Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

⁶ When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzza reached out to the ark of God and took hold of it, because the oxen had stumbled. ⁷ Then the anger of Yahweh was kindled^[a] against Uzza, and God struck him down there because of the indiscretion,^[b] and he died there beside the ark of God. ⁸ David was angry^[c] because Yahweh had burst out against Uzza, and he called that place Perez-Uzza until this day. ⁹ But David feared Yahweh on that day and said, “How can the ark of Yahweh come to me?” ¹⁰ However, David was not willing to bring the ark of Yahweh to himself, to the city of David, so David caused it to turn to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. ¹¹ So the ark of Yahweh remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and Yahweh blessed Obed-Edom and all his household.

¹² It was told to King David, “Yahweh has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and all that is his because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the city of David with jubilation.

Paul Arrested in the Temple Courts

²⁷ But when the seven days were about to be completed, the Jews from Asia^[a] who had seen him in the temple courts^[b] stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him, ²⁸ shouting, “Israelite men, help! This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against the people and the law and this place! And furthermore he also brought Greeks into the temple, and has defiled this holy place!” ²⁹ (For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him, whom they thought that Paul had brought into the temple.) ³⁰ And the whole city was stirred up, and the people came running together, and they seized Paul and^[c] dragged him outside of the temple courts,^[d] and immediately the doors were shut.

³¹ And as they^[e] were seeking to kill him, a report came up to the military tribune of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. ³² He^[f] immediately took along soldiers and centurions and^[g] ran down to them. And when^[h] they saw the military tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. ³³ Then the military tribune came up and^[i] arrested him and ordered him^[j] to be bound with two chains, and inquired who he was and what it was that he had done. ³⁴ But some in the crowd were shouting one thing and others another, and because^[k] he was not able to find out the truth on account of the commotion, he gave orders to bring him into the barracks.^{[l] 35} And when he came to the steps, it happened that he had to be carried by the soldiers on account of the violence of the crowd, ³⁶ for the crowd of people was following them,^[m] shouting, “Away with him!”

Paul Permitted to Address the Crowd

³⁷ And as he^[n] was about to be brought into the barracks,^[o] Paul said to the military tribune, “Is it permitted for me to say something to you?” And he said, “Do you know Greek? ³⁸ Then you are not the Egyptian who before these days raised a revolt and led out into the wilderness the four thousand men of the Assassins?”^{[p] 39} But Paul said, “I am a Jewish man from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no unimportant city. Now I ask you, allow me to speak to the people.”