Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Peter’s Explanation to the Church in Jerusalem

11 Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had accepted the word^[a] of God. ² So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision took issue with him, ³ saying, “You went to men who were uncircumcised^[b] and ate with them!” ⁴ But Peter began and^[c] explained it^[d] to them in an orderly sequence, saying, ⁵ “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision—an object something like a large sheet coming down, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came to me. ⁶ As I^[e] looked intently into it, I was considering it,^[f] and I saw the four-footed animals of the earth and the wild animals and the reptiles and the birds of the sky. ⁷ And I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter, slaughter and eat!’ ⁸ But I said, ‘Certainly not, Lord! For nothing common or unclean has ever entered into my mouth!’ ⁹ But the voice replied from heaven for the second time, ‘The things which God has made clean, you must not consider unclean!’ ¹⁰ And this happened three times, and everything was pulled up into heaven again. ¹¹ And behold, at once three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea approached the house in which we were staying.^{[g] 12} And the Spirit told me to accompany them, not hesitating at all. So these six brothers also went with me, and we entered into the man’s house. ¹³ And he reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and summon Simon, who is also called Peter, ¹⁴ who will speak words to you by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’ ¹⁵ And as I was beginning to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them, just as also on us at the beginning. ¹⁶ And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’^{[h] 17} Therefore if God gave them the same gift as also to us when we^[i] believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to be able to hinder God?” ¹⁸ And when they^[j] heard these things, they became silent^[k] and praised God, saying, “Then God has granted the repentance leading to life to the Gentiles also!”

Let All Creation Praise Yahweh

The New Heaven, New Earth, and New Jerusalem

21 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea did not exist any longer. ² And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

⁵ And the one seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new!” And he said, “Write, because these words are faithful and true.” ⁶ And he said to me, “It is done! I am^[d] the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the one who is thirsty I will give water from the spring of the water of life freely.^[e]

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial

³¹ Then, when he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in him. ³² If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and will glorify him immediately. ³³ Children, yet a little time I am with you. You will seek me and just as I said to the Jews, “Where I am going you cannot come,” now I say also to you.

³⁴ “A new commandment I give to you: that you love one another—just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples—if you have love for one another.”