Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Jehovah extolled for his goodness and power.

A Psalm of praise; of David.

1 In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of Jehovah unto Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet, saying, ² Jehovah was sore displeased with your fathers. ³ Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Return unto me, saith Jehovah of hosts, and I will return unto you, saith Jehovah of hosts. ⁴ Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets cried, saying, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, Return ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith Jehovah. ⁵ Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever? ⁶ But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not overtake your fathers? and they turned and said, Like as Jehovah of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.

⁷ Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of Jehovah unto Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet, saying, ⁸ I saw in the night, and, behold, a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle-trees that were in the ^[a]bottom; and behind him there were horses, red, sorrel, and white. ⁹ Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will show thee what these are. ¹⁰ And the man that stood among the myrtle-trees answered and said, These are they whom Jehovah hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth. ¹¹ And they answered the angel of Jehovah that stood among the myrtle-trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest.

¹² Then the angel of Jehovah answered and said, O Jehovah of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years? ¹³ And Jehovah answered the angel that talked with me with good words, even comfortable words. ¹⁴ So the angel that talked with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy. ¹⁵ And I am very sore displeased with the nations that are at ease; for I was but a little displeased, and they ^[b]helped forward the affliction. ¹⁶ Therefore thus saith Jehovah: I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies; my house shall be built in it, saith Jehovah of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth over Jerusalem. ¹⁷ Cry yet again, saying, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: My cities ^[c]shall yet overflow with prosperity; and Jehovah shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem.

²² And they gave him audience unto this word; and they lifted up their voice, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live. ²³ And as they cried out, and threw off their garments, and cast dust into the air, ²⁴ the ^[a]chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, bidding that he should be examined by scourging, that he might know for what cause they so shouted against him. ²⁵ And when they had tied him up ^[b]with the thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned? ²⁶ And when the centurion heard it, he went to the ^[c]chief captain and told him, saying, What art thou about to do? for this man is a Roman. ²⁷ And the ^[d]chief captain came and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? And he said, Yea. ²⁸ And the ^[e]chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this citizenship. And Paul said, But I am a Roman born. ²⁹ They then that were about to examine him straightway departed from him: and the ^[f]chief captain also was afraid when he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.

³⁰ But on the morrow, desiring to know the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him, and commanded the chief priests and all the council to come together, and brought Paul down and set him before them.

23 And Paul, looking stedfastly on the council, said, Brethren, I have lived before God in all good conscience until this day. ² And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth. ³ Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: and sittest thou to judge me according to the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law? ⁴ And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God’s high priest? ⁵ And Paul said, I knew not, brethren, that he was high priest: for it is written, ^[g]Thou shalt not speak evil of a ruler of thy people. ⁶ But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees: touching the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question. ⁷ And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and Sadducees; and the assembly was divided. ⁸ For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit; but the Pharisees confess both. ⁹ And there arose a great clamor: and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ part stood up, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: and what if a spirit hath spoken to him, or an angel? ¹⁰ And when there arose a great dissension, the ^[h]chief captain, fearing lest Paul should be torn in pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and bring him into the castle.

¹¹ And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer: for as thou hast testified concerning me at Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.