said to each other, “What can this mean?” ¹³ But others laughed and made fun, saying, “These men are full of new wine.”

Peter Preaches—What Joel Said Would Happen Has Happened

¹⁴ Then Peter stood up with the eleven missionaries and spoke with a loud voice, “Men of the country of Judea and all of you who are living in Jerusalem, I want you to know what is happening. So listen to what I am going to say. ¹⁵ These men are not drunk as you think. It is only nine o’clock in the morning. ¹⁶ The early preacher Joel said this would happen. ¹⁷ God says, ‘In the last days I will send My Spirit on all men. Then your sons and daughters will speak God’s Word. Your young men will see what God has given them to see. Your old men will dream dreams. ¹⁸ Yes, on those I own, both men and women, I will send My Spirit in those days. They will speak God’s Word. ¹⁹ I will show powerful works in the sky above. There will be things to see in the earth below like blood and fire and clouds of smoke. ²⁰ The sun will turn dark and the moon will turn to blood before the day of the Lord. His coming will be a great and special day. ²¹ It will be that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved from the punishment of sin.’ ^(A)

The Valley of Dry Bones

37 The hand of the Lord was upon me. He brought me out by His Spirit and set me down in the center of the valley. It was full of bones. ² He led me around the valley. I saw there were very many bones, and they were very dry. ³ He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord God, only You know that.” ⁴ He said to me, “Speak in My name over these bones. Say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the Word of the Lord.’ ⁵ This is what the Lord God says to these bones: ‘I will make breath come into you, and you will come to life. ⁶ I will join you together, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin, and put breath in you to make you come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

⁷ So I spoke as I was told. And as I spoke, there was a noise, the sound of bones hitting against each other. The bones came together, bone to bone. ⁸ I looked and saw that parts had grown to hold them together. Flesh had grown, and they were covered with skin. But there was no breath in them. ⁹ Then He said to me, “Speak to the breath in My name, son of man. Tell the breath, ‘The Lord God says, “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these dead bodies to make them come to life.”’” ¹⁰ So I spoke as I had been told. The breath came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet. They were a large army.

¹¹ Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are all the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is gone. We are all destroyed.’ ¹² So speak in My name and tell them, ‘The Lord God says, “I will open your graves, My people, and make you come out of them. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. ¹³ Then, My people, you will know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves and brought you up. ¹⁴ I will put My Spirit within you, and you will come to life. I will place you in your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken and have done it,” says the Lord.’”

²⁴ O Lord, how many are Your works! You made them all in wisdom. The earth is full of what You have made. ²⁵ There is the wide sea full of both large and small animals. There are too many for us to number. ²⁶ The ships sail there. And the very large sea animal You have made plays in it.

²⁷ They all wait for You to give them their food at the right time. ²⁸ You give it to them and they gather it up. You open Your hand and they are filled with good things. ²⁹ They are troubled and afraid when You hide Your face. And when You take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. ³⁰ They are made when You send Your Spirit. And You make the land of the earth new again.

³¹ May the shining-greatness of the Lord last forever. May the Lord be glad in His works. ³² He looks at the earth and it shakes with fear. He touches the mountains and they smoke. ³³ I will sing to the Lord all my life. I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. ³⁴ May the words of my heart be pleasing to Him. As for me, I will be glad in the Lord.

³⁵ Let sinners be destroyed from the earth. And let the sinful be no more. Honor the Lord, O my soul! Praise the Lord!

²² We know that everything on the earth cries out with pain the same as a woman giving birth to a child. ²³ We also cry inside ourselves, even we who have received the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the first of God’s gifts to us. We are waiting to become His complete sons when our bodies are made free. ²⁴ We were saved with this hope ahead of us. Now hope means we are waiting for something we do not have. How can a man hope for something he already has? ²⁵ But if we hope for something we do not yet see, we must learn how to wait for it.

