Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Prayer for the Lord’s Blessing upon the Sanctuary.
A Song of Ascents.
132 Remember, O Lord, on David’s behalf,
All (A)his affliction;
2 How he swore to the Lord
And vowed to (B)the Mighty One of Jacob,
3 “Surely I will not [a]enter (C)my house,
Nor [b]lie on my bed;
4 I will not (D)give sleep to my eyes
Or slumber to my eyelids,
5 Until I find a (E)place for the Lord,
[c]A dwelling place for (F)the Mighty One of Jacob.”
6 Behold, we heard of it in (G)Ephrathah,
We found it in the (H)field of [d]Jaar.
7 Let us go into His [e](I)dwelling place;
Let us (J)worship at His (K)footstool.
8 (L)Arise, O Lord, to Your (M)resting place,
You and the ark of Your (N)strength.
9 Let Your priests be (O)clothed with righteousness,
And let Your (P)godly ones sing for joy.
10 For the sake of David Your servant,
Do not turn away the face of Your (Q)anointed.
11 The Lord has (R)sworn to David
A truth from which He will not turn back:
“(S)Of the fruit of your body I will set upon your throne.
12 “If your sons will keep My covenant
And My testimony which I will teach them,
Their sons also shall (T)sit upon your throne forever.”
13 For the Lord has (A)chosen Zion;
He has (B)desired it for His habitation.
14 “This is My (C)resting place forever;
Here I will (D)dwell, for I have desired it.
15 “I will abundantly (E)bless her provision;
I will (F)satisfy her needy with bread.
16 “Her (G)priests also I will clothe with salvation,
And her (H)godly ones will sing aloud for joy.
17 “There I will cause the (I)horn of David to spring forth;
I have prepared a (J)lamp for Mine anointed.
18 “His enemies I will (K)clothe with shame,
But upon himself his (L)crown shall shine.”
Josiah Succeeds Amon
22 (A)Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of (B)Bozkath. 2 He did right in the sight of the Lord and walked in all the way of his father David, nor did he (C)turn aside to the right or to the left.
3 Now (D)in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, the king sent Shaphan, the son of Azaliah the son of Meshullam the scribe, to the house of the Lord saying, 4 “(E)Go up to Hilkiah the high priest that he may [a]count the money brought in to the house of the Lord which the doorkeepers have gathered from the people. 5 (F)Let them deliver it into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the Lord, and let them give it to the workmen who are in the house of the Lord to repair the [b]damages of the house, 6 to the carpenters and the builders and the masons and for buying timber and hewn stone to repair the house. 7 Only (G)no accounting shall be made with them for the money delivered into their hands, for they deal faithfully.”
The Lost Book
8 Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “(H)I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan who read it. 9 Shaphan the scribe came to the king and brought back word to the king and said, “Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the Lord.” 10 Moreover, Shaphan the scribe told the king saying, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it in the presence of the king.
Stephen Put to Death
54 Now when they heard this, they were (A)cut to the quick, and they began gnashing their teeth at him. 55 But being (B)full of the Holy Spirit, he (C)gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing (D)at the right hand of God; 56 and he said, “Behold, I see the (E)heavens opened up and (F)the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 But they cried out with a loud voice, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one impulse. 58 When they had (G)driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and (H)the witnesses (I)laid aside their robes at the feet of (J)a young man named Saul. 59 They went on stoning Stephen as he (K)called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60 Then (L)falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, (M)do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he [a](N)fell asleep.
Saul Persecutes the Church
8 (O)Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death.
And on that day a great persecution [b]began against (P)the church in Jerusalem, and they were all (Q)scattered throughout the regions of Judea and (R)Samaria, except the apostles.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.