Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 128[a]
A song of ascents.[b]
128 How blessed is every one of the Lord’s loyal followers,[c]
each one who keeps his commands.[d]
2 You[e] will eat what you worked so hard to grow.[f]
You will be blessed and secure.[g]
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine[h]
in the inner rooms of your house;
your children[i] will be like olive branches,
as they sit all around your table.
4 Yes indeed, the man who fears the Lord
will be blessed in this way.[j]
5 May the Lord bless you[k] from Zion,
that you might see[l] Jerusalem prosper
all the days of your life,
6 and that you might see[m] your grandchildren.[n]
May Israel experience peace.[o]
6 Now Jericho was shut tightly[a] because of the Israelites. No one was allowed to leave or enter.[b] 2 The Lord told Joshua, “See, I am about to defeat Jericho for you,[c] along with its king and its warriors. 3 Have all the warriors march around the city one time;[d] do this for six days. 4 Have seven priests carry seven rams’ horns[e] in front of the ark. On the seventh day march around the city seven times, while the priests blow the horns. 5 When you hear the signal from the ram’s horn,[f] have the whole army give a loud battle cry.[g] Then the city wall will collapse,[h] and the warriors should charge straight ahead.”[i]
6 So Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and instructed them, “Pick up the ark of the covenant, and seven priests must carry seven rams’ horns in front of the ark of the Lord.” 7 And he told[j] the army,[k] “Move ahead[l] and march around the city, with armed troops going ahead of the ark of the Lord.”
8 When Joshua gave the army its orders,[m] the seven priests carrying the seven rams’ horns before the Lord moved ahead and blew the horns as the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed behind. 9 Armed troops marched ahead of the priests blowing the horns, while the rear guard followed along behind the ark blowing rams’ horns. 10 Now Joshua had instructed the army,[n] “Do not give a battle cry[o] or raise your voices; say nothing[p] until the day I tell you, ‘Give the battle cry.’[q] Then give the battle cry!”[r] 11 So Joshua made sure they marched the ark of the Lord around the city one time.[s] Then they went back to the camp and spent the night there.[t]
12 Bright and early the next morning Joshua had the priests pick up the ark of the Lord.[u] 13 The seven priests carrying the seven rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord marched along blowing their horns. Armed troops marched ahead of them, while the rear guard followed along behind the ark of the Lord blowing rams’ horns. 14 They marched around the city one time on the second day, then returned to the camp. They did this six days in all.
15 On the seventh day they were up at the crack of dawn[v] and marched around the city as before—only this time they marched around it seven times.[w] 16 The seventh time around, the priests blew the rams’ horns, and Joshua told the army,[x] “Give the battle cry,[y] for the Lord is handing the city over to you![z]
The Church at Antioch Commissions Barnabas and Saul
13 Now there were these prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch:[a] Barnabas, Simeon called Niger,[b] Lucius the Cyrenian,[c] Manaen (a close friend of Herod[d] the tetrarch[e] from childhood[f]) and Saul. 2 While they were serving[g] the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart[h] for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then, after they had fasted[i] and[j] prayed and placed their hands[k] on them, they sent them off.
Paul and Barnabas Preach in Cyprus
4 So Barnabas and Saul,[l] sent out by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia,[m] and from there they sailed to Cyprus.[n] 5 When[o] they arrived[p] in Salamis,[q] they began to proclaim[r] the word of God in the Jewish synagogues.[s] (Now they also had John[t] as their assistant.)[u] 6 When they had crossed over[v] the whole island as far as Paphos,[w] they found a magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus,[x] 7 who was with the proconsul[y] Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. The proconsul[z] summoned[aa] Barnabas and Saul and wanted to hear[ab] the word of God. 8 But the magician Elymas[ac] (for that is the way his name is translated)[ad] opposed them, trying to turn the proconsul[ae] away from the faith. 9 But Saul (also known as Paul),[af] filled with the Holy Spirit,[ag] stared straight[ah] at him 10 and said, “You who are full of all deceit and all wrongdoing,[ai] you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness—will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?[aj] 11 Now[ak] look, the hand of the Lord is against[al] you, and you will be blind, unable to see the sun for a time!” Immediately mistiness[am] and darkness came over[an] him, and he went around seeking people[ao] to lead him by the hand. 12 Then when the proconsul[ap] saw what had happened, he believed,[aq] because he was greatly astounded[ar] at the teaching about[as] the Lord.
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.