Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and faithful in all his acts.(A)
18 The Lord is near all who call out to him,
all who call out to him with integrity.(B)
19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry for help and saves them.(C)
20 The Lord guards all those who love him,
but he destroys all the wicked.(D)
21 My mouth will declare the Lord’s praise;
let every living thing
bless his holy name forever and ever.(E)
Crowning of the Branch
9 The word of the Lord came to me:(A) 10 “Take an offering from the exiles, from Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon, and go that same day to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah. 11 Take silver and gold, make a crown,[a] and place it on the head of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. 12 You are to tell him: This is what the Lord of Armies says: Here is a man whose name is Branch;(B) he will branch out from his place and build the Lord’s temple. 13 Yes, he will build the Lord’s temple; he will bear royal splendor(C) and will sit on his throne and rule. There will be a priest on his throne, and there will be peaceful counsel between the two of them.(D) 14 The crown will reside in the Lord’s temple as a memorial to Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen[b] son of Zephaniah. 15 People who are far off will come and build the Lord’s temple, and you will know that the Lord of Armies has sent me to you. This will happen when you fully obey the Lord your God.”(E)
Paul’s Defense before Felix
10 When the governor motioned for him to speak, Paul replied, “Because I know you have been a judge of this nation for many years, I am glad to offer my defense in what concerns me.(A) 11 You can verify for yourself that it is no more than twelve days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem.(B) 12 They didn’t find me arguing with anyone or causing a disturbance among the crowd, either in the temple or in the synagogues or anywhere in the city.(C) 13 Neither can they prove the charges they are now making against me. 14 But I admit this to you: I worship the God of my ancestors according to the Way,(D) which they call a sect, believing everything that is in accordance with the law and written in the prophets.(E) 15 I have a hope in God, which these men themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection,[a](F) both of the righteous and the unrighteous.(G) 16 I always strive to have a clear conscience(H) toward God and men. 17 After many years, I came to bring charitable gifts and offerings to my people.(I) 18 While I was doing this, some Jews from Asia found me ritually purified in the temple, without a crowd and without any uproar.(J) 19 It is they who ought to be here before you to bring charges, if they have anything against me. 20 Or let these men here state what wrongdoing they found in me when I stood before the Sanhedrin, 21 other than this one statement I shouted while standing among them, ‘Today I am on trial before you concerning the resurrection of the dead.’”
The Verdict Postponed
22 Since Felix was well informed about the Way,(K) he adjourned the hearing, saying, “When Lysias the commander comes down, I will decide your case.” 23 He ordered that the centurion keep Paul under guard, though he could have some freedom, and that he should not prevent any of his friends from meeting[b] his needs.(L)
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