Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 132

David and Zion Chosen

A song of ascents.

Judah’s King Josiah

22 Josiah^(A) was eight years old when he became king and reigned 31 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath.^{(B) 2} He did what was right in the Lord’s sight and walked in all the ways of his ancestor David;^(C) he did not turn to the right or the left.^(D)

Josiah Repairs the Temple

³ In the eighteenth year of King Josiah, the king sent the court secretary Shaphan son of Azaliah, son of Meshullam, to the Lord’s temple,^(E) saying, ⁴ “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest so that he may total up the money brought into the Lord’s temple—the money the doorkeepers have collected from the people.^{(F) 5} It is to be put into the hands of those doing the work—those who oversee the Lord’s temple. They in turn are to give it to the workmen in the Lord’s temple to repair the damage.^{(G) 6} They are to give it to the carpenters, builders, and masons to buy timber and quarried stone to repair the temple.^{(H) 7} But no accounting is to be required from them for the money put into their hands since they work with integrity.”^(I)

The Book of the Law Found

⁸ Hilkiah the high priest told Shaphan the court secretary, “I have found the book of the law^(J) in the Lord’s temple,” and he gave the book to Shaphan, who read it.

⁹ Then Shaphan the court secretary went to the king and reported,^[a] “Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the temple and have put it into the hand of those doing the work—those who oversee the Lord’s temple.” ¹⁰ Then Shaphan the court secretary told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book,” and Shaphan read it in the presence of the king.^(K)

The First Christian Martyr

⁵⁴ When they heard these things, they were enraged in their hearts^[a] and gnashed their teeth at him. ⁵⁵ But Stephen, filled by the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven. He saw God’s glory, with^[b] Jesus standing at the right hand of God,^(A) and he said, ⁵⁶ “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”^(B)

⁵⁷ Then they screamed at the top of their voices, covered their ears, and together rushed against him. ⁵⁸ They threw him out of the city and began to stone^(C) him. And the witnesses laid their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul.^{(D) 59} They were stoning Stephen as he called out: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”^{(E) 60} Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice,^(F) “Lord, do not charge them with this sin!” And saying this, he fell asleep.^(G)

Saul the Persecutor

8 Saul agreed with putting him to death.

On that day a severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the land of Judea and Samaria.^(H)