Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

King Josiah Reforms Judah’s Worship^(A)

34 Josiah was 8 years old when he began to rule, and he was king for 31 years in Jerusalem. ² He did what the Lord considered right. He lived in the ways of his ancestor David and never stopped living this way.

³ In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still a boy, he began to dedicate his life to serving the God of his ancestor David. In his twelfth year as king, he began to make Judah and Jerusalem clean ^[a] by destroying the illegal places of worship, poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah, carved idols, and metal idols. ⁴ He had the altars of the various Baal gods torn down. He cut down the incense altars that were above them. He destroyed the Asherah poles, carved idols, and metal idols. He ground them into powder and scattered the powder over the tombs of those who had sacrificed to them. ⁵ He burned the bones of the priests on their altars. So he made Judah and Jerusalem clean. ⁶ In the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon, and as far as Naphtali, he removed all their temples, ⁷ tore down the altars, beat the Asherah poles and idols into powder, and cut down all the incense altars everywhere in Israel. Then he went back to Jerusalem.

⁴⁴ While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit came to everyone who heard his message. ⁴⁵ All the believers who were circumcised and who had come with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured on people who were not Jewish. ⁴⁶ They heard these non-Jewish people speaking in other languages and praising God.

Then Peter said, ⁴⁷ “No one can refuse to baptize these people with water. They have received the Holy Spirit in the same way that we did.” ⁴⁸ So Peter ordered that they should be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

Then they asked Peter to stay with them for several days.