ACTS 2:1-47
PSALM 122:1-9
PROVERBS 16:19-20
2 SAMUEL 22:1-23:23
David sang this song to the LORD after the LORD had rescued him from all his enemies and from Saul. 2 These are the words he sang: " The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
3 my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the strength of my salvation, and my stronghold,
my high tower, my savior, the one who saves me from violence.
4 I will call on the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
for he saves me from my enemies.
5 " The waves of death surrounded me;
the floods of destruction swept over me.
6 The grave wrapped its ropes around me;
death itself stared me in the face.
7 But in my distress I cried out to the LORD;
yes, I called to my God for help.
He heard me from his sanctuary;
my cry reached his ears.
8 " Then the earth quaked and trembled;
the foundations of the heavens shook;
they quaked because of his anger.
9 Smoke poured from his nostrils;
fierce flames leaped from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
10 He opened the heavens and came down;
dark storm clouds were beneath his feet.
11 Mounted on a mighty angel, he flew,
soaring on the wings of the wind.
12 He shrouded himself in darkness,
veiling his approach with dense rain clouds.
13 A great brightness shone before him,
and bolts of lightning blazed forth.
14 The LORD thundered from heaven;
the Most High gave a mighty shout.
15 He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies;
his lightning flashed, and they were confused.
16 Then at the command of the LORD,
at the blast of his breath,
the bottom of the sea could be seen,
and the foundations of the earth were laid bare.
17 " He reached down from heaven and rescued me;
he drew me out of deep waters.
18 He delivered me from my powerful enemies,
from those who hated me and were too strong for me.
19 They attacked me at a moment when I was weakest,
but the LORD upheld me.
20 He led me to a place of safety;
he rescued me because he delights in me.
21 The LORD rewarded me for doing right;
he compensated me because of my innocence.
22 For I have kept the ways of the LORD;
I have not turned from my God to follow evil.
23 For all his laws are constantly before me;
I have never abandoned his principles.
24 I am blameless before God;
I have kept myself from sin.
25 The LORD rewarded me for doing right,
because of my innocence in his sight.
26 " To the faithful you show yourself faithful;
to those with integrity you show integrity.
27 To the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the wicked you show yourself hostile.
28 You rescue those who are humble,
but your eyes are on the proud to humiliate them.
29 O LORD, you are my light;
yes, LORD, you light up my darkness.
30 In your strength I can crush an army;
with my God I can scale any wall.
31 " As for God, his way is perfect.
All the LORD's promises prove true.
He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.
32 For who is God except the LORD?
Who but our God is a solid rock?
33 God is my strong fortress;
he has made my way safe.
34 He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
leading me safely along the mountain heights.
35 He prepares me for battle;
he strengthens me to draw a bow of bronze.
36 You have given me the shield of your salvation;
your help has made me great.
37 You have made a wide path for my feet
to keep them from slipping.
38 " I chased my enemies and destroyed them;
I did not stop until they were conquered.
39 I consumed them; I struck them down so they could not get up;
they fell beneath my feet.
40 You have armed me with strength for the battle;
you have subdued my enemies under my feet.
41 You made them turn and run;
I have destroyed all who hated me.
42 They called for help, but no one came to rescue them.
They cried to the LORD, but he refused to answer them.
43 I ground them as fine as the dust of the earth;
I swept them into the gutter like dirt.
44 " You gave me victory over my accusers.
You preserved me as the ruler over nations;
people I don't even know now serve me.
45 Foreigners cringe before me;
as soon as they hear of me, they submit.
46 They all lose their courage
and come trembling from their strongholds.
47 " The LORD lives! Blessed be my rock!
May God, the rock of my salvation, be exalted!
48 He is the God who pays back those who harm me;
he subdues the nations under me
49 and rescues me from my enemies.
You hold me safe beyond the reach of my enemies;
you save me from violent opponents.
50 For this, O LORD, I will praise you among the nations;
I will sing joyfully to your name.
51 You give great victories to your king;
you show unfailing love to your anointed,
to David and all his descendants forever."
23:1 THESE are the last words of David: " David, the son of Jesse, speaks--
David, the man to whom God gave such wonderful success,
David, the man anointed by the God of Jacob,
David, the sweet psalmist of Israel.
2 " The Spirit of the LORD speaks through me;
his words are upon my tongue.
3 The God of Israel spoke.
The Rock of Israel said to me:
` The person who rules righteously,
who rules in the fear of God,
4 he is like the light of the morning,
like the sunrise bursting forth in a cloudless sky,
like the refreshing rains that bring tender grass from the earth.'
5 " It is my family God has chosen!
Yes, he has made an everlasting covenant with me.
His agreement is eternal, final, sealed.
He will constantly look after my safety and success.
6 But the godless are like thorns to be thrown away,
for they tear the hand that touches them.
7 One must be armed to chop them down;
they will be utterly consumed with fire."
