Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

101 I will sing mercy and judgment. To You, O LORD, I will sing!

² I will do wisely in the perfect way, till You come to me. I will walk in the uprightness of my heart in the midst of my house.

³ I will set no wicked thing before my eyes. I hate the work of those who fall away. It shall not cling to me.

⁴ A perverse heart shall depart from me. I will know no evil.

⁵ He who secretly slanders his neighbor, I will destroy. He who has a proud look and high heart, I cannot allow.

⁶ My eyes shall be to the faithful of the land, so that they may dwell with me. He who walks in a perfect way, he shall serve me.

⁷ No deceitful person shall dwell within my house. He who tells lies shall not remain in my sight.

⁸ Early will I destroy all the wicked of the land, so that I may cut off all the workers of iniquity from the City of the LORD. A prayer of the afflicted, when he shall be in distress and pour forth his meditation before the LORD

¹⁶ Then two harlots came to the king and stood before him.

¹⁷ And one woman said, “Oh my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house. And I delivered a child with her in the house.

¹⁸ “And the third day after I had delivered, this woman delivered also. And we were in the house together. No stranger was with us in the house except us two.

¹⁹ “And this woman’s son died in the night. For she lay on him.

²⁰ “And she rose at midnight and took my son from my side while your handmaid slept and laid him in her bosom and laid her dead son in my bosom.

²¹ ‘And when I arose in the morning to nurse my son, behold, he was dead. And when I had looked closely at him in the morning, behold, it was not my son whom I had borne.”

²² Then the other woman said, “No! But my son lives! And your son is dead!” Again, she said, “No! But your son is dead and mine alive!” Thus they spoke before the king.

²³ Then the king said, “She says, ‘This who lives is my son, and the dead is your son.’ And the other says, ‘No, but the dead is your son, and the living is my son.’”

²⁴ Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” And they brought out a sword before the king.

²⁵ And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give one half to one, and the other half to the other.”

²⁶ Then, the woman whose child was living spoke to the king, for her compassion was kindled toward her son. And she said, “Oh my lord, give her the living child and do not kill him!” But the other said, “Let it be neither mine nor yours, but divide it.”

²⁷ Then the king answered, and said, “Give her the living child, and do not kill him. This is his mother.”

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

6 And in those days, as the number of the disciples grew, there arose murmuring of the Hellenists toward the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily ministry.

² Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples together, and said, “It is not acceptable that we should leave the Word of God to serve the tables.

³ “Therefore brothers, select from among you seven men of good report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint to this business.

⁴ “And we will give ourselves constantly to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.”

⁵ And the saying pleased the whole 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 from Antioch),

⁶ whom they set before the Apostles. And they prayed and laid their hands on them.

⁷ And the Word of God increased. And the number of the disciples was multiplied in Jerusalem greatly. And a great number of the priests were obedient to the faith.