Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Let Your Heart Take Courage
Psalm 27
1 Of David.
Adonai is my light and my salvation:
whom should I fear?
Adonai is the stronghold of my life:
whom should I dread?
2 When evildoers approached me to devour my flesh
—my adversaries and my foes—they stumbled and fell.
3 Though an army camp besieges me, my heart will not fear.
Though war breaks out against me, even then will I be confident.
4 One thing have I asked of Adonai,
that will I seek:
to dwell in the House of Adonai
all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of Adonai,
and to meditate in His Temple.
5 For in the day of trouble He will hide me in His sukkah,
conceal me in the shelter of His tent,
and set me high upon a rock.
6 Then will my head be high above my enemies around me.
In His Tabernacle I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy.
I will sing, yes, sing praises to Adonai.
7 Hear, Adonai, when I call with my voice,
be gracious to me and answer me.
8 To You my heart says: “Seek My face.”
Your face, Adonai, I seek.
9 Do not hide Your face from me.
Do not turn Your servant away in anger.
You have been my help.
Do not abandon me or forsake me,
O God my salvation.
10 Though my father and my mother
forsake me, Adonai will take me in.
11 Teach me Your way, Adonai,
and lead me on a level path—
because of my enemies.
12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes.
For false witnesses rise up against me,
breathing out violence.
13 Surely I trust that I will see the goodness
of Adonai in the land of the living.
14 Wait for Adonai.
Be strong, let Your heart take courage,
and wait for Adonai.
Zion’s End-Time Glory
2 In that day the Branch of Adonai will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land excellent and appealing for Israel’s survivors. 3 So it will come to pass that whoever is left in Zion and whoever remains in Jerusalem will be called holy—everyone who is recorded among the living in Jerusalem.
4 After Adonai has washed away the filth of the Daughters of Zion and has purged the blood of Jerusalem from her midst by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning, 5 then Adonai will create over the whole area of Mount Zion and over her convocations, a cloud by day, and smoke and shining of a flaming fire by night. For over all, glory will be a canopy[a]. 6 Then there will be a sukkah for shade by day from the heat, and for refuge and for shelter from storm and from rain.
Peter’s Report to Jerusalem
11 Now the emissaries and brothers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 But when Peter went up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision took issue with him, 3 saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them!”
4 So Peter began explaining to them point by point, saying, 5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision—something like a great sheet coming down, being lowered from heaven by its four corners, and it came right to me. 6 I looked inside, considering it carefully, and saw four-footed creatures of the earth, wild animals, reptiles, and birds of the air. 7 I also heard a voice saying, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’
8 “But I said, ‘Certainly not, Lord! For never has anything unholy or unclean entered my mouth.’ 9 But a voice from heaven answered a second time, ‘What God has made clean, you must not consider unholy.’ 10 This happened three times, and then everything was pulled up to heaven.
11 “At that very moment, three men arrived at the house where we were, sent to me from Caesarea. 12 The Ruach told me to go with them without hesitating. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. 13 He reported to us how he had seen an angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon called Peter. 14 He will speak words to you by which you will be saved—you and all your household.’
15 “As I began to speak, the Ruach ha-Kodesh fell on them, just as on us at the beginning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John immersed with water, but you will be immersed in the Ruach ha-Kodesh.’ 17 Therefore if God gave them the same gift as also to us after we put our trust in the Lord Messiah Yeshua, who was I to stand in God’s way?”
18 When they heard this they became quiet, and they glorified God, saying, “Then even to the Gentiles God has granted repentance leading to life!”
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.