Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
5 The heavens(A) praise your wonders, Lord,
your faithfulness too, in the assembly(B) of the holy ones.
6 For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord?
Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings?(C)
7 In the council(D) of the holy ones(E) God is greatly feared;
he is more awesome than all who surround him.(F)
8 Who is like you,(G) Lord God Almighty?(H)
You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.
9 You rule over the surging sea;
when its waves mount up, you still them.(I)
10 You crushed Rahab(J) like one of the slain;
with your strong arm you scattered(K) your enemies.
11 The heavens are yours,(L) and yours also the earth;(M)
you founded the world and all that is in it.(N)
12 You created the north and the south;
Tabor(O) and Hermon(P) sing for joy(Q) at your name.
13 Your arm is endowed with power;
your hand is strong, your right hand exalted.(R)
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;(S)
love and faithfulness go before you.(T)
15 Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,
who walk(U) in the light(V) of your presence, Lord.
16 They rejoice in your name(W) all day long;
they celebrate your righteousness.
17 For you are their glory and strength,(X)
and by your favor you exalt our horn.[a](Y)
18 Indeed, our shield[b](Z) belongs to the Lord,
our king(AA) to the Holy One of Israel.
19 Once you spoke in a vision,
to your faithful people you said:
“I have bestowed strength on a warrior;
I have raised up a young man from among the people.
20 I have found David(AB) my servant;(AC)
with my sacred oil(AD) I have anointed(AE) him.
21 My hand will sustain him;
surely my arm will strengthen him.(AF)
22 The enemy will not get the better of him;(AG)
the wicked will not oppress(AH) him.
23 I will crush his foes before him(AI)
and strike down his adversaries.(AJ)
24 My faithful love will be with him,(AK)
and through my name his horn[c] will be exalted.
25 I will set his hand over the sea,
his right hand over the rivers.(AL)
26 He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father,(AM)
my God, the Rock(AN) my Savior.’(AO)
27 And I will appoint him to be my firstborn,(AP)
the most exalted(AQ) of the kings(AR) of the earth.
28 I will maintain my love to him forever,
and my covenant with him will never fail.(AS)
29 I will establish his line forever,
his throne as long as the heavens endure.(AT)
30 “If his sons forsake my law
and do not follow my statutes,
31 if they violate my decrees
and fail to keep my commands,
32 I will punish their sin with the rod,
their iniquity with flogging;(AU)
33 but I will not take my love from him,(AV)
nor will I ever betray my faithfulness.
34 I will not violate my covenant
or alter what my lips have uttered.(AW)
35 Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness—
and I will not lie to David—
36 that his line will continue forever
and his throne endure before me like the sun;(AX)
37 it will be established forever like the moon,
the faithful witness in the sky.”(AY)
Jacob Returns to Bethel
35 Then God said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethel(A) and settle there, and build an altar(B) there to God,(C) who appeared to you(D) when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.”(E)
2 So Jacob said to his household(F) and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods(G) you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes.(H) 3 Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God,(I) who answered me in the day of my distress(J) and who has been with me wherever I have gone.(K)” 4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears,(L) and Jacob buried them under the oak(M) at Shechem.(N) 5 Then they set out, and the terror of God(O) fell on the towns all around them so that no one pursued them.(P)
6 Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz(Q) (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan.(R) 7 There he built an altar,(S) and he called the place El Bethel,[a](T) because it was there that God revealed himself to him(U) when he was fleeing from his brother.(V)
8 Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse,(W) died and was buried under the oak(X) outside Bethel.(Y) So it was named Allon Bakuth.[b]
9 After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram,[c](Z) God appeared to him again and blessed him.(AA) 10 God said to him, “Your name is Jacob,[d] but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.[e]”(AB) So he named him Israel.
11 And God said to him, “I am God Almighty[f];(AC) be fruitful and increase in number.(AD) A nation(AE) and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants.(AF) 12 The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.(AG)”(AH) 13 Then God went up from him(AI) at the place where he had talked with him.
14 Jacob set up a stone pillar(AJ) at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering(AK) on it; he also poured oil on it.(AL) 15 Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel.[g](AM)
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on(A) all who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter(B) were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out(C) even on Gentiles.(D) 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues[a](E) and praising God.
Then Peter said, 47 “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water.(F) They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.”(G) 48 So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.(H) Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.
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