Day 31 of 365

¹Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.

²Suddenly there came from the sky a sound like the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

³Tongues like fire appeared and were distributed to them, and one sat on each of them.

⁴They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak.

⁵Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under the sky.

⁶When this sound was heard, the multitude came together, and were bewildered, because everyone heard them speaking in his own language.

⁷They were all amazed and marveled, saying, "Behold, are not all these who speak Galileans?

⁸How do we hear, everyone in our own native language?

⁹Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia,

¹⁰Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the parts of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,

¹¹Cretans and Arabians: we hear them speaking in our languages the mighty works of God!"

¹²They were all amazed, and were perplexed, saying one to another, "What does this mean?"

¹³Others, mocking, said, "They are filled with new wine."

¹⁴But Peter, standing up with the Eleven, lifted up his voice, and spoke out to them, "You men of Judea, and all you who dwell at Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to my words.

¹⁵For these are not drunken, as you suppose, seeing it is only the third hour of the day.

¹⁶But this is what has been spoken through the prophet Joel:

¹⁷'It will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams.

¹⁸Yes, and on my servants and on my handmaidens in those days, I will pour out my Spirit, and they will prophesy.

¹⁹I will show wonders in the sky above, and signs on the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and billows of smoke.

²⁰The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes.

²¹It will be, that whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.'

²²"Men of Israel, hear these words! Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved by God to you by mighty works and wonders and signs which God did by him in the midst of you, even as you yourselves know,

²³him, being delivered up by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, by the hand of lawless men, crucified and killed;

²⁴whom God raised up, having freed him from the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it.

²⁵For David says concerning him, 'I saw the Lord always before my face, For he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved.

²⁶Therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced. Moreover my flesh also will dwell in hope;

²⁷because you will not leave my soul in hell, neither will you allow your Holy One to see decay.

²⁸You made known to me the ways of life. You will make me full of gladness with your presence.'

²⁹"Brothers, I may tell you freely of the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.

³⁰Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that one of his descendants would sit on his throne,

³¹he foreseeing this spoke about the resurrection of the Messiah, that neither was he left in hell, nor did his flesh see decay.

³²This Jesus God raised up, to which we all are witnesses.

³³Being therefore exalted by the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this, which you see and hear.

³⁴For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself, 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit by my right hand,

³⁵until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet."'

³⁶"Let all the house of Israel therefore know certainly that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified."

³⁷Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"

³⁸Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

³⁹For to you is the promise, and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself."

⁴⁰With many other words he testified, and exhorted them, saying, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation!"

⁴¹Then those who received his word were baptized. There were added that day about three thousand souls.

⁴²They continued steadfastly in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and prayer.

⁴³Fear came on every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.

⁴⁴All who believed were together, and had all things in common.

⁴⁵They sold their possessions and goods, and distributed them to all, according as anyone had need.

⁴⁶Day by day, continuing steadfastly with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread at home, they took their food with gladness and singleness of heart,

⁴⁷praising God, and having favor with all the people. The Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

¹Peter and John were going up into the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.

²A certain man who was lame from his mother's womb was being carried, whom they put daily at the door of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask gifts for the needy of those who entered into the temple.

³Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive gifts for the needy.

⁴Peter, fastening his eyes on him, with John, said, "Look at us."

⁵He listened to them, expecting to receive something from them.

⁶But Peter said, "Silver and gold have I none, but what I have, that I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!"

⁷He took him by the right hand, and raised him up. Immediately his feet and his ankle bones received strength.

⁸Leaping up, he stood, and began to walk. He entered with them into the temple, walking, leaping, and praising God.

⁹All the people saw him walking and praising God.

¹⁰They recognized him, that it was he who used to sit begging for gifts for the needy at the Beautiful Gate of the temple. They were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

¹¹And as he held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch that is called Solomon's, greatly wondering.

¹²When Peter saw it, he responded to the people, "You men of Israel, why do you marvel at this man? Why do you fasten your eyes on us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made him walk?

¹³The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up, and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had determined to release him.

¹⁴But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a man who was a murderer to be granted to you,

¹⁵and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, to which we are witnesses.

¹⁶By faith in his name, his name has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which is through him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.

¹⁷"Now, brothers, I know that you did this in ignorance, as did also your rulers.

¹⁸But the things which God announced by the mouth of all his prophets, that Messiah should suffer, he thus fulfilled.

¹⁹"Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, so that there may come times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord,

²⁰and that he may send the Messiah Jesus, who was ordained for you before,

²¹whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God spoke long ago by the mouth of his holy prophets.

²²For Moses indeed said to the fathers, 'The Lord your God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brothers, like me. You shall listen to him in all things whatever he says to you.

²³It will be, that every soul that will not listen to that prophet will be utterly destroyed from among the people.'

²⁴Yes, and all the prophets from Samuel and those who followed after, as many as have spoken, they also told of these days.

²⁵You are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, 'In your seed will all the families of the earth be blessed.'

²⁶God, having raised up his Servant, sent him to you first, to bless you, in turning away everyone of you from your wickedness."

¹As they spoke to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came to them,

²being upset because they taught the people and proclaimed in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

³They laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was now evening.

⁴But many of those who heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.

⁵It happened in the morning, that their rulers, elders, and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem.

⁶Annas the high priest was there, with Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and as many as were relatives of the high priest.

⁷When they had stood them in the middle of them, they inquired, "By what power, or in what name, have you done this?"

⁸Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people, and elders,

⁹if we are examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed,

¹⁰be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, in him does this man stand here before you whole.

¹¹He is 'the stone which was regarded as worthless by you, the builders, which has become the head of the corner.'

¹²And there is salvation in none other, for there is no other name under heaven, that is given among men by which we must be saved!"

¹³Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and had perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled. They recognized that they had been with Jesus.

