Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

A song for going up to worship.

⁹ While they were crossing, Elijah asked Elisha, “What should I do for you before I’m taken from you?”

Elisha answered, “Let me inherit a double share of your spirit.”

¹⁰ Elijah said, “You have asked for something difficult. If you see me taken from you, it will be yours. Otherwise, it will not.”

¹¹ As they continued walking and talking, a fiery chariot with fiery horses separated the two of them, and Elijah went to heaven in a windstorm.

¹² When Elisha saw this, he cried out, “Master! Master! Israel’s chariot and horses!” When he couldn’t see Elijah anymore, he grabbed his own garment and tore it in two ⌞to show his grief⌟. ¹³ Then he picked up Elijah’s coat (which had fallen off Elijah), went back, and stood on the bank of the Jordan River. ¹⁴ He took the coat and struck the water with it. He asked, “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?” As he struck the water, it divided to his left and his right, and Elisha crossed ⌞the river⌟.

¹⁵ The disciples of the prophets who were at Jericho saw him from a distance. They said, “Elijah’s spirit rests on Elisha!” Then they went to meet him and bowed in front of him with their faces touching the ground. ¹⁶ They said to him, “There are 50 strong men here with us. Please let them go and search for your master. Maybe the Lord’s Spirit lifted him up and dropped him on one of the hills or in one of the valleys.”

Elisha answered, “Don’t send them ⌞to look⌟.” ¹⁷ But the disciples kept urging him ⌞to send the men⌟ until he was embarrassed. So he said, “Send them.” They sent 50 men who searched for three days without finding him. ¹⁸ They returned to Elisha in Jericho, where he was waiting. He said, “Didn’t I tell you not to go?”

Elisha Purifies Jericho’s Water

¹⁹ The people of the city ⌞of Jericho⌟ told Elisha, “This city’s location is as good as you will ever find. But the water is bad, and the land cannot grow crops.”

²⁰ Elisha said, “Bring me a new jar, and put salt in it.” They brought it to him. ²¹ He went to the spring and threw the salt into it. Then he said, “This is what the Lord says: I have purified this water. No more deaths or crop failures will come from this water.” ²² To this day the water is still pure, as Elisha had said.

¹⁷ “And now, brothers, I know that like your rulers you didn’t know what you were doing. ¹⁸ But in this way God made the sufferings of his Messiah come true. God had predicted these sufferings through all the prophets. ¹⁹ So change the way you think and act, and turn ⌞to God⌟ to have your sins removed. ²⁰ Then times will come when the Lord will refresh you. He will send you Jesus, whom he has appointed to be the Christ. ²¹ Heaven must receive Jesus until the time when everything will be restored as God promised through his holy prophets long ago.

²² “Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will send you a prophet, an Israelite like me. Listen to everything he tells you. ²³ Those who won’t listen to that prophet will be excluded from the people.’ ²⁴ Samuel and all the prophets who followed him spoke about these days. ²⁵ You are the descendants of the prophets and the heirs of the promise ^[a] that God made to our ancestors when he said to Abraham, ‘Through your descendant all people on earth will be blessed.’ ²⁶ God has brought his servant back to life and has sent him to you first. God did this to bless you by turning every one of you from your evil ways.”

Peter and John’s Trial in Front of the Jewish Council

4 Some priests, the officer in charge of the temple guards, and some Sadducees approached Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. ² These religious authorities were greatly annoyed. Peter and John were teaching the people and spreading the message that the dead will come back to life through Jesus. ³ So the temple guards arrested them. Since it was already evening, they put Peter and John in jail until the next day.

⁴ But many of those who had heard the message became believers, so the number of men who believed grew to about 5,000.