Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A psalm of Asaph.
50 The Mighty One, God, the Lord, speaks.
He calls out to the earth
from the sunrise in the east
to the sunset in the west.
2 From Zion, perfect and beautiful,
God’s glory shines out.
3 Our God comes, and he won’t be silent.
A burning fire goes ahead of him.
A terrible storm is all around him.
4 He calls out to heaven and earth to be his witnesses.
Then he judges his people.
5 He says, “Gather this holy people around me.
They made a covenant with me by offering a sacrifice.”
6 The heavens announce that what God decides is right.
That’s because he is a God of justice.
7 God says, “Listen, my people, and I will speak.
I will be a witness against you, Israel.
I am God, your God.
8 I don’t bring charges against you because of your sacrifices.
I don’t bring charges because of the burnt offerings you always bring me.
22 “You who forget God, think about this.
If you don’t, I will tear you to pieces.
No one will be able to save you.
23 People who sacrifice thank offerings to me honor me.
To those who are without blame I will show my power to save.”
18 What is evil burns like a fire.
It burns up bushes and thorns.
It sets the forest on fire.
It sends up a huge column of smoke.
19 The Lord rules over all.
When he gets angry, he will burn up the land.
The people will burn in the fire.
They will not spare one another.
20 People will eat up everything they can find on their right.
But they’ll still be hungry.
They will eat everything they can find on their left.
But they won’t be satisfied.
So they will eat the dead bodies of their children.
21 That’s what Manasseh’s people will do to Ephraim.
And that’s what Ephraim’s people will do to Manasseh.
Together they will turn against Judah.
Even then, the Lord is still angry.
His hand is still raised against them.
10 How terrible it will be for you
who make laws that aren’t fair!
How terrible for you
who write laws that make life hard for others!
2 You take away the rights of poor people.
You hold back what is fair from my people who are suffering.
You take for yourselves what belongs to widows.
You rob children whose fathers have died.
3 What will you do on the day when the Lord punishes you?
On that day trouble will come from far away.
Who will you run to for help?
Who will you trust your riches with?
4 All you can do is bow down in fear among the prisoners.
All you can do is fall among those who have died in battle.
Even then, the Lord is still angry.
His hand is still raised against them.
Stephen Speaks to the Sanhedrin
7 Then the high priest questioned Stephen. “Is what these people are saying true?” he asked.
2 “Brothers and fathers, listen to me!” Stephen replied. “The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham. At that time Abraham was still in Mesopotamia. He had not yet begun living in Harran. 3 ‘Leave your country and your people,’ God said. ‘Go to the land I will show you.’ (Genesis 12:1)
4 “So Abraham left the land of Babylonia. He settled in Harran. After his father died, God sent Abraham to this land where you are now living. 5 God didn’t give him any property here. He didn’t even give him enough land to set his foot on. But God made a promise to him and to all his family after him. He said they would possess the land. The promise was made even though at that time Abraham had no child. 6 Here is what God said to him. ‘For 400 years your family after you will be strangers in a country not their own. They will be slaves and will be treated badly. 7 But I will punish the nation that makes them slaves,’ God said. ‘After that, they will leave that country and worship me here.’ (Genesis 15:13,14) 8 Then God made a covenant with Abraham. God told him that circumcision would show who the members of the covenant were. Abraham became Isaac’s father. He circumcised Isaac eight days after he was born. Later, Isaac became Jacob’s father. Jacob had 12 sons. They became the founders of the 12 tribes of Israel.
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