Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

¶ A Song of degrees.

¹ LORD, remember David and all his afflictions:

² How he swore unto the LORD and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob;

³ surely I will not come into the habitation of my house nor go up into my bed,

⁴ I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids,

⁵ until I find out a place for the LORD, a habitation for the mighty God of Jacob.

⁶ Behold, we heard of her in Ephratah; we found her in the fields of the wood.

⁷ We will go into his tents; we will worship at his footstool.

⁸ Arise, O LORD, into thy rest; thou, and the ark of thy strength.

⁹ Thy priests are clothed with righteousness, and thy merciful ones shout for joy.

¹⁰ For the love of thy slave David, do not turn away thy face from thine anointed.

¹¹ ¶ The LORD has sworn truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body I will set upon thy throne.

¹² If thy sons will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their sons shall also sit upon thy throne for ever.

¹³ For the LORD has chosen Zion; he has desired her for his habitation.

¹⁴ This shall be my rest for ever; here I will dwell; for I have desired her.

¹⁵ I will abundantly bless her provision; I will satisfy her poor with bread.

¹⁶ I will also clothe her priests with saving health, and her merciful ones shall shout aloud for joy.

¹⁷ There will I make the horn of David to bud; I have ordained a lamp for my anointed.

¹⁸ His enemies I will clothe with shame, but upon himself shall his crown blossom.

22 ¶ Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath.

² And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD and walked in all the way of David, his father, and did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.

³ And in the year eighteen of King Josiah, the king sent Shaphan, the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of the LORD, saying,

⁴ Go up to Hilkiah, the high priest, that he may sum the silver which has been brought into the house of the LORD, which the keepers of the door have gathered of the people;

⁵ and let them deliver it into the hands of those that do the work, that have the oversight of the house of the LORD; and let them give it to those that do the work in the house of the LORD, to repair the breaches of the house,

⁶ unto carpenters and builders and masons, and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house;

⁷ and there is to be no accounting required of those unto whom the money is delivered because they deal faithfully.

⁸ Then Hilkiah, the high priest, said unto Shaphan, the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.

⁹ And Shaphan, the scribe, came to the king and brought the king word again and said, Thy slaves have gathered the money that was found in the house and have delivered it into the hand of those that do the work, that have the oversight of the house of the LORD.

¹⁰ Likewise, Shaphan, the scribe, declared unto the king, saying, Hilkiah, the priest, has delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.

⁵⁴ ¶ When they heard these things, they were divided in their hearts and gnashed on him with their teeth.

⁵⁵ But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of God

⁵⁶ and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

⁵⁷ And crying out with a loud voice, they stopped their ears and ran upon him with one accord;

⁵⁸ and casting him out of the city, they stoned him; and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul.

⁵⁹ And they stoned Stephen calling upon God and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

⁶⁰ And he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice, Lord, impute not this sin to their charge. And having said this, he fell asleep in the Lord.

8 ¶ And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the congregation {Gr. ekklesia – called out ones} which was at Jerusalem, and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.