Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Here comes the power

2 When the day of Pentecost had finally arrived, they were all together in the same place. ² Suddenly there came from heaven a noise like the sound of a strong, blowing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ Then tongues, seemingly made of fire, appeared to them, moving apart and coming to rest on each one of them. ⁴ They were all filled with the holy spirit, and began to speak in other languages, as the spirit gave them the words to say.

New words for new news

⁵ There were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem at that time. ⁶ When they heard this noise they came together in a crowd. They were deeply puzzled, because every single one of them could hear them speaking in his or her own native language. ⁷ They were astonished and amazed.

“These men who are doing the speaking are all Galileans, aren’t they?” they said. ⁸ “So how is it that each of us can hear them in our own mother tongues? ⁹ There are Parthians here, and Medians, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judaea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya that belong to Cyrene; there are people from Rome, ¹¹ proselytes as well as Jews; there are Cretans and Arabs. We can hear them speaking about the powerful things God has done—in our own languages!”