Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

The words of this life

¹⁷ Then the high priest got up, and all who were with him, namely the group called the Sadducees. They were filled with righteous indignation, ¹⁸ and seized the apostles and put them in the public jail. ¹⁹ But an angel of the Lord came in the night, opened the prison doors, and brought them out.

²⁰ “Go and take your stand in the Temple,” he said, “and speak all the words of this Life to the people.”

²¹ When they heard this, they went in at early morning and began to teach.

When the high priest arrived with his entourage, they called the official Assembly and all the elders of the children of Israel, and they sent to the prison to have the apostles brought in. ²² But when the attendants went, they didn’t find them in the prison. So they came and reported back.

²³ “We found the jail shut up with maximum security,” they said, “and the guards were standing in front of the doors. But when we opened up we found nobody inside.”

²⁴ When they heard these words, the commander of the Temple police and the chief priests were at a loss about them, with no idea what had happened. ²⁵ But then someone came with a message for them.

“Look!” he said. “The men you put in prison are standing in the Temple and teaching the people!”

²⁶ Then the commander went with his attendants and brought them. They didn’t use force, though, because they were afraid that the people might stone them.