Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 29

The Voice of the Lord

A psalm of David.

Preparations for the Temple Dedication

² At that time^(A) Solomon assembled at Jerusalem the elders of Israel—all the tribal heads, the ancestral chiefs of the Israelites—in order to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord up from the city of David,^(B) that is, Zion. ³ So all the men of Israel were assembled in the king’s presence at the festival; this was in the seventh month.^[a]

⁴ All the elders of Israel came, and the Levites picked up the ark. ⁵ They brought up the ark, the tent of meeting, and the holy utensils that were in the tent. The priests and the Levites brought them up. ⁶ King Solomon and the entire congregation of Israel who had gathered around him were in front of the ark sacrificing sheep, goats, and cattle that could not be counted or numbered because there were so many. ⁷ The priests brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the most holy place, beneath the wings of the cherubim.^{(C) 8} And the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark so that the cherubim formed a cover above the ark and its poles. ⁹ The poles were so long that their ends were seen from the holy place^[b](D) in front of the inner sanctuary, but they were not seen from outside; they are still there today. ¹⁰ Nothing was in the ark except the two tablets that Moses had put in it at Horeb,^[c](E) where the Lord had made a covenant with the Israelites when they came out of Egypt.

¹¹ Now all the priests who were present had consecrated themselves regardless of their divisions.^(F) When the priests came out of the holy place, ¹² the Levitical singers dressed in fine linen and carrying cymbals, harps, and lyres^(G) were standing east of the altar, and with them were 120 priests blowing trumpets.^(H) The Levitical singers were descendants of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun and their sons^(I) and relatives. ¹³ The trumpeters and singers joined together to praise and thank the Lord with one voice. They raised their voices, accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and musical instruments,^(J) in praise to the Lord:

The temple, the Lord’s temple, was filled with a cloud.^{(L) 14} And because of the cloud, the priests were not able to continue ministering, for the glory of the Lord filled God’s temple.^(M)

¹⁹ “So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. ²⁰ Instead, I preached to those in Damascus first, and to those in Jerusalem and in all the region of Judea, and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works worthy of repentance.^{(A) 21} For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and were trying to kill me. ²² To this very day, I have had help from God, and I stand and testify to both small and great, saying nothing other than what the prophets and Moses said would take place^(B)— ²³ that the Messiah would suffer, and that, as the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light to our people and to the Gentiles.”^(C)

Agrippa Not Quite Persuaded

²⁴ As he was saying these things in his defense, Festus exclaimed in a loud voice, “You’re out of your mind,^(D) Paul! Too much study is driving you mad.”

²⁵ But Paul replied, “I’m not out of my mind, most excellent Festus. On the contrary, I’m speaking words of truth and good judgment.^{(E) 26} For the king knows about these matters, and I can speak boldly to him. For I am convinced that none of these things has escaped his notice, since this was not done in a corner. ²⁷ King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you believe.”

²⁸ Agrippa said to Paul, “Are you going to persuade me to become a Christian so easily?” ^[a]

²⁹ “I wish before God,” replied Paul, “that whether easily or with difficulty,^[b] not only you but all who listen to me today might become as I am—except for these chains.”^(F)