Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

A Prayer for Deliverance

Pharaoh Neco and Josiah’s Death^(A)

²⁰ Some time after all of this, after Josiah had finished preparing the Temple, King Neco of Egypt invaded Carchemish on the Euphrates River,^[a] and Josiah went out to fight him. ²¹ But he sent messengers to him, who asked him, “What do we have in common, King of Judah? I am not here today opposing you. I am fighting the dynasty that is fighting me, and God has ordered me to hurry. For your own good, stop interfering with God, who is with me, and he won’t destroy you!”

²² But Josiah wouldn’t turn around. In fact, he put on a disguise so he could fight Neco.^[b] He wouldn’t listen to what God told him through what Neco had to say, and as a result, Josiah came to attack Neco^[c] on the Megiddo plain. ²³ Some archers shot King Josiah, and the king told his servants, “Take me away, because I’m badly wounded.” ²⁴ So his servants removed him from the chariot he was in and carried him away in a backup chariot that he had and took him back to Jerusalem, where he died and was buried in the tombs of his ancestors. All of Judah and Jerusalem went into mourning for Josiah.

²⁵ Jeremiah sang a lament for Josiah, and all the male and female singers recite that lamentation about Josiah to this day. In fact, they made singing it an ordinance in Israel, and they are recorded in the Lamentations.^{[d] 26} Now the rest of the accomplishments of Josiah, including his faithful acts of devotion as required in the Law of the Lord, ²⁷ and his other^[e] activities from first to last, are recorded in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.

Paul in Ephesus

19 It was while Apollos was in Corinth that Paul passed through the inland districts and came to Ephesus. He found a few disciples there ² and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

They answered him, “No, we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

³ He then asked, “Then into what were you baptized?”

They answered, “Into John’s baptism.”

⁴ Then Paul said, “John baptized when they repented, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.” ⁵ On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ When Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began to speak in foreign languages^[a] and to prophesy. ⁷ There were about twelve men in all.

⁸ He went into the synagogue and spoke there boldly for three months, holding discussions and persuading those who heard him^[b] about the kingdom of God. ⁹ But when some people became stubborn, refused to believe, and slandered the Way in front of the people, Paul^[c] left them, taking his disciples away with him, and held daily discussions in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.^{[d] 10} This went on for two years, so that all who lived in Asia, Jews and Greeks alike, heard the word of the Lord.