Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

148 Praise ye the Lord from the heavens: praise ye him in the high places.

² Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.

³ Praise ye him, O sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars and light.

⁴ Praise him, ye heavens of heavens: and let all the waters that are above the heavens

⁵ Praise the name of the Lord. For he spoke, and they were made: he commanded, and they were created.

⁶ He hath established them for ever, and for ages of ages: he hath made a decree, and it shall not pass away.

⁷ Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons, and all ye deeps:

⁸ Fire, hail, snow, ice, stormy winds which fulfill his word:

⁹ Mountains and all hills, fruitful trees and all cedars:

¹⁰ Beasts and all cattle: serpents and feathered fowls:

¹¹ Kings of the earth and all people: princes and all judges of the earth:

¹² Young men and maidens: let the old with the younger, praise the name of the Lord:

¹³ For his name alone is exalted.

¹⁴ The praise of him is above heaven and earth: and he hath exalted the horn of his people. A hymn to all his saints: to the children of Israel, a people approaching to him. Alleluia.

26 In the beginning of the reign of Joakim the son of Josias king of Juda, came this word from the Lord, saying:

² Thus saith the Lord: Stand in the court of the house of the Lord, and speak to all the cities of Juda, out of which they come, to adore in the house of the Lord, all the words which I have commanded thee to to speak unto them: leave not out one word.

³ If so be they will hearken and be converted every one from his evil way; that I may repent me of the evil that I think to do unto them for the wickedness of their doings.

⁴ And thou shalt say to them: Thus saith the Lord: If you will not hearken to me to walk in my law, which I have given to you:

⁵ To give ear to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I sent to you rising up early: and sending, and you have not hearkened:

⁶ I will make this house like Silo: and I will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.

⁷ And the priests, and the prophets, and all the people heard Jeremias speaking these words in the house of the Lord.

⁸ And when Jeremias made an end of speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, the priests, and the prophets, and all the people laid hold on him, saying: Let him be put to death.

⁹ Why hath he prophesied in the name of the Lord, saying: This house shall be like Silo; and this city shall be made desolate, without an inhabitant? And all the people were gathered together against Jeremias in the house of the Lord.

¹² Then Jeremias spoke to all the princes, and to all the people, saying: The Lord sent me to prophesy concerning this house, and concerning this city all the words that you have heard.

¹³ Now therefore amend your ways, and your doings, and hearken to the voice of the Lord your God: and the Lord will repent him of the evil that he hath spoken against you.

¹⁴ But as for me, behold I am in your hands: do with me what is good and right in your eyes:

¹⁵ But know ye, and understand, that if you put me to death, you will shed innocent blood against your own selves, and against this city, and the inhabitants thereof. For in truth the Lord sent me to you, to speak all these words in your hearing.

⁸ And Stephen, full of grace and fortitude, did great wonders and signs among the people.

⁹ Now there arose some of that which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of them that were of Cilicia and Asia, disputing with Stephen.

¹⁰ And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit that spoke.

¹¹ Then they suborned men to say, they had heard him speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God.

¹² And they stirred up the people, and the ancients, and the scribes; and running together, they took him, and brought him to the council.

¹³ And they set up false witnesses, who said: This man ceaseth not to speak words against the holy place and the law.

¹⁴ For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the traditions which Moses delivered unto us.

¹⁵ And all that sat in the council, looking on him, saw his face as if it had been the face of an angel.

⁵¹ You stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do you also.

⁵² Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? And they have slain them who foretold of the coming of the Just One; of whom you have been now the betrayers and murderers:

⁵³ Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.

⁵⁴ Now hearing these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed with their teeth at him.

⁵⁵ But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looking up steadfastly to heaven, saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. And he said: Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

⁵⁶ And they crying out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and with one accord ran violently upon him.

⁵⁷ And casting him forth without the city, they stoned him; and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man, whose name was Saul.

⁵⁸ And they stoned Stephen, invoking, and saying: Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

⁵⁹ And falling on his knees, he cried with a loud voice, saying: Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep in the Lord. And Saul was consenting to his death.