Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 99
The King Is Holy
1 The Lord reigns! Let the peoples tremble.
He is enthroned between the cherubim.(A)
Let the earth quake.(B)
2 The Lord is great in Zion;
he is exalted above all the peoples.(C)
3 Let them praise your great
and awe-inspiring name.(D)
He is holy.(E)
4 The mighty King loves justice.
You have established fairness;
you have administered justice
and righteousness in Jacob.(F)
5 Exalt the Lord our God;
bow in worship at his footstool.(G)
He is holy.(H)
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests;(I)
Samuel also was among those calling on his name.
They called to the Lord and he answered them.(J)
7 He spoke to them in a pillar of cloud;(K)
they kept his decrees and the statutes he gave them.
8 Lord our God, you answered them.
You were a forgiving God to them,(L)
but an avenger of their sinful actions.(M)
9 Exalt the Lord our God;
bow in worship at his holy mountain,
for the Lord our God is holy.(N)
18 Samuel served in the Lord’s presence(A)—this mere boy was dressed in the linen ephod.(B) 19 Each year his mother made him a little robe(C) and took it to him when she went with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice.(D) 20 Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife:(E) “May the Lord give you children by this woman in place of the one she[a] has given to the Lord.”(F) Then they would go home.
21 The Lord paid attention to Hannah’s need,(G) and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.(H)
Dispute in Antioch
15 Some men(A) came down from Judea and began to teach the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised(B) according to the custom prescribed by Moses,(C) you cannot be saved.” 2 After Paul and Barnabas had engaged them in serious argument and debate, Paul and Barnabas and some others were appointed to go up to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem about this issue.(D) 3 When they had been sent on their way by the church,(E) they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and they brought great joy to all the brothers and sisters.
4 When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, the apostles, and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them.(F) 5 But some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”
The Letter to the Gentile Believers
22 Then the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, decided to select men who were among them and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas: Judas, called Barsabbas, and Silas,(A) both leading men among the brothers. 23 They wrote:
“From the apostles and the elders, your brothers,
To the brothers and sisters among the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia:(B)
Greetings.
24 Since we have heard that some without our authorization went out from us(C) and troubled you with their words and unsettled your hearts,[a](D) 25 we have unanimously(E) decided to select men and send them to you along with our dearly loved Barnabas and Paul, 26 who have risked their lives(F) for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 Therefore we have sent Judas and Silas, who will personally report the same things by word of mouth. 28 For it was the Holy Spirit’s decision—and ours—not to place further burdens on you beyond these requirements:(G) 29 that you abstain from food offered to idols, from blood, from eating anything that has been strangled, and from sexual immorality.(H) You will do well if you keep yourselves from these things.
Farewell.”
The Outcome of the Jerusalem Letter
30 So they were sent off and went down to Antioch, and after gathering the assembly, they delivered the letter. 31 When they read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. 32 Both Judas and Silas, who were also prophets themselves, encouraged the brothers and sisters and strengthened them with a long message.(I) 33 After spending some time there, they were sent back in peace(J) by the brothers and sisters to those who had sent them.[b][c] 35 But Paul and Barnabas, along with many others, remained in Antioch, teaching and proclaiming the word of the Lord.(K)
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