Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

78 O my people, listen to my teaching. Open your ears to what I am saying. ^2-3 For I will show you lessons from our history, stories handed down to us from former generations. ⁴ I will reveal these truths to you so that you can describe these glorious deeds of Jehovah to your children and tell them about the mighty miracles he did.

^11-12 And they forgot about the wonderful miracles God had done for them and for their fathers in Egypt. ¹³ For he divided the sea before them and led them through! The water stood banked up along both sides of them! ¹⁴ In the daytime he led them by a cloud, and at night by a pillar of fire. ¹⁵ He split open the rocks in the wilderness to give them plenty of water, as though gushing from a spring. ¹⁶ Streams poured from the rock, flowing like a river!

20 The people of Israel arrived in the wilderness of Zin in April^[a] and camped at Kadesh, where Miriam died and was buried. ² There was not enough water to drink at that place, so the people again rebelled against Moses and Aaron. A great mob formed, ³ and they held a protest meeting.

“Would that we too had died with our dear brothers the Lord killed!” they shouted at Moses. ⁴ “You have deliberately brought us into this wilderness to get rid of us, along with our flocks and herds. ⁵ Why did you ever make us leave Egypt and bring us here to this evil place? Where is the fertile land of wonderful crops—the figs, vines, and pomegranates you told us about? Why, there isn’t even water enough to drink!”

⁶ Moses and Aaron turned away and went to the entrance of the Tabernacle, where they fell face downward before the Lord; and the glory of Jehovah appeared to them.

⁷ And he said to Moses, ⁸ “Get Aaron’s rod;^[b] then you and Aaron must summon the people. As they watch, speak to that rock over there and tell it to pour out its water! You will give them water from a rock, enough for all the people and all their cattle!”

⁹ So Moses did as instructed. He took the rod from the place where it was kept before the Lord; ¹⁰ then Moses and Aaron summoned the people to come and gather at the rock; and he said to them, “Listen, you rebels! Must we bring you water from this rock?”

¹¹ Then Moses lifted the rod and struck the rock twice, and water gushed out; and the people and their cattle drank.

¹² But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe me^[c] and did not sanctify me in the eyes of the people of Israel, you shall not bring them into the land I have promised them!”

¹³ This place was named Meribah (meaning “Rebel Waters”), because it was where the people of Israel fought against Jehovah, and where he showed himself to be holy before them.

^32-33 “And now Barnabas and I are here to bring you this Good News—that God’s promise to our ancestors has come true in our own time, in that God brought Jesus back to life again. This is what the second Psalm is talking about when it says concerning Jesus, ‘Today I have honored you as my Son.’^[a]

³⁴ “For God had promised to bring him back to life again, no more to die. This is stated in the Scripture that says, ‘I will do for you the wonderful thing I promised David.’ ³⁵ In another Psalm he explained more fully, saying, ‘God will not let his Holy One decay.’ ³⁶ This was not a reference to David, for after David had served his generation according to the will of God, he died and was buried, and his body decayed. ³⁷ No, it was a reference to another^[b]—someone God brought back to life, whose body was not touched at all by the ravages of death.

³⁸ “Brothers! Listen! In this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins! ³⁹ Everyone who trusts in him is freed from all guilt and declared righteous—something the Jewish law could never do. ⁴⁰ Oh, be careful! Don’t let the prophets’ words apply to you. For they said, ⁴¹ ‘Look and perish, you despisers of the truth,^[c] for I am doing something in your day—something that you won’t believe when you hear it announced.’”