Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A psalm of Solomon.
72 God, give the king the ability to judge fairly.
He is your royal son. Help him to do what is right.
2 May he rule your people in the right way.
May he be fair to those among your people who are hurting.
3 May the mountains and the hills produce rich crops,
because the people will do what is right.
4 May the king stand up for those who are hurting.
May he save the children of those who are in need.
May he crush those who treat others badly.
5 May the king rule as long as the sun shines
and the moon gives its light.
May he rule for all time to come.
6 May he be like rain falling on the fields.
May he be like showers watering the earth.
7 May godly people do well as long as he rules.
May they have more than they need as long as the moon lasts.
18 Give praise to the Lord God, the God of Israel.
Only he can do wonderful things.
19 Give praise to his glorious name forever.
May his glory fill the whole earth.
Amen and Amen.
The Branch of the Lord
2 At that time Israel’s king will be beautiful and glorious. He will be called The Branch of the Lord. The fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of those who are still left alive in Israel. 3 Those who are left in Zion will be called holy. They will be recorded among those who are alive in Jerusalem. 4 The Lord will wash away the sin of the women in Zion. He will clean up the blood that was spilled there. He will judge those who spilled that blood. His burning anger will blaze out at them. 5 Then the Lord will create over Jerusalem a cloud of smoke by day. He will also create a glow of flaming fire at night. The cloud and fire will appear over all of Mount Zion. They will also appear over the people who gather together there. The Lord’s glory will be like a tent over everything. 6 It will cover the people and give them shade from the hot sun all day long. It will be a safe place where they can hide from storms and rain.
Matthias Is Chosen to Take the Place of Judas Iscariot
12 The apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives. It is just over half a mile from the city. 13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Here is a list of those who were there.
Peter, John, James and Andrew,
Philip and Thomas,
Bartholomew and Matthew,
James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas son of James
14 They all came together regularly to pray. The women joined them too. So did Jesus’ mother Mary and his brothers.
15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers. About 120 of them were there. 16 Peter said, “Brothers and sisters, a long time ago the Holy Spirit spoke through David. He spoke about Judas Iscariot. What the Scripture said would happen had to come true. Judas was the guide for the men who arrested Jesus. 17 But Judas was one of us. He shared with us in our work for God.”
21 So we need to choose someone to take his place. It will have to be a man who was with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us. 22 That time began when John was baptizing. It ended when Jesus was taken up from us. The one we choose must join us in telling people that Jesus rose from the dead.”
23 So they suggested the names of two men. One was Joseph, who was called Barsabbas. He was also called Justus. The other man was Matthias. 24 Then the believers prayed. They said, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen. 25 Show us who should take the place of Judas as an apostle. He gave up being an apostle to go where he belongs.” 26 Then they cast lots. Matthias was chosen. So he was added to the 11 apostles.
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