Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

101 The prayer of the poor man, when he was anxious, and poured out his supplication before the Lord.

² Hear, O Lord, my prayer: and let my cry come to thee.

³ Turn not away thy face from me: in the day when I am in trouble, incline thy ear to me. In what day soever I shall call upon thee, hear me speedily.

⁴ For my days are vanished like smoke: and my bones are grown dry like fuel for the fire.

⁵ I am smitten as grass, and my heart is withered: because I forgot to eat my bread.

⁶ Through the voice of my groaning, my bone hath cleaved to my flesh.

⁷ I am become like to a pelican of the wilderness: I am like a night raven in the house.

⁸ I have watched, and am become as a sparrow all alone on the housetop.

⁹ All the day long my enemies reproached me: and they that praised me did swear against me.

¹⁰ For I did eat ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping.

¹¹ Because of thy anger and indignation: for having lifted me up thou hast thrown me down.

¹² My days have declined like a shadow, and I am withered like grass.

¹³ But thou, O Lord, endurest for ever: and thy memorial to all generations.

¹⁴ Thou shalt arise and have mercy on Sion: for it is time to have mercy on it, for the time is come.

¹⁵ For the stones thereof have pleased thy servants: and they shall have pity on the earth thereof.

¹⁶ And the Gentiles shall fear thy name, O Lord, and all the kings of the earth thy glory.

¹⁷ For the Lord hath built up Sion: and he shall be seen in his glory.

¹⁸ He hath had regard to the prayer of the humble: and he hath not despised their petition.

¹⁹ Let these things be written unto another generation: and the people that shall be created shall praise the Lord:

²⁰ Because he hath looked forth from his high sanctuary: from heaven the Lord hath looked upon the earth.

²¹ That he might hear the groans of them that are in fetters: that he might release the children of the slain:

²² That they may declare the name of the Lord in Sion: and his praise in Jerusalem;

²³ When the people assemble together, and kings, to serve the Lord.

²⁴ He answered him in the way of his strength: Declare unto me the fewness of my days.

²⁵ Call me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are unto generation and generation.

²⁶ In the beginning, O Lord, thou foundedst the earth: and the heavens are the works of thy hands.

²⁷ They shall perish but thou remainest: and all of them shall grow old like a garment: And as a vesture thou shalt change them, and they shall be changed.

²⁸ But thou art always the selfsame, and thy years shall not fail.

²⁹ The children of thy servants shall continue: and their seed shall be directed for ever.

¹⁶ Then there came two women that were harlots, to the king, and stood before him:

¹⁷ And one of them said: I beseech thee, my lord, I and this woman dwelt in one house, and I was delivered of a child with her in the chamber.

¹⁸ And the third day, after that I was delivered, she also was delivered, and we were together, and no other person with us in the house, only we two.

¹⁹ And this woman's child died in the night: for in her sleep she overlaid him.

²⁰ And rising in the dead time of the night, she took my child from my side, while I thy handmaid was asleep, and laid it in her bosom: and laid her dead child in my bosom.

²¹ And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold it was dead: but considering him more diligently when it was clear day, I found that it was not mine which I bore.

²² And the other woman answered: It is not so as thou sayest, but thy child is dead, and mine is alive. On the contrary she said: Thou liest: for my child liveth, and thy child is dead. And in this manner they strove before the king.

²³ Then said the king: The one saith, My child is alive, and thy child is dead. And the other answereth: Nay, but thy child is dead, and mine liveth.

²⁴ The king therefore said: Bring me a sword. And when they had brought a sword before the king,

²⁵ Divide, said he, the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.

²⁶ But the woman whose child was alive, said to the king, (for her bowels were moved upon her child,) I beseech thee, my lord, give her the child alive, and do not kill it. But the other said: Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it.

²⁷ The king answered, and said: Give the living child to this woman, and let it not be killed, for she is the mother thereof.

²⁸ And all Israel heard the judgment which the king had judged, and they feared the king, seeing that the wisdom of God was in him to do judgment.

6 And in those days, the number of the disciples increasing, there arose a murmuring of the Greeks against the Hebrews, for that their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.

² Then the twelve calling together the multitude of the disciples, said: It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.

³ Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.

⁴ But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.

⁵ And the saying was liked by all the multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith, and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte of Antioch.

⁶ These they set before the apostles; and they praying, imposed hands upon them.

⁷ And the word of the Lord increased; and the number of the disciples was multiplied in Jerusalem exceedingly: a great multitude also of the priests obeyed the faith.