Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Praise to God in His Holiness and Majesty

A Psalm of David.

The Ark Brought into the Temple^(A)

^2 (B)Now Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel, in Jerusalem, that they might bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord up ^(C)from the City of David, which is Zion. ^3 (D)Therefore all the men of Israel assembled with the king ^(E)at the feast, which was in the seventh month. ⁴ So all the elders of Israel came, and the ^(F)Levites took up the ark. ⁵ Then they brought up the ark, the tabernacle of meeting, and all the holy furnishings that were in the tabernacle. The priests and the Levites brought them up. ⁶ Also King Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel who were assembled with him before the ark, were sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted or numbered for multitude. ⁷ Then the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, into the ^(G)inner sanctuary of the ^[a]temple, to the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim. ⁸ For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles. ⁹ The poles extended so that the ends of the ^(H)poles of the ark could be seen from the holy place, in front of the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside. And ^[b]they are there to this day. ¹⁰ Nothing was in the ark except the two tablets which Moses ^(I)put there at Horeb, ^[c]when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they had come out of Egypt.

¹¹ And it came to pass when the priests came out of the Most Holy Place (for all the priests who were present had ^[d]sanctified themselves, without keeping to their ^(J)divisions), ^12 (K)and the Levites who were the singers, all those of Asaph and Heman and Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, stood at the east end of the altar, clothed in white linen, having cymbals, stringed instruments and harps, ^(L)and with them one hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets— ¹³ indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying:

that the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, ¹⁴ so that the priests could not ^[e]continue ministering because of the cloud; ^(N)for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.

Paul’s Post-Conversion Life

¹⁹ “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, ²⁰ but ^(A)declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do ^(B)works befitting repentance. ²¹ For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. ²² Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those ^(C)which the prophets and ^(D)Moses said would come— ^23 (E)that the Christ would suffer, ^(F)that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and ^(G)would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”

Agrippa Parries Paul’s Challenge

²⁴ Now as he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, ^(H)you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!”

²⁵ But he said, “I am not ^[a]mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and reason. ²⁶ For the king, before whom I also speak freely, ^(I)knows these things; for I am convinced that none of these things escapes his attention, since this thing was not done in a corner. ²⁷ King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe.”

²⁸ Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”

²⁹ And Paul said, ^(J)“I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains.”