Night Watch Devotion

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.
¹ Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!
² O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah
³ But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him.
⁴ Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah
⁵ Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the LORD.
⁶ There are many who say, “Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!”
⁷ You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.
⁸ In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. (ESV)

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A Song.
¹ Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion, and to you shall vows be performed.
² O you who hear prayer, to you shall all flesh come.
³ When iniquities prevail against me, you atone for our transgressions.
⁴ Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple!
⁵ By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas;
⁶ the one who by his strength established the mountains, being girded with might;
⁷ who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples,
⁸ so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.
⁹ You visit the earth and water it; you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide their grain, for so you have prepared it.
¹⁰ You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth.
¹¹ You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with abundance.
¹² The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy,
¹³ the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy. (ESV)

A Psalm for giving thanks.
¹ Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!
² Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!
³ Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!
⁵ For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

A Psalm of David.
¹ I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O LORD, I will make music.
² I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house;
³ I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.
⁴ A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil.
⁵ Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure.
⁶ I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me.
⁷ No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes.
⁸ Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all the evildoers from the city of the LORD.

A Prayer of one afflicted, when he is faint and pours out his complaint before the LORD.
¹ Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry come to you!
² Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress! Incline your ear to me; answer me speedily in the day when I call!
³ For my days pass away like smoke, and my bones burn like a furnace.
⁴ My heart is struck down like grass and has withered; I forget to eat my bread.
⁵ Because of my loud groaning my bones cling to my flesh.
⁶ I am like a desert owl of the wilderness, like an owl of the waste places;
⁷ I lie awake; I am like a lonely sparrow on the housetop.
⁸ All the day my enemies taunt me; those who deride me use my name for a curse.
⁹ For I eat ashes like bread and mingle tears with my drink,
¹⁰ because of your indignation and anger; for you have taken me up and thrown me down.
¹¹ My days are like an evening shadow; I wither away like grass.
¹² But you, O LORD, are enthroned forever; you are remembered throughout all generations.
¹³ You will arise and have pity on Zion; it is the time to favor her; the appointed time has come.
¹⁴ For your servants hold her stones dear and have pity on her dust.
¹⁵ Nations will fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth will fear your glory.
¹⁶ For the LORD builds up Zion; he appears in his glory;
¹⁷ he regards the prayer of the destitute and does not despise their prayer.
¹⁸ Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD:
¹⁹ that he looked down from his holy height; from heaven the LORD looked at the earth,
²⁰ to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die,
²¹ that they may declare in Zion the name of the LORD, and in Jerusalem his praise,
²² when peoples gather together, and kingdoms, to worship the LORD.
²³ He has broken my strength in midcourse; he has shortened my days.
²⁴ “O my God,” I say, “take me not away in the midst of my days— you whose years endure throughout all generations!”
²⁵ Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.
²⁶ They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away,
²⁷ but you are the same, and your years have no end.
²⁸ The children of your servants shall dwell secure; their offspring shall be established before you. (ESV)

¹ “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.
² Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
³ For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them,
⁴ but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.
⁵ As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept.
⁶ But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’
⁷ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps.
⁸ And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’
⁹ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’
¹⁰ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.
¹¹ Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’
¹² But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
¹³ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. (ESV)

³² So the man came to the house and unharnessed the camels, and gave straw and fodder to the camels, and there was water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.
³³ Then food was set before him to eat. But he said, “I will not eat until I have said what I have to say.” He said, “Speak on.”
³⁴ So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant.
³⁵ The LORD has greatly blessed my master, and he has become great. He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male servants and female servants, camels and donkeys.
³⁶ And Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master when she was old, and to him he has given all that he has.
³⁷ My master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell,
³⁸ but you shall go to my father’s house and to my clan and take a wife for my son.’
³⁹ I said to my master, ‘Perhaps the woman will not follow me.’
⁴⁰ But he said to me, ‘The LORD, before whom I have walked, will send his angel with you and prosper your way. You shall take a wife for my son from my clan and from my father’s house.
⁴¹ Then you will be free from my oath, when you come to my clan. And if they will not give her to you, you will be free from my oath.’
⁴² “I came today to the spring and said, ‘O LORD, the God of my master Abraham, if now you are prospering the way that I go,
⁴³ behold, I am standing by the spring of water. Let the virgin who comes out to draw water, to whom I shall say, “Please give me a little water from your jar to drink,”
⁴⁴ and who will say to me, “Drink, and I will draw for your camels also,” let her be the woman whom the LORD has appointed for my master’s son.’
⁴⁵ “Before I had finished speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came out with her water jar on her shoulder, and she went down to the spring and drew water. I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’
⁴⁶ She quickly let down her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I will give your camels drink also.’ So I drank, and she gave the camels drink also.
⁴⁷ Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him.’ So I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her arms.
⁴⁸ Then I bowed my head and worshiped the LORD and blessed the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me by the right way to take the daughter of my master’s kinsman for his son.
⁴⁹ Now then, if you are going to show steadfast love and faithfulness to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.”
⁵⁰ Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “The thing has come from the LORD; we cannot speak to you bad or good.
⁵¹ Behold, Rebekah is before you; take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the LORD has spoken.”
⁵² When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed himself to the earth before the LORD.

