Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

132 Lord, remember David and all his afflictions—

² how he swore unto the Lord and vowed unto the Mighty God of Jacob:

³ “Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor go up into my bed;

⁴ I will not give sleep to mine eyes or slumber to mine eyelids

⁵ until I find out a place for the Lord, a habitation for the Mighty God of Jacob.”

⁶ Lo, we heard of it at Ephrathah; we found it in the fields of the wood:

⁷ “We will go into His tabernacles; we will worship at His footstool.”

⁸ Arise, O Lord, into Thy rest, Thou and the ark of Thy strength.

⁹ Let Thy priests be clothed with righteousness, and let Thy saints shout for joy.

¹⁰ For Thy servant David’s sake, turn not away the face of Thine anointed.

¹¹ The Lord hath sworn in truth unto David; He will not turn from it: “Of the fruit of thy body I will set upon thy throne.

¹² If thy children will keep My covenant and My testimony that I shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore.”

¹³ For the Lord hath chosen Zion; He hath desired it for His habitation:

¹⁴ “This is My rest for ever; here will I dwell, for I have desired it.

¹⁵ I will abundantly bless her provision, I will satisfy her poor with bread.

¹⁶ I will also clothe her priests with salvation, and her saints shall shout aloud for joy.

¹⁷ There will I make the horn of David to bud; I have ordained a lamp for Mine anointed.

¹⁸ His enemies will I clothe with shame, but upon himself shall his crown flourish.”

22 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath.

² And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.

³ And it came to pass in the eighteenth year of King Josiah that the king sent Shaphan the scribe, the son of Azaliah the son of Meshullam, to the house of the Lord, saying,

⁴ “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may count the silver which is brought into the house of the Lord, which the keepers of the door have gathered from the people.

⁵ And let them deliver it into the hand of the doers of the work, who have the oversight of the house of the Lord; and let them give it to the doers of the work who are in the house of the Lord to repair the breaches of the house —

⁶ unto carpenters and builders and masons — and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house.

⁷ However there was no reckoning made with them of the money that was delivered into their hand, because they dealt faithfully.”

⁸ And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.

⁹ And Shaphan the scribe came to the king, and brought the king word again and said, “Thy servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of those who do the work, who have the oversight of the house of the Lord.”

¹⁰ And Shaphan the scribe showed the king, saying, “Hilkiah the priest hath delivered to me a book.” And Shaphan read it before the king.

⁵⁴ When they heard 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, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,

⁵⁶ and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

⁵⁷ Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,

⁵⁸ and cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man whose name was Saul.

⁵⁹ And they stoned Stephen as he called upon God and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”

⁶⁰ And he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice, “Lord, charge not this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

8 And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.