Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
24 They[a] see your processions, O God—
the processions of my God, my king, who marches along in holy splendor.[b]
25 Singers walk in front;
musicians follow playing their stringed instruments,[c]
in the midst of young women playing tambourines.[d]
26 In your large assemblies praise God,
the Lord, in the assemblies of Israel.[e]
27 There is little Benjamin, their ruler,[f]
and the princes of Judah in their robes,[g]
along with the princes of Zebulun and the princes of Naphtali.
28 God has decreed that you will be powerful.[h]
O God, you who have acted on our behalf, demonstrate your power.
29 Because of your temple in Jerusalem,[i]
kings bring tribute to you.
30 Sound your battle cry against[j] the wild beast of the reeds,[k]
and the nations that assemble like a herd of calves led by bulls.[l]
They humble themselves[m] and offer gold and silver as tribute.[n]
God[o] scatters[p] the nations that like to do battle.
31 They come with red cloth[q] from Egypt.
Ethiopia[r] voluntarily offers tribute[s] to God.
32 O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God.
Sing praises to the Lord, (Selah)
33 to the one who rides through the sky from ancient times.[t]
Look! He thunders loudly.[u]
34 Acknowledge God’s power,[v]
his sovereignty over Israel,
and the power he reveals in the skies.[w]
35 You are awe-inspiring, O God, as you emerge from your holy temple.[x]
It is the God of Israel[y] who gives the people power and strength.
God deserves praise![z]
12 Then Abner sent messengers[a] to David saying, “To whom does the land belong? Make an agreement[b] with me, and I will do whatever I can[c] to cause all Israel to turn to you.” 13 So David said, “Good! I will make an agreement with you. I ask only one thing from you. You will not see my face unless you bring Saul’s daughter Michal when you come to visit me.”[d]
14 David sent messengers to Ish Bosheth son of Saul with this demand:[e] “Give me my wife Michal whom I acquired[f] for 100 Philistine foreskins.” 15 So Ish Bosheth took her[g] from her husband Paltiel[h] son of Laish. 16 Her husband went along behind her, weeping all the way to Bahurim. Finally Abner said to him, “Go back!”[i] So he returned home.
The Plot to Kill Paul
12 When morning came,[a] the Jews formed[b] a conspiracy[c] and bound themselves with an oath[d] not to eat or drink anything[e] until they had killed Paul. 13 There were more than forty of them who formed this conspiracy.[f] 14 They[g] went[h] to the chief priests[i] and the elders and said, “We have bound ourselves with a solemn oath[j] not to partake[k] of anything until we have killed Paul. 15 So now you and the council[l] request the commanding officer[m] to bring him down to you, as if you were going to determine[n] his case[o] by conducting a more thorough inquiry.[p] We are ready to kill him[q] before he comes near this place.”[r]
16 But when the son of Paul’s sister heard about the ambush,[s] he came and entered[t] the barracks[u] and told Paul. 17 Paul called[v] one of the centurions[w] and said, “Take this young man to the commanding officer,[x] for he has something to report to him.” 18 So the centurion[y] took him and brought him to the commanding officer[z] and said, “The prisoner Paul called[aa] me and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.” 19 The commanding officer[ab] took him by the hand, withdrew privately, and asked, “What is it that you want[ac] to report to me?” 20 He replied,[ad] “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council[ae] tomorrow, as if they were going to inquire more thoroughly about him. 21 So do not let them persuade you to do this,[af] because more than forty of them[ag] are lying in ambush[ah] for him. They[ai] have bound themselves with an oath[aj] not to eat or drink anything[ak] until they have killed him, and now they are ready, waiting for you to agree to their request.”[al] 22 Then the commanding officer[am] sent the young man away, directing him,[an] “Tell no one that you have reported[ao] these things to me.” 23 Then[ap] he summoned[aq] two of the centurions[ar] and said, “Make ready 200 soldiers to go to Caesarea[as] along with 70 horsemen[at] and 200 spearmen[au] by[av] nine o’clock tonight,[aw] 24 and provide mounts for Paul to ride[ax] so that he may be brought safely to Felix[ay] the governor.”[az] 25 He wrote[ba] a letter that went like this:[bb]
26 Claudius Lysias to His Excellency Governor[bc] Felix,[bd] greetings. 27 This man was seized[be] by the Jews and they were about to kill him,[bf] when I came up[bg] with the detachment[bh] and rescued him, because I had learned that he was[bi] a Roman citizen.[bj] 28 Since I wanted to know[bk] what charge they were accusing him of,[bl] I brought him down to their council.[bm] 29 I found he[bn] was accused with reference to controversial questions[bo] about their law, but no charge against him deserved death or imprisonment.[bp] 30 When I was informed[bq] there would be a plot[br] against this man, I sent him to you at once, also ordering his accusers to state their charges[bs] against him before you.
31 So the soldiers, in accordance with their orders,[bt] took[bu] Paul and brought him to Antipatris[bv] during the night. 32 The next day they let[bw] the horsemen[bx] go on with him, and they returned to the barracks.[by] 33 When the horsemen[bz] came to Caesarea[ca] and delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented[cb] Paul to him. 34 When the governor[cc] had read[cd] the letter,[ce] he asked[cf] what province he was from.[cg] When he learned[ch] that he was from Cilicia,[ci] 35 he said, “I will give you a hearing[cj] when your accusers arrive too.” Then[ck] he ordered that Paul[cl] be kept under guard in Herod’s palace.[cm]
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