⁶¹ Then Rebekah and her young women arose and rode on the camels and followed the man. Thus the servant took Rebekah and went his way.
⁶² Now Isaac had returned from Beer-lahai-roi and was dwelling in the Negeb.
⁶³ And Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening. And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, there were camels coming.
⁶⁴ And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she dismounted from the camel
⁶⁵ and said to the servant, “Who is that man, walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took her veil and covered herself.
⁶⁶ And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done.
⁶⁷ Then Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. (ESV)

¹ In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them,
² “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat.
³ And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.”
⁴ And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?”
⁵ And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.”
⁶ And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd.
⁷ And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them.
⁸ And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full.
⁹ And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away.
¹⁰ And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.
¹¹ The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him.
¹² And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.”
¹³ And he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side.
¹⁴ Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat.
¹⁵ And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”
¹⁶ And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread.
¹⁷ And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened?
¹⁸ Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?
¹⁹ When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.”
²⁰ “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.”
²¹ And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?” (ESV)

¹ The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
² “This shall be the law of the leprous person for the day of his cleansing. He shall be brought to the priest,
³ and the priest shall go out of the camp, and the priest shall look. Then, if the case of leprous disease is healed in the leprous person,
⁴ the priest shall command them to take for him who is to be cleansed two live clean birds and cedarwood and scarlet yarn and hyssop.
⁵ And the priest shall command them to kill one of the birds in an earthenware vessel over fresh water.
⁶ He shall take the live bird with the cedarwood and the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, and dip them and the live bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water.
⁷ And he shall sprinkle it seven times on him who is to be cleansed of the leprous disease. Then he shall pronounce him clean and shall let the living bird go into the open field.
⁸ And he who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes and shave off all his hair and bathe himself in water, and he shall be clean. And after that he may come into the camp, but live outside his tent seven days.
⁹ And on the seventh day he shall shave off all his hair from his head, his beard, and his eyebrows. He shall shave off all his hair, and then he shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and he shall be clean.
¹⁰ “And on the eighth day he shall take two male lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb a year old without blemish, and a grain offering of three tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, and one log of oil.
¹¹ And the priest who cleanses him shall set the man who is to be cleansed and these things before the LORD, at the entrance of the tent of meeting.
¹² And the priest shall take one of the male lambs and offer it for a guilt offering, along with the log of oil, and wave them for a wave offering before the LORD.
¹³ And he shall kill the lamb in the place where they kill the sin offering and the burnt offering, in the place of the sanctuary. For the guilt offering, like the sin offering, belongs to the priest; it is most holy.
¹⁴ The priest shall take some of the blood of the guilt offering, and the priest shall put it on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.
¹⁵ Then the priest shall take some of the log of oil and pour it into the palm of his own left hand
¹⁶ and dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand and sprinkle some oil with his finger seven times before the LORD.
¹⁷ And some of the oil that remains in his hand the priest shall put on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering.
¹⁸ And the rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed. Then the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD.
¹⁹ The priest shall offer the sin offering, to make atonement for him who is to be cleansed from his uncleanness. And afterward he shall kill the burnt offering.
²⁰ And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be clean.
²¹ “But if he is poor and cannot afford so much, then he shall take one male lamb for a guilt offering to be waved, to make atonement for him, and a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, and a log of oil;
²² also two turtledoves or two pigeons, whichever he can afford. The one shall be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering.
²³ And on the eighth day he shall bring them for his cleansing to the priest, to the entrance of the tent of meeting, before the LORD.
²⁴ And the priest shall take the lamb of the guilt offering and the log of oil, and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD.
²⁵ And he shall kill the lamb of the guilt offering. And the priest shall take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.
²⁶ And the priest shall pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left hand,
²⁷ and shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before the LORD.
