Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 125

A pilgrimage song.

⁹ When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “What do you want me to do for you before I’m taken away from you?”

Elisha said, “Let me have twice your spirit.”

¹⁰ Elijah said, “You’ve made a difficult request. If you can see me when I’m taken from you, then it will be yours. If you don’t see me, it won’t happen.”

¹¹ They were walking along, talking, when suddenly a fiery chariot and fiery horses appeared and separated the two of them. Then Elijah went to heaven in a windstorm.

¹² Elisha was watching, and he cried out, “Oh, my father, my father! Israel’s chariots and its riders!” When he could no longer see him, Elisha took hold of his clothes and ripped them in two.

Elisha succeeds Elijah

¹³ Then Elisha picked up the coat that had fallen from Elijah. He went back and stood beside the banks of the Jordan River. ¹⁴ He took the coat that had fallen from Elijah and hit the water. He said, “Where is the Lord, Elijah’s God?” And when he hit the water, it divided in two! Then Elisha crossed over.

¹⁵ The group of prophets from Jericho saw him from a distance. They said, “Elijah’s spirit has settled on Elisha!” So they came out to meet him, bowing down before him. ¹⁶ “Look,” they told him, “there are fifty strong men among us, your servants. Please let them go and search for your master. Perhaps the Lord’s spirit has picked him up and put him down on some mountain or in some valley.”

Elisha said, “Don’t send them.” ¹⁷ They insisted until he became embarrassed and said, “Okay, send them.” So they sent fifty men who searched for three days. But they couldn’t find Elijah. ¹⁸ When these men returned to Elisha, who was staying in Jericho, he said to them, “Didn’t I tell you not to go?”

¹⁹ The citizens said to Elisha, “As you can see, sir, this city is in a good location, but the water is bad, and the land causes miscarriages.”

²⁰ He said, “Bring me a new bowl, and put some salt in it.” They did so. ²¹ Elisha then went out and threw salt into the spring. He said, “This is what the Lord has said: I have purified this water. It will no longer cause death and miscarriage.” ²² The water has stayed pure right up to this very day, in agreement with the word that Elisha spoke.

¹⁷ “Brothers and sisters, I know you acted in ignorance. So did your rulers. ¹⁸ But this is how God fulfilled what he foretold through all the prophets: that his Christ would suffer. ¹⁹ Change your hearts and lives! Turn back to God so that your sins may be wiped away. ²⁰ Then the Lord will provide a season of relief from the distress of this age and he will send Jesus, whom he handpicked to be your Christ. ²¹ Jesus must remain in heaven until the restoration of all things, about which God spoke long ago through his holy prophets. ²² Moses said, The Lord your God will raise up from your own people a prophet like me. Listen to whatever he tells you. ²³ Whoever doesn’t listen to that prophet will be totally cut off from the people.^{[a] 24} All the prophets who spoke—from Samuel forward—announced these days. ²⁵ You are the heirs of the prophets and the covenant that God made with your ancestors when he told Abraham, Through your descendants, all the families on earth will be blessed.^{[b] 26} After God raised his servant, he sent him to you first—to bless you by enabling each of you to turn from your evil ways.”

Peter and John questioned

4 While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees confronted them. ² They were incensed that the apostles were teaching the people and announcing that the resurrection of the dead was happening because of Jesus. ³ They seized Peter and John and put them in prison until the next day. (It was already evening.) ⁴ Many who heard the word became believers, and their number grew to about five thousand.