Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Praise to the Lord from Creation

¹⁷ Now after the death of Jehoiada the leaders of Judah came and bowed down to the king. And the king listened to them. ¹⁸ Therefore they left the house of the Lord God of their fathers, and served ^(A)wooden images and idols; and ^(B)wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem because of their trespass. ¹⁹ Yet He ^(C)sent prophets to them, to bring them back to the Lord; and they testified against them, but they would not listen.

²⁰ Then the Spirit of God ^[a]came upon ^(D)Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood above the people, and said to them, “Thus says God: ^(E)‘Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? ^(F)Because you have forsaken the Lord, He also has forsaken you.’ ” ²¹ So they conspired against him, and at the command of the king they ^(G)stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord. ²² Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which Jehoiada his ^[b]father had done to him, but killed his son; and as he died, he said, “The Lord look on it, and ^(H)repay!”

Death of Joash^(I)

²³ So it happened in the spring of the year that ^(J)the army of Syria came up against him; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the leaders of the people from among the people, and sent all their ^[c]spoil to the king of Damascus. ²⁴ For the army of the Syrians ^(K)came with a small company of men; but the Lord ^(L)delivered a very great army into their hand, because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers. So they ^(M)executed judgment against Joash.

Seven Chosen to Serve

6 Now in those days, ^(A)when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the ^(B)Hellenists,^[a] because their widows were neglected ^(C)in the daily distribution. ² Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, ^(D)“It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. ³ Therefore, brethren, ^(E)seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this ^(F)business; ⁴ but we ^(G)will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

⁵ And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, ^(H)a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and ^(I)Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and ^(J)Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, ⁶ whom they set before the apostles; and ^(K)when they had prayed, ^(L)they laid hands on them.

⁷ Then ^(M)the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many ^(N)of the priests were obedient to the faith.

Israel Resists the Holy Spirit

⁵¹ “You ^(A)stiff-necked^[a] and ^(B)uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. ^52 (C)Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of ^(D)the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, ^53 (E)who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.”

Stephen the Martyr

^54 (F)When they heard these things they were ^[b]cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. ⁵⁵ But he, ^(G)being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the ^(H)glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, ⁵⁶ and said, “Look! ^(I)I see the heavens opened and the ^(J)Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

⁵⁷ Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; ⁵⁸ and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And ^(K)the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. ⁵⁹ And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, ^(L)receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰ Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, ^(M)“Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.