Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

¹⁴ Peter stood up with the eleven apostles. He shouted, `You men of Judea and all who stay in Jerusalem, listen to me! I will tell you the truth.

³⁶ `So let all the people of Israel know this: God has made Jesus to be Lord and Christ. This is the same Jesus whom you nailed to the cross.'

³⁷ What Peter said cut the people's hearts when they heard it. They knew they had done wrong. They said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, `Brothers, what shall we do?'

³⁸ `Stop your wrong ways and turn back to God,' answered Peter. `And then everyone of you can be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ. Your wrong ways will be forgiven you, and you will receive the Holy Spirit.

³⁹ This promise is for you and your children and for all those whom the Lord our God calls, even though they are far away.'

⁴⁰ Peter went on talking and teaching the people. `Do not follow the wrong ways of people today,' he begged.

⁴¹ Then those who gladly received his words and believed were baptised. That same day about three thousand new believers joined them.

¹⁷ You call God your Father. He does not think one man is better than another. He judges everyone by what he has done. So then you must fear him as you live your life here on earth.

¹⁸ You know this. You lived the way your fathers taught you to live, and it was not a good way to live. You were bought and set free from that way of life. But you were not bought with silver or gold money, which can spoil.

¹⁹ You were bought with blood that is worth much. It is like the blood of a sheep that is perfect with nothing wrong in its body. You were bought with the blood of Christ.

²⁰ Before the world was made God chose Christ to do it, and Christ came at the end of time for your sake.

²¹ It is through Christ that you believe in God. God raised Christ from death and made him great. And that is why you are able to believe and hope in God.

²² You have obeyed what is true and that has made your hearts clean. And now you really love your Christian brothers. So with your clean hearts, love each other very much.

²³ You have been made God's children. He did not make you his children by something that dies, but by something that cannot die. That is the word of God.

¹³ They were talking together about all the things that had happened.

¹⁴ While they were talking and asking each other questions, Jesus himself came and walked with them.

¹⁵ But even though they saw him, they did not know who he was.

¹⁶ Jesus asked them, `What is this that you are talking about as you walk along looking so sad?'

¹⁷ One of them named Cleophas answered him. He said, `Are you a stranger in Jerusalem and do not know what has happened there these last days?'

¹⁸ Jesus said, `What things?" They said, `All that has happened to Jesus of Nazareth. He was a prophet of God. He had power to do big works and to teach the people. He was respected by God and all the people.

¹⁹ Our chief priests and rulers gave him over to be punished by death, and they nailed him to a cross.

²⁰ But we were hoping that he was the one who would free the people of Israel. But that is not all. This is the third day since they did it.

²¹ Some of our women told us things that surprised us. Early this morning they were at the grave.

²² They did not find his body there. They came back and said that they saw angels. The angels told them that Jesus was living.

²³ Some of us went to the grave. And they found everything just as the women said. But they did not see Jesus.'

²⁴ Then he said to them, `You foolish men! Your hearts are slow to believe all that the prophets of God have said long ago.

²⁵ Christ had to have this trouble and go to the place where he will be great, did he not?'

²⁶ Then he told them the meaning of all that Moses and all the prophets of God long ago had written about him.

²⁷ They came near the village to which they were going. It looked as if he was going on further.

²⁸ But they begged him not to go further. They said, `Stay with us. It will soon be night. The day is almost finished.' So he went in to stay with them.

²⁹ He sat down at the table with them. Then he took the bread and thanked God for it. He broke it and gave it to them.

³⁰ Then they saw who he was. They knew him. And then suddenly they could not see him any more.

³¹ They said to each other, `It was like a fire burning in our hearts when he talked to us on the road and told us the meaning of the holy writings!'

³² They got up right then and went back to Jerusalem. There they found the eleven disciples together. Some other people were with them.

³³ These people said, `The Lord has really risen! He came to Simon!'

³⁴ Then the men from Emmaus told them what had happened on the road. They told how they knew Jesus when he broke bread and gave it to them.

³⁵ While they were telling them this, Jesus himself stood there with them. He said to them, `Peace to you!'