Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 69

Prayer for Deliverance from Persecution

To the leader: according to Lilies. Of David.

The Anointing Oil and Incense

²² The Lord spoke to Moses, ²³ “Take the finest spices: of liquid myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet-smelling cinnamon half as much, that is, two hundred fifty, and two hundred fifty of aromatic cane, ²⁴ and five hundred of cassia—measured by the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil, ²⁵ and you shall make of these a sacred anointing oil blended as by the perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil.^{(A) 26} With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the covenant^{(B) 27} and the table and all its utensils and the lampstand and its utensils and the altar of incense ²⁸ and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils and the basin with its stand; ²⁹ you shall consecrate them, so that they may be most holy; whatever touches them will become holy.^{(C) 30} You shall anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them to serve me as priests.^{(D) 31} You shall say to the Israelites: This shall be my holy anointing oil throughout your generations. ³² It shall not be used in any ordinary anointing of the body, and you shall make no other like it in composition; it is holy, and it shall be holy to you.^{(E) 33} Whoever blends any like it or whoever puts any of it on an unqualified person shall be cut off from the people.”^(F)

³⁴ The Lord said to Moses, “Take sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense (an equal part of each), ³⁵ and make an incense blended as by the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy,^{(G) 36} and you shall beat some of it into powder and put part of it before the covenant in the tent of meeting, where I shall meet with you; it shall be most holy for you.^{(H) 37} When you make incense according to this composition, you shall not make it for yourselves; it shall be regarded by you as holy to the Lord. ³⁸ Whoever makes any like it to use as perfume shall be cut off from the people.”

² When they heard him addressing them in Hebrew,^[a] they became even more quiet. Then he said:^(A)

³ “I am a Jew born in Tarsus in Cilicia but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, educated strictly according to our ancestral law, being zealous for God, just as all of you are today.^{(B) 4} I persecuted this Way up to the point of death by binding both men and women and putting them in prison,^{(C) 5} as the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. From them I also received letters to the brothers in Damascus, and I went there in order to bind those who were there and to bring them back to Jerusalem for punishment.^(D)

Paul Tells of His Conversion

⁶ “While I was on my way and approaching Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone about me.^{(E) 7} I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ ⁸ I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Then he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth^[b] whom you are persecuting.’ ⁹ Now those who were with me saw the light but did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me.^{(F) 10} I asked, ‘What am I to do, Lord?’ The Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go to Damascus; there you will be told everything that has been assigned to you to do.’^{(G) 11} Since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, those who were with me took my hand and led me to Damascus.^(H)

¹² “A certain Ananias, who was a devout man according to the law and well spoken of by all the Jews living there,^{(I) 13} came to me, and standing beside me, he said, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight!’ In that very hour I regained my sight and saw him. ¹⁴ Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear his own voice,^{(J) 15} for you will be his witness to all the world of what you have seen and heard.^{(K) 16} And now why do you delay? Get up, be baptized, and have your sins washed away, calling on his name.’^(L)