Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
11 Men without mercy stand up to testify.
They ask me things I do not know.
12 They repay me with evil for the good I have done.
They make me very sad.
13 Yet when they were sick, I put on rough cloth to show my sadness.
I showed my sorrow by going without food.
But my prayers were not answered.
14 I acted as if they were my friends or brothers.
I bowed in sadness as if I were crying for my mother.
15 But when I was in trouble, they gathered and laughed.
They gathered to attack before I knew it.
They insulted me without stopping.
16 They made fun of me and were cruel to me.
They ground their teeth at me in anger.
17 Lord, how long will you watch this happen?
Save my life from their attacks.
Save me from these people who are like lions.
18 I will praise you in the great meeting.
I will praise you among crowds of people.
19 Do not let my enemies laugh at me.
They hate me for no reason.
Do not let them make fun of me.
They have no reason to hate me.
20 Their words are not friendly.
They think up lies about peace-loving people.
21 They speak against me.
They say, “Aha! We saw what you did!”
22 Lord, you have been watching. Do not keep quiet.
Lord, do not leave me alone.
23 Wake up! Come and defend me!
My God and Lord, fight for me!
24 Lord my God, defend me with your justice.
Don’t let them laugh at me.
25 Don’t let them think, “Aha! We got what we wanted!”
Don’t let them say, “We destroyed him.”
26 Let them be ashamed and embarrassed.
They were happy when I hurt.
Cover them with shame and disgrace.
They thought they were better than I was.
27 May my friends sing and shout for joy.
May they always say, “Praise the greatness of the Lord.
He loves to see his servants do well.”
28 I will tell of your goodness.
I will praise you every day.
Rules About the Sabbath
35 Moses gathered all the Israelite community together. He said to them, “These are the things the Lord has commanded you to do. 2 You are to work for six days. But the seventh day will be a holy day, a Sabbath of rest to honor the Lord. Anyone who works on that day must be put to death. 3 On the Sabbath day you must not light a fire in any of your houses.”
4 Moses said to all the Israelites, “This is what the Lord has commanded: 5 From what you have, take an offering for the Lord. Let everyone who is willing bring this offering to the Lord: gold, silver, bronze, 6 blue, purple and red thread, and fine linen, goat hair 7 and male sheep skins, colored red. And they may bring fine leather and acacia wood. 8 They may also bring olive oil for the lamps, spices for the special olive oil used for appointing priests and for the sweet-smelling incense. 9 And they may bring onyx stones and other jewels to be put on the holy vest and chest covering of the priests.
10 “Let all the skilled workers come and make everything the Lord commanded: 11 the Holy Tent, its outer tent and its covering, the hooks, frames, crossbars, posts and bases; 12 the Ark of the Covenant, its poles, lid and the curtain in front of it; 13 the table and its poles, all the things that go with the table and the bread that shows we are in God’s presence; 14 the lampstand for the light and all the things that go with it, the lamps and olive oil for the light; 15 the altar of incense and its poles, the special oil and the sweet-smelling incense, the curtain for the entrance of the Meeting Tent; 16 the altar of burnt offering and its bronze screen, its poles and all its tools, the bronze bowl and its base; 17 the curtains around the courtyard, their posts and bases, and the curtain at the entry to the courtyard; 18 the pegs of the Holy Tent and of the courtyard and their ropes; 19 the special clothes that the priest will wear in the Holy Place. These are the holy clothes for Aaron the priest and his sons to wear when they serve as priests.”
20 Then all the people of Israel went away from Moses. 21 Everyone who wanted to give came and brought a gift to the Lord. These gifts were used for making the Meeting Tent, all the things in the Tent and the special clothes. 22 All the men and women who wanted to give brought gold jewelry of all kinds. They brought pins, earrings, rings and bracelets. They all presented their gold to the Lord. 23 Everyone who had blue, purple and red thread, and fine linen came and gave it to the Lord. Anyone who had goat hair or male sheep skins colored red or fine leather brought them to the Lord. 24 Everyone who could give silver or bronze brought that as a gift to the Lord. Everyone who had acacia wood to be used in the work brought it. 25 Every skilled woman used her hands to make the blue, purple and red thread and fine linen. And they brought what they had made. 26 All the women who were skilled and wanted to help made thread of the goat hair. 27 The leaders brought onyx stones and other jewels. These stones and jewels were put on the holy vest and chest covering for the priest. 28 They also brought spices and olive oil. These were used for the sweet-smelling incense, the special oil and the oil to burn in the lamps. 29 All the men and women of Israel who wanted to help brought gifts to the Lord. They were used for all the work the Lord had commanded Moses and the people to do.
9 The next day as they came near Joppa, Peter was going up to the roof[a] to pray. It was about noon. 10 Peter was hungry and wanted to eat. But while the food was being prepared, he had a vision. 11 He saw heaven opened and something coming down. It looked like a big sheet being lowered to earth by its four corners. 12 In it were all kinds of animals, reptiles, and birds. 13 Then a voice said to Peter, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.”
14 But Peter said, “No, Lord! I have never eaten food that is unholy or unclean.”
15 But the voice said to him again, “God has made these things clean. Don’t call them ‘unholy’!” 16 This happened three times. Then the sheet was taken back to heaven.
17 While Peter was wondering what this vision meant, the men Cornelius sent had found Simon’s house. They were standing at the gate. 18 They asked, “Is Simon Peter staying here?”
19 Peter was still thinking about the vision. But the Spirit said to him, “Listen! Three men are looking for you. 20 Get up and go downstairs. Go with them and don’t ask questions. I have sent them to you.”
21 So Peter went down to the men. He said, “I am the man you are looking for. Why did you come here?”
22 They said, “A holy angel spoke to Cornelius, an army officer. He is a good man; he worships God. All the Jewish people respect him. The angel told Cornelius to ask you to his house so that he can hear what you have to say.” 23 Peter asked the men to come in and spend the night.
The next day Peter got ready and went with them. Some of the brothers from Joppa joined him.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.