²⁸ And the priest shall put some of the oil that is in his hand on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot, in the place where the blood of the guilt offering was put.
²⁹ And the rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before the LORD.
³⁰ And he shall offer, of the turtledoves or pigeons, whichever he can afford,
³¹ one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, along with a grain offering. And the priest shall make atonement before the LORD for him who is being cleansed.
³² This is the law for him in whom is a case of leprous disease, who cannot afford the offerings for his cleansing.”
³³ The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,
³⁴ “When you come into the land of Canaan, which I give you for a possession, and I put a case of leprous disease in a house in the land of your possession,
³⁵ then he who owns the house shall come and tell the priest, ‘There seems to me to be some case of disease in my house.’
³⁶ Then the priest shall command that they empty the house before the priest goes to examine the disease, lest all that is in the house be declared unclean. And afterward the priest shall go in to see the house.
³⁷ And he shall examine the disease. And if the disease is in the walls of the house with greenish or reddish spots, and if it appears to be deeper than the surface,
³⁸ then the priest shall go out of the house to the door of the house and shut up the house seven days.
³⁹ And the priest shall come again on the seventh day, and look. If the disease has spread in the walls of the house,
⁴⁰ then the priest shall command that they take out the stones in which is the disease and throw them into an unclean place outside the city.
⁴¹ And he shall have the inside of the house scraped all around, and the plaster that they scrape off they shall pour out in an unclean place outside the city.
⁴² Then they shall take other stones and put them in the place of those stones, and he shall take other plaster and plaster the house.
⁴³ “If the disease breaks out again in the house, after he has taken out the stones and scraped the house and plastered it,
⁴⁴ then the priest shall go and look. And if the disease has spread in the house, it is a persistent leprous disease in the house; it is unclean.
⁴⁵ And he shall break down the house, its stones and timber and all the plaster of the house, and he shall carry them out of the city to an unclean place.
⁴⁶ Moreover, whoever enters the house while it is shut up shall be unclean until the evening,
⁴⁷ and whoever sleeps in the house shall wash his clothes, and whoever eats in the house shall wash his clothes.
⁴⁸ “But if the priest comes and looks, and if the disease has not spread in the house after the house was plastered, then the priest shall pronounce the house clean, for the disease is healed.
⁴⁹ And for the cleansing of the house he shall take two small birds, with cedarwood and scarlet yarn and hyssop,
⁵⁰ and shall kill one of the birds in an earthenware vessel over fresh water
⁵¹ and shall take the cedarwood and the hyssop and the scarlet yarn, along with the live bird, and dip them in the blood of the bird that was killed and in the fresh water and sprinkle the house seven times.
⁵² Thus he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird and with the fresh water and with the live bird and with the cedarwood and hyssop and scarlet yarn.
⁵³ And he shall let the live bird go out of the city into the open country. So he shall make atonement for the house, and it shall be clean.”
⁵⁴ This is the law for any case of leprous disease: for an itch,
⁵⁵ for leprous disease in a garment or in a house,
⁵⁶ and for a swelling or an eruption or a spot,
⁵⁷ to show when it is unclean and when it is clean. This is the law for leprous disease. (ESV)

¹ And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!”
² And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”
³ And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately,
⁴ “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?”
⁵ And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray.
⁶ Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray.
⁷ And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet.
⁸ For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.
⁹ “But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them.
¹⁰ And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations.
¹¹ And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.
¹² And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death.
¹³ And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
¹⁴ “But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
¹⁵ Let the one who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out,
¹⁶ and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak.
¹⁷ And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days!
¹⁸ Pray that it may not happen in winter.
¹⁹ For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be.
²⁰ And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days.
²¹ And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it.
²² For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect.
²³ But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.
²⁴ “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light,
²⁵ and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
²⁶ And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.
²⁷ And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
²⁸ “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near.
²⁹ So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates.
³⁰ Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.
³¹ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. (ESV)

⁸ To you, O LORD, I cry, and to the Lord I plead for mercy:
⁹ “What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness?
¹⁰ Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me! O LORD, be my helper!”
¹¹ You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
¹² that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever! (ESV)