¹⁴Seeing the man who was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.

¹⁵But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves,

¹⁶saying, "What shall we do to these men? Because indeed a notable miracle has been done through them, as can be plainly seen by all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.

¹⁷But so that this spreads no further among the people, let us threaten them, that from now on they do not speak to anyone in this name."

¹⁸They called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.

¹⁹But Peter and John answered them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, judge for yourselves,

²⁰for we cannot help telling the things which we saw and heard."

²¹When they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people; for everyone glorified God for that which was done.

²²For the man on whom this miracle of healing was performed was more than forty years old.

²³Being let go, they came to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them.

²⁴When they heard it, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, "Master, it is you who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them;

²⁵who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of your servant, David, said, 'Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot a vain thing?

²⁶The kings of the earth take a stand, and the rulers take council together, against the Lord, and against his Messiah.'

²⁷"For truly, in this city against your holy servant, Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together

²⁸to do whatever your hand and your council foreordained to happen.

²⁹Now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness,

³⁰while you stretch out your hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of your holy Servant Jesus."

³¹When they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were gathered together. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

³²The multitude of those who believed were of one heart and soul. Not one of them claimed that anything of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.

³³With great power, the apostles gave their testimony of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Great grace was on them all.

³⁴For neither was there among them any who lacked, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold,

³⁵and put them at the apostles' feet, and distribution was made to each, according as anyone had need.

³⁶Joseph, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas (which is, being interpreted, Son of Encouragement), a Levite, a man of Cyprus by race,

³⁷having a field, sold it, and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet.

¹In you, Lord, I take refuge. Let me never be disappointed. Deliver me in your righteousness.

²Bow down your ear to me. Deliver me speedily. Be to me a strong rock, a house of defense to save me.

³For you are my rock and my fortress, therefore for your name's sake lead me and guide me.

⁴Pluck me out of the net that they have laid secretly for me, for you are my stronghold.

⁵Into your hand I commend my spirit. You redeem me, Lord, God of truth.

⁶I hate those who regard lying vanities, but I trust in the Lord.

⁷I will be glad and rejoice in your loving kindness, for you have seen my affliction. You have known my soul in adversities.

⁸You have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy. You have set my feet in a large place.

⁹Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am in distress. My eye, my soul, and my body waste away with grief.

¹⁰For my life is spent with sorrow, my years with sighing. My strength fails because of my iniquity. My bones are wasted away.

¹¹Because of all my adversaries I have become utterly contemptible to my neighbors, A fear to my acquaintances. Those who saw me on the street fled from me.

¹²I am forgotten from their hearts like a dead man. I am like broken pottery.

¹³For I have heard the slander of many, terror on every side, while they conspire together against me, they plot to take away my life.

¹⁴But I trust in you, Lord. I said, "You are my God."

¹⁵My times are in your hand. Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me.

¹⁶Make your face to shine on your servant. Save me in your loving kindness.

¹⁷Let me not be disappointed, Lord, for I have called on you. Let the wicked be disappointed. Let them be silent in Sheol.

¹⁸Let the lying lips be mute, which speak against the righteous insolently, with pride and contempt.

¹⁹Oh how great is your goodness, which you have laid up for those who fear you, which you have worked for those who take refuge in you, before the sons of men!

²⁰In the shelter of your presence you will hide them from the plotting of man. You will keep them secretly in a dwelling away from the strife of tongues.

²¹Praise be to the Lord, for he has shown me his marvelous loving kindness in a strong city.

²²As for me, I said in my haste, "I am cut off from before your eyes." Nevertheless you heard the voice of my petitions when I cried to you.

²³Oh love the Lord, all you his holy ones! The Lord preserves the faithful, and fully recompenses him who behaves arrogantly.

²⁴Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in the Lord.

¹The words of king Lemuel; the oracle which his mother taught him.

²"Oh, my son! Oh, son of my womb! Oh, son of my vows!

³Do not give your strength to women, nor your ways to that which destroys kings.

⁴It is not for kings, Lemuel; it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes to say, 'Where is strong drink?'

⁵lest they drink, and forget the decree, and pervert the justice due to anyone who is afflicted.

⁶Give strong drink to him who is ready to perish; and wine to the bitter in soul:

⁷Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.

⁸Open your mouth for the mute, in the cause of all who are left desolate.

⁹Open your mouth, judge righteously, and serve justice to the poor and needy."

¹⁰Who can find a worthy woman? For her price is far above rubies.

¹¹The heart of her husband trusts in her. He shall have no lack of gain.

¹²She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.

¹³She seeks wool and flax, and works eagerly with her hands.

¹⁴She is like the merchant ships. She brings her bread from afar.

¹⁵She rises also while it is yet night, gives food to her household, and portions for her servant girls.

¹⁶She considers a field, and buys it. With the fruit of her hands, she plants a vineyard.

¹⁷She girds her waist with strength, and makes her arms strong.

¹⁸She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp doesn't go out by night.

¹⁹She lays her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle.

²⁰She opens her arms to the poor; yes, she extends her hands to the needy.

²¹She is not afraid of the snow for her household; for all her household are clothed with scarlet.

²²She makes for herself carpets of tapestry. Her clothing is fine linen and purple.

²³Her husband is respected in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land.

²⁴She makes linen garments and sells them, and delivers sashes to the merchant.

²⁵Strength and dignity are her clothing. She laughs at the time to come.

²⁶She opens her mouth with wisdom. Faithful instruction is on her tongue.

²⁷She looks well to the ways of her household, and doesn't eat the bread of idleness.

²⁸Her children rise up and call her blessed. Her husband also praises her:

²⁹"Many women do noble things, but you excel them all."

³⁰Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.

³¹Give her of the fruit of her hands! Let her works praise her in the gates!