Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

²⁴ They have seen thy ways, O God, even the ways of my God, my King, in the sanctuary.

²⁵ The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after; in between them were the virgins playing with timbrels.

²⁶ Bless ye God in the congregations, even the Lord, ye of the lineage of Israel.

²⁷ There was little Benjamin as their ruler, the princes of Judah in their congregation, the princes of Zebulun and the princes of Naphtali.

²⁸ Thy God has commanded thy strength; confirm, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us.

²⁹ From thy temple in Jerusalem shall kings bring presents unto thee.

³⁰ Reprehend the company of spearmen, the multitude of the strong, with the lords of the peoples, trampling them underfoot with their pieces of silver; Destroy thou the peoples that delight in war.

³¹ Princes shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.

³² ¶ Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth; O sing praises unto the Lord, Selah:

³³ To him that rides upon the heavens of the heavens which were of old; behold, he shall send forth his voice, his mighty voice.

³⁴ Ascribe ye strength unto God; his excellency is over Israel, and his strength is in the clouds.

³⁵ O God, thou art terrible out of thy sanctuaries; the God of Israel is he that gives strength and power unto his people. Blessed be God.

¹² And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, Whose is the land? And that they should also say, Make thy covenant with me, and, behold, my hand shall be with thee, to bring about all Israel unto thee.

¹³ And he said, Good; I will make a covenant with thee, but one thing I require of thee, that is, Thou shalt not see my face except thou first bring Michal, Saul’s daughter, when thou comest to see my face.

¹⁴ After this, David sent messengers to Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, saying, Deliver me my wife Michal, which I espoused to me for one hundred foreskins of the Philistines.

¹⁵ So Ishbosheth sent and took her from her husband, even from Phaltiel, the son of Laish.

¹⁶ And her husband went with her along weeping behind her to Bahurim. Then Abner said unto him, Go, return. And he returned.

¹² ¶ And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together and they vowed under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul.

¹³ And they were more than forty who had made this conspiracy.

¹⁴ And they came to the princes of the priests and the elders and said, We have made a vow of anathema that we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul.

¹⁵ Now therefore ye with the council signify to the tribunal that he bring him down unto you tomorrow, as though ye would enquire something more certain concerning him, and we, before he arrives, are ready to kill him.

¹⁶ And when Paul’s sister’s son heard of their ambush, he went and entered into the fortress and told Paul.

¹⁷ Then Paul called one of the centurions unto him and said, Bring this young man unto the tribunal, for he has a certain thing to tell him.

¹⁸ So he took him and brought him to the tribunal and said, Paul the prisoner called me unto him and asked me to bring this young man unto thee, who has something to say unto thee.

¹⁹ Then the tribunal took him by the hand and went with him aside privately and asked him, What is that thou hast to tell me?

²⁰ And he said, The Jews have agreed to ask thee that thou would bring down Paul tomorrow into the council, as though they would enquire something more certain of him.

²¹ But do not believe them, for more than forty of them lie in wait to ambush him, who have vowed under a curse that they will neither eat nor drink until they have killed him, and now they are ready, looking for a promise from thee.

²² So the tribunal then let the young man depart and charged him, See thou tell no one that thou hast showed these things to me.

²³ And he called unto him two centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea and seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen, at the third hour of the night

²⁴ and provide them beasts that they may set Paul on and bring him safe unto Felix the governor.

²⁵ And he wrote a letter after this manner:

²⁶ Claudius Lysias unto the most excellent governor Felix sends greeting.

²⁷ This man was taken of the Jews and should have been killed by them; then I came with an army and rescued him, having understood that he was a Roman.

²⁸ And when I desired to know the cause of why they accused him, I brought him forth into their council,

²⁹ whom I found to be accused of questions of their law, but to have nothing laid to his charge worthy of death or of bonds.

³⁰ And when it was told me how the Jews lay in wait to ambush the man, I sent straightway to thee and gave commandment to his accusers also to say before thee what they had against him. Farewell.

³¹ Then the soldiers, as it was commanded them, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris.

³² On the next day they left the horsemen to go with him and returned to the fortress,

³³ who, when they came to Caesarea and delivered the epistle to the governor, presented Paul also before him.

³⁴ And when the governor had read the letter, he asked of what province he was. And when he understood that he was of Cilicia,

³⁵ I will hear thee, said he, when thine accusers are also come. And he commanded him to be kept in Herod’s judgment hall.