Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
11 False witnesses stepped forward
and questioned me concerning things
about which I knew nothing.
12 They paid me back evil for good;
my soul mourns.
13 But when they were sick,
I wore sackcloth, humbled myself with fasting,
and prayed from my heart repeatedly for them.[a]
14 I paced about as for my friend or my brother,
and fell down mourning as one weeps for one’s mother.
15 But when I stumbled,
they rejoiced and gathered together.
They gathered together against me—
attackers whom I did not know.
They tore me apart and would not stop.
16 Malicious mockers[b]—
they gnashed[c] their teeth against me.
17 Lord, how long will you just watch?
Rescue me from their destruction,
my precious life from these young lions.
18 Then I will give you thanks in front of the great congregation;
in the midst of the mighty throng I will praise you.
19 Do not let my deceitful enemies gloat over me,
nor let those who hate me without justification mock me with their eyes.
20 For they do not speak peace;
they devise clever lies against the peaceful people of the land.
21 They open their mouth wide against me,
claiming, “Yes! Yes! We saw him do[d] it with our own eyes!”
22 You see this, Lord,
so do not be silent.
Lord, do not be far from me!
23 Wake up! Arouse yourself to vindicate me
and argue my case, my God and my Lord.
24 Judge me according to your righteousness, Lord my God!
But do not let them gloat over me.
25 Don’t let them say in their hearts,
“Yes! We got what we wanted.”
Don’t let them say,
“We have swallowed him up.”
26 Instead, let those who gloat over the evil directed against me
be ashamed and confounded together;
Let those who exalt themselves over me
be clothed with shame and dishonor.
27 Let those who delight in my vindication
shout for joy and rejoice!
Let them continuously say,
“Magnify the Lord, who delights in giving peace to[e] his servant.”
28 My tongue will declare your righteousness
and praise you all day long.
The Israelis Collect Material for the Tent
35 Moses assembled the entire congregation of the Israelis and told them, “These are the things that the Lord has commanded you to do:[a] 2 For six days work is to be done, but on the seventh day you are to have a holy day, a Sabbath of complete rest in dedication to the Lord. Anyone who does work on that day is to be executed. 3 You are not to light a fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath.”
4 Then Moses told the entire congregation of the Israelis, “This is what the Lord has commanded, 5 ‘Take from among yourselves an offering for the Lord. Everyone whose heart is willing is to bring as an offering for the Lord: gold, silver, and bronze; 6 blue, purple, and scarlet material;[b] fine linen and goat hair; 7 ram skins dyed red,[c] dolphin[d] skins, acacia wood, 8 oil for lighting, spices for the anointing oil and for aromatic incense, 9 onyx stones, and stones for setting in the ephod and the breast piece.
10 “‘Let everyone who is skilled[e] among you come and make everything that the Lord has commanded: 11 the tent, its tent, its covering, its clasps, its boards, its bars, its pillars, and its sockets, 12 the ark, its poles, the Mercy Seat, the curtain,[f] 13 the table, its poles, all its furnishings, and the bread of the presence, 14 the lamp stand for light, its furnishings, its lamps, and oil for the light, 15 the altar of incense, its poles, the anointing oil, the aromatic incense, and the screen for the doorway at the entrance to the tent, 16 the altar for burnt offerings, the bronze lattice for it, its poles, and all its furnishings, the basin and its base, 17 the hangings for the court, its pillars, its sockets,[g] the screen for the gate of the court, 18 the pegs for the tent, the pegs for the court, and their cords, 19 the woven garments for ministering in the Holy Place, the holy garments of Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons for serving as priests.’”
20 Then the entire congregation of the Israelis withdrew from Moses’ presence, 21 and every person whose heart moved him and all whose spirits prompted them, brought an offering to the Lord for constructing[h] the Tent of Meeting, for all its service, and for the holy garments. 22 Both the men and women came—all whose hearts prompted them—and brought brooches, earrings, rings, pendants, and all kinds of gold jewelry. Every person presented a wave offering of gold to the Lord.
23 Everyone who had blue, purple, and scarlet material, fine linen, goat hair, ram skins dyed red,[i] and dolphin[j] skins brought them. 24 Everyone who could give an offering of silver and bronze brought it as a contribution for the Lord. Also all who had acacia wood for any use in the work[k] brought it.
25 Every skilled[l] woman spun with her hands, and brought what she had spun: blue, purple, and scarlet material, and fine linen. 26 All the women who were skilled artisans[m] spun the goat hair.
27 The leaders brought onyx stones and stones to be set in the ephod and the breast piece, 28 spices and oil for the light and for the anointing oil and the aromatic incense. 29 Each Israeli man and woman whose heart was prompted brought something[n] as a freewill offering to the Lord for all the work that the Lord had commanded them to do through[o] Moses.
Peter Has a Vision
9 Around noon[a] the next day, while they were on their way and coming close to the town, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became very hungry and wanted to eat, and while the food[b] was being prepared, he fell into a trance 11 and saw heaven open and something like a large linen sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners to the ground. 12 In it were all kinds of four-footed animals, reptiles, and birds of the air.
13 Then a voice told him,[c] “Get up, Peter! Kill something and eat it.”
14 But Peter said, “Absolutely not, Lord, for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean!”
15 Again the voice came to him a second time, “You must stop calling unclean what God has made clean.” 16 This happened three times. Then the sheet[d] was quickly taken back into heaven.
17 While Peter was still at a loss to know what the vision he had seen could mean, the men sent by Cornelius asked for Simon’s house and went to the gate. 18 They called out and asked if Simon who was called Peter was staying there. 19 Peter was still thinking about the vision when the Spirit told him, “Look! Three men are looking for you. 20 Get up, go downstairs, and don’t hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.”
21 So Peter went to the men and said, “I’m the man you’re looking for. Why are you here?”
22 The men replied, “Cornelius, a centurion and an upright and God-fearing man who is respected by the whole Jewish nation, was instructed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his home to hear what you have to say.”
23 So Peter[e] welcomed them as his guests. The next day, he got up and went with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa went along with him.
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