²⁶ In the same way, the Holy Spirit helps us where we are weak. We do not know how to pray or what we should pray for, but the Holy Spirit prays to God for us with sounds that cannot be put into words. ²⁷ God knows the hearts of men. He knows what the Holy Spirit is thinking. The Holy Spirit prays for those who belong to Christ the way God wants Him to pray.

The Holy Spirit Comes On the Followers of Jesus

2 The followers of Jesus were all together in one place fifty days after the special religious gathering to remember how the Jews left Egypt. ² All at once there was a sound from heaven like a powerful wind. It filled the house where they were sitting. ³ Then they saw tongues which were divided that looked like fire. These came down on each one of them. ⁴ They were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they began to speak in other languages which the Holy Spirit made them able to speak.

⁵ There were many religious Jews staying in Jerusalem. They were from every country of the world. ⁶ When they heard this strange sound, they gathered together. They all listened! It was hard for them to believe they were hearing words in their own language. ⁷ They were surprised and wondered about it. They said to each other, “Are not these Galileans who are speaking? ⁸ How is it that each one of us can hear his own language? ⁹ We are Parthians and Medes, Elamites and from the countries of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and in the countries of Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene. Some have come from the city of Rome. Some are Jews by birth and others have become Jews. ¹¹ Some are also men of the countries of Crete and Arabia. They are speaking of the powerful works of God to all of us in our own language!” ¹² They were all surprised and wondered about this. They said to each other, “What can this mean?” ¹³ But others laughed and made fun, saying, “These men are full of new wine.”

Peter Preaches—What Joel Said Would Happen Has Happened

¹⁴ Then Peter stood up with the eleven missionaries and spoke with a loud voice, “Men of the country of Judea and all of you who are living in Jerusalem, I want you to know what is happening. So listen to what I am going to say. ¹⁵ These men are not drunk as you think. It is only nine o’clock in the morning. ¹⁶ The early preacher Joel said this would happen. ¹⁷ God says, ‘In the last days I will send My Spirit on all men. Then your sons and daughters will speak God’s Word. Your young men will see what God has given them to see. Your old men will dream dreams. ¹⁸ Yes, on those I own, both men and women, I will send My Spirit in those days. They will speak God’s Word. ¹⁹ I will show powerful works in the sky above. There will be things to see in the earth below like blood and fire and clouds of smoke. ²⁰ The sun will turn dark and the moon will turn to blood before the day of the Lord. His coming will be a great and special day. ²¹ It will be that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved from the punishment of sin.’ ^(A)

²⁶ “The Helper (Holy Spirit) will tell about Me when He comes. I will send Him to you from the Father. He is the Spirit of Truth and comes from the Father. ²⁷ You will also tell of Me because you have been with Me from the beginning.

⁴ “When these things happen, you will remember I told you they would happen. That is why I am telling you about these things now. I did not tell you these things before, because I was with you. ⁵ But now I am going to Him Who sent Me. Yet none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’

The Three Kinds of Work of the Holy Spirit

⁶ “Your hearts are full of sorrow because I am telling you these things. ⁷ I tell you the truth. It is better for you that I go away. If I do not go, the Helper will not come to you. If I go, I will send Him to you. ⁸ When the Helper comes, He will show the world the truth about sin. He will show the world about being right with God. And He will show the world what it is to be guilty. ⁹ He will show the world about sin, because they do not put their trust in Me. ¹⁰ He will show the world about being right with God, because I go to My Father and you will see Me no more. ¹¹ He will show the world what it is to be guilty because the leader of this world (Satan) is guilty.

The Holy Spirit Will Give Honor to the Son

¹² “I still have many things to say to you. You are not strong enough to understand them now. ¹³ The Holy Spirit is coming. He will lead you into all truth. He will not speak His Own words. He will speak what He hears. He will tell you of things to come. ¹⁴ He will honor Me. He will receive what is Mine and will tell it to you. ¹⁵ Everything the Father has is Mine. That is why I said to you, ‘He will receive what is Mine and will tell it to you.’