¹ At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort,
² a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God.
³ About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.”
⁴ And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God.
⁵ And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter.
⁶ He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.”
⁷ When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him,
⁸ and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.
⁹ The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray.
¹⁰ And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance
¹¹ and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth.
¹² In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air.
¹³ And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”
¹⁴ But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.”
¹⁵ And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.”
¹⁶ This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.
¹⁷ Now while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision that he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon’s house, stood at the gate
¹⁸ and called out to ask whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there.
¹⁹ And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you.
²⁰ Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them.”
²¹ And Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason for your coming?”
²² And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.”
²³ So he invited them in to be his guests. The next day he rose and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him.
²⁴ And on the following day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.
²⁵ When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him.
²⁶ But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.”
²⁷ And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered.
²⁸ And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.
²⁹ So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.”
³⁰ And Cornelius said, “Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing
³¹ and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God.
³² Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’
³³ So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”
³⁴ So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality,
³⁵ but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.
³⁶ As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all),
³⁷ you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed:
³⁸ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
³⁹ And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree,
⁴⁰ but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear,
⁴¹ not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
⁴² And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.
⁴³ To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
⁴⁴ While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word.
⁴⁵ And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles.
⁴⁶ For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared,
⁴⁷ “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”
⁴⁸ And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.

¹ Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.
² So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying,
³ “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
⁴ But Peter began and explained it to them in order:
⁵ “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, something like a great sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me.
⁶ Looking at it closely, I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air.
⁷ And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’
⁸ But I said, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’
⁹ But the voice answered a second time from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, do not call common.’
¹⁰ This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven.
¹¹ And behold, at that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea.
¹² And the Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house.
¹³ And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter;
¹⁴ he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’
¹⁵ As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as 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.’
¹⁷ If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?”
¹⁸ When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”
¹⁹ Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews.
²⁰ But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus.
²¹ And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.
²² The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.
²³ When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose,
²⁴ for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.
²⁵ So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul,
²⁶ and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.
²⁷ Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.
²⁸ And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius).
²⁹ So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea.
³⁰ And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.

¹ About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church.
² He killed James the brother of John with the sword,
³ and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread.
⁴ And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people.
⁵ So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.
⁶ Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison.
⁷ And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands.
⁸ And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.”
⁹ And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.
¹⁰ When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him.
¹¹ When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”
¹² When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.
¹³ And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer.
¹⁴ Recognizing Peter’s voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate.
¹⁵ They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is his angel!”
¹⁶ But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed.
¹⁷ But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Tell these things to James and to the brothers.” Then he departed and went to another place.
¹⁸ Now when day came, there was no little disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter.
¹⁹ And after Herod searched for him and did not find him, he examined the sentries and ordered that they should be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent time there.
²⁰ Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they came to him with one accord, and having persuaded Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king’s country for food.
²¹ On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them.
²² And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!”
²³ Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.
²⁴ But the word of God increased and multiplied.
²⁵ And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them John, whose other name was Mark.

¹ Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
² While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
³ Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.
⁴ So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.
⁵ When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them.
⁶ When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus.
⁷ He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.
⁸ But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.
⁹ But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him
¹⁰ and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?
¹¹ And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand.
¹² Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.
¹³ Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem,
¹⁴ but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down.
¹⁵ After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.”
¹⁶ So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said: “Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen.
¹⁷ The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it.
¹⁸ And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness.
¹⁹ And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance.
²⁰ All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet.
²¹ Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.
²² And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’
²³ Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised.
²⁴ Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
²⁵ And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’
²⁶ “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation.
²⁷ For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him.
²⁸ And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed.
²⁹ And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.
³⁰ But God raised him from the dead,
³¹ and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people.
³² And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers,
³³ this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, “‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’
³⁴ And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, “‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’
³⁵ Therefore he says also in another psalm, “‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’
³⁶ For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption,
³⁷ but he whom God raised up did not see corruption.
³⁸ Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you,
³⁹ and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.
⁴⁰ Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about:
⁴¹ “‘Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish; for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’”
⁴² As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath.
⁴³ And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.
⁴⁴ The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.
⁴⁵ But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him.
⁴⁶ And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.
⁴⁷ For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
⁴⁸ And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.
⁴⁹ And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region.
⁵⁰ But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district.
⁵¹ But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium.
⁵² And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

¹ Now at Iconium they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed.
² But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.
³ So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.
⁴ But the people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews and some with the apostles.
⁵ When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat them and to stone them,
⁶ they learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country,
⁷ and there they continued to preach the gospel.
⁸ Now at Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet. He was crippled from birth and had never walked.
⁹ He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well,
¹⁰ said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he sprang up and began walking.
¹¹ And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!”
¹² Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.
¹³ And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds.
¹⁴ But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out,
¹⁵ “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.
¹⁶ In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways.
¹⁷ Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.”
¹⁸ Even with these words they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them.
¹⁹ But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead.
²⁰ But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe.
²¹ When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch,
²² strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.
²³ And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
²⁴ Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia.
²⁵ And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia,
²⁶ and from there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled.
²⁷ And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.
²⁸ And they remained no little time with the disciples. (ESV)