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!”
12 Everyone was astonished and perplexed.
“What does it all mean?” they were asking each other.
13 But some sneered.
“They’re full of new wine!” they said.
It’s all coming true at last!
14 Then Peter got up, with the eleven. He spoke to them in a loud voice.
“People of Judaea!” he began. “All of you staying here in Jerusalem! There’s something you have to know! Listen to what I’m saying! 15 These people aren’t drunk, as you imagine. It’s only nine o’clock in the morning! 16 No, this is what the prophet Joel was talking about, when he said,
17 In the last days, declares God, I will pour out my spirit on all people.
Your sons and your daughters will prophesy;
your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams;
18 yes, even on slaves, men and women alike, will I pour out my spirit in those days, and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will give signs in the heavens above, and portents on earth beneath,
blood and fire and clouds of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood,
before the day of the Lord comes, the great and glorious day.
21 And then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
3 So I want to make it clear to you that nobody who is speaking by God’s spirit ever says “Jesus be cursed!”; and nobody can say “Jesus is Lord!” except by the holy spirit.
4 There are different types of spiritual gifts, but the same spirit; 5 there are different types of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are different types of activity, but it is the same God who operates all of them in everyone. 7 The point of the spirit being revealed in each one is so that all may benefit. 8 One person is given a word of wisdom through the spirit; another, a word of knowledge by the same spirit; 9 another, faith through the same spirit; another, gifts of healing by the one spirit; 10 another, the working of mighty deeds; another, prophecy; another, the ability to distinguish spirits; another, various kinds of languages; another, the interpretation of languages. 11 It is the one spirit, the same one, whose work produces all these things, and the spirit gives different gifts to each one in accordance with the spirit’s own wishes.
Many members, one body
12 Let me explain. Just as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is the Messiah. 13 For we all were baptized into one body, by one spirit—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and we were all given one spirit to drink.
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!”
12 Everyone was astonished and perplexed.
“What does it all mean?” they were asking each other.
13 But some sneered.
“They’re full of new wine!” they said.
It’s all coming true at last!
14 Then Peter got up, with the eleven. He spoke to them in a loud voice.
“People of Judaea!” he began. “All of you staying here in Jerusalem! There’s something you have to know! Listen to what I’m saying! 15 These people aren’t drunk, as you imagine. It’s only nine o’clock in the morning! 16 No, this is what the prophet Joel was talking about, when he said,
17 In the last days, declares God, I will pour out my spirit on all people.
Your sons and your daughters will prophesy;
your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams;
18 yes, even on slaves, men and women alike, will I pour out my spirit in those days, and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will give signs in the heavens above, and portents on earth beneath,
blood and fire and clouds of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood,
before the day of the Lord comes, the great and glorious day.
21 And then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Jesus and the disciples
19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Judaeans. Jesus came and stood in the middle of them.
“Peace be with you,” he said.
20 With these words, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were overjoyed when they saw the master.
21 “Peace be with you,” Jesus said to them again. “As the father has sent me, so I’m sending you.”
22 With that, he breathed on them.
“Receive the holy spirit,” he said. 23 “If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you retain anyone’s sins, they are retained.”
37 On the last day of the festival, the great final celebration, Jesus stood up and shouted out, “If anybody’s thirsty, they should come to me and have a drink! 38 Anyone who believes in me will have rivers of living water flowing out of their heart, just like the Bible says!”
39 He said this about the spirit, which people who believed in him were to receive. The spirit wasn’t available yet, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.