Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Prayer of an Old Man for Rescue.

Josiah Succeeds Amon in Judah

34 ^(A)Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned for thirty-one years in Jerusalem. ^2 (B)He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of his father David and did not turn aside to the right or the left. ³ For in the eighth year of his reign while he was still a youth, he began to ^(C)seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began ^(D)to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the ^[a]Asherim, the carved images, and the cast metal images. ⁴ They tore down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and he chopped down ^(E)the incense altars that were high above them; also he broke in pieces the Asherim, the carved images, and the cast metal images, and ^(F)ground them to powder, and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. ⁵ Then ^(G)he burned the bones of the priests on their altars and purged Judah and Jerusalem. ^6 (H)In the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon, and as far as Naphtali, in their surrounding spaces, ⁷ he also tore down the altars and ^(I)crushed the ^[b]Asherim and the carved images into powder, and chopped down all the incense altars throughout the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

⁴⁴ While Peter was still speaking these words, ^(A)the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the ^[a]message. ^45 (B)All the ^[b]Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had also been ^(C)poured out on the Gentiles. ⁴⁶ For they were hearing them ^(D)speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter responded, ⁴⁷ “^(E)Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized, who ^(F)have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?” ⁴⁸ And he ^(G)ordered them to be baptized ^(H)in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days.