Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Praise to the Lord for His Fidelity to Israel.
99 (A)The Lord reigns, let the peoples tremble;
He [a](B)is enthroned above the cherubim, let the earth shake!
2 The Lord [b]is (C)great in Zion,
And He is (D)exalted above all the peoples.
3 Let them praise Your (E)great and awesome name;
(F)Holy is [c]He.
4 The [d]strength of the King (G)loves [e]justice;
You have established [f](H)equity;
You have (I)executed [g]justice and righteousness in Jacob.
5 [h](J)Exalt the Lord our God
And (K)worship at His footstool;
(L)Holy is He.
6 (M)Moses and Aaron were among His (N)priests,
And (O)Samuel was among those who (P)called on His name;
They (Q)called upon the Lord and He answered them.
7 He (R)spoke to them in the pillar of cloud;
They (S)kept His testimonies
And the statute that He gave them.
8 O Lord our God, You (T)answered them;
You were a (U)forgiving God to them,
And yet an (V)avenger of their evil deeds.
9 Exalt the Lord our God
And worship at His holy hill,
For holy is the Lord our God.
Samuel before the Lord as a Boy
18 Now (A)Samuel was ministering before the Lord, as a boy [a](B)wearing a linen ephod. 19 And his mother would make him a little (C)robe and bring it to him from year to year when she would come up with her husband to offer (D)the yearly sacrifice. 20 Then Eli would (E)bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May the Lord give you [b]children from this woman in place of [c]the one she (F)dedicated to the Lord.” And they went to their own [d]home.
21 (G)The Lord visited Hannah; and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. And (H)the boy Samuel grew before the Lord.
The Council at Jerusalem
15 (A)Some men came down from Judea and began teaching (B)the brethren, “Unless you are (C)circumcised according to (D)the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 And when Paul and Barnabas had [a]great dissension and (E)debate with them, (F)the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the (G)apostles and elders concerning this issue. 3 Therefore, being (H)sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both (I)Phoenicia and Samaria, (J)describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and were bringing great joy to all (K)the brethren. 4 When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the church and (L)the apostles and the elders, and they (M)reported all that God had done with them. 5 But some of (N)the sect of the (O)Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, “It is necessary to (P)circumcise them and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.”
22 Then it seemed good to (A)the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them to send to (B)Antioch with Paul and Barnabas—Judas called Barsabbas, and (C)Silas, leading men among (D)the brethren, 23 and they [a]sent this letter by them,
“(E)The apostles and the brethren who are elders, to (F)the brethren in (G)Antioch and (H)Syria and (I)Cilicia who are from the Gentiles, (J)greetings.
24 “Since we have heard that (K)some [b]of our number to whom we gave no instruction have (L)disturbed you with their words, unsettling your souls, 25 (M)it seemed good to us, having [c]become of one mind, to select men to send to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 men who have [d](N)risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 “Therefore we have sent (O)Judas and (P)Silas, who themselves will also report the same things by word of mouth. 28 “For (Q)it seemed good to (R)the Holy Spirit and to (S)us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: 29 that you abstain from (T)things sacrificed to idols and from (U)blood and from (V)things strangled and from (W)fornication; [e]if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell.”
30 So when they were sent away, (X)they went down to Antioch; and having gathered the [f]congregation together, they delivered the letter. 31 When they had read it, they rejoiced because of its [g]encouragement. 32 (Y)Judas and (Z)Silas, also being (AA)prophets themselves, [h]encouraged and strengthened (AB)the brethren with a lengthy message. 33 After they had spent time there, they were sent away from the brethren (AC)in peace to those who had (AD)sent them out. 34 [[i]But it seemed good to Silas to remain there.] 35 But (AE)Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch, teaching and (AF)preaching with many others also, (AG)the word of the Lord.
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