8 These are the names of David's mightiest men. The first was Jashobeam the Hacmonite, who was commander of the Three--the three greatest warriors among David's men. He once used his spear to kill eight hundred enemy warriors in a single battle. 9 Next in rank among the Three was Eleazar son of Dodai, a descendant of Ahoah. Once Eleazar and David stood together against the Philistines when the entire Israelite army had fled. 10 He killed Philistines until his hand was too tired to lift his sword, and the LORD gave him a great victory that day. The rest of the army did not return until it was time to collect the plunder! 11 Next in rank was Shammah son of Agee from Harar. One time the Philistines gathered at Lehi and attacked the Israelites in a field full of lentils. The Israelite army fled, 12 but Shammah held his ground in the middle of the field and beat back the Philistines. So the LORD brought about a great victory. 13 Once during harvest time, when David was at the cave of Adullam, the Philistine army was camped in the valley of Rephaim. The Three (who were among the Thirty--an elite group among David's fighting men) went down to meet him there. 14 David was staying in the stronghold at the time, and a Philistine detachment had occupied the town of Bethlehem. 15 David remarked longingly to his men, " Oh, how I would love some of that good water from the well in Bethlehem, the one by the gate." 16 So the Three broke through the Philistine lines, drew some water from the well, and brought it back to David. But he refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out before the LORD. 17 " The LORD forbid that I should drink this!" he exclaimed. " This water is as precious as the blood of these men who risked their lives to bring it to me." So David did not drink it. This is an example of the exploits of the Three.18 Abishai son of Zeruiah, the brother of Joab, was the leader of the Thirty. He once used his spear to kill three hundred enemy warriors in a single battle. It was by such feats that he became as famous as the Three. 19 Abishai was the most famous of the Thirty and was their commander, though he was not one of the Three. 20 There was also Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant warrior from Kabzeel. He did many heroic deeds, which included killing two of Moab's mightiest warriors. Another time he chased a lion down into a pit. Then, despite the snow and slippery ground, he caught the lion and killed it. 21 Another time, armed only with a club, he killed a great Egyptian warrior who was armed with a spear. Benaiah wrenched the spear from the Egyptian's hand and killed him with it. 22 These are some of the deeds that made Benaiah almost as famous as the Three. 23 He was more honored than the other members of the Thirty, though he was not one of the Three. And David made him commander of his bodyguard.
ACTS 2:1-47
On the day of Pentecost, seven weeks after Jesus' resurrection, the believers were meeting together in one place. 2 Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm in the skies above them, and it filled the house where they were meeting. 3 Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. 4 And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. 5 Godly Jews from many nations were living in Jerusalem at that time. 6 When they heard this sound, they came running to see what it was all about, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers. 7 They were beside themselves with wonder. " How can this be?" they exclaimed. " These people are all from Galilee, 8 and yet we hear them speaking the languages of the lands where we were born! 9 Here we are--Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, 10 Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya toward Cyrene, visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), 11 Cretans, and Arabians. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!" 12 They stood there amazed and perplexed. " What can this mean?" they asked each other. 13 But others in the crowd were mocking. " They're drunk, that's all!" they said. 14 Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, " Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. 15 Some of you are saying these people are drunk. It isn't true! It's much too early for that. People don't get drunk by nine o'clock in the morning. 16 No, what you see this morning was predicted centuries ago by the prophet Joel:17 ` In the last days, God said,
I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
and your old men will dream dreams.
18 In those days I will pour out my Spirit
upon all my servants, men and women alike,
and they will prophesy.
19 And I will cause wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below--
blood and fire and clouds of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned into darkness,
and the moon will turn bloodred,
before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives.
21 And anyone who calls on the name of the Lord
will be saved.'
22 " People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus of Nazareth by doing wonderful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. 23 But you followed God's prearranged plan. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to the cross and murdered him. 24 However, God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life again, for death could not keep him in its grip. 25 King David said this about him: ` I know the Lord is always with me.
I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.
26 No wonder my heart is filled with joy,
and my mouth shouts his praises!
My body rests in hope.
27 For you will not leave my soul among the dead
or allow your Holy One to rot in the grave.
28 You have shown me the way of life,
and you will give me wonderful joy in your presence.'
29 " Dear brothers, think about this! David wasn't referring to himself when he spoke these words I have quoted, for he died and was buried, and his tomb is still here among us. 30 But he was a prophet, and he knew God had promised with an oath that one of David's own descendants would sit on David's throne as the Messiah. 31 David was looking into the future and predicting the Messiah's resurrection. He was saying that the Messiah would not be left among the dead and that his body would not rot in the grave. 32 " This prophecy was speaking of Jesus, whom God raised from the dead, and we all are witnesses of this. 33 Now he sits on the throne of highest honor in heaven, at God's right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today. 34 For David himself never ascended into heaven, yet he said, ` The LORD said to my Lord,
Sit in honor at my right hand
35 until I humble your enemies,
making them a footstool under your feet.'
36 So let it be clearly known by everyone in Israel that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified to be both Lord and Messiah!" 37 Peter's words convicted them deeply, and they said to him and to the other apostles, " Brothers, what should we do?" 38 Peter replied, " Each of you must turn from your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 This promise is to you and to your children, and even to the Gentiles--all who have been called by the Lord our God." 40 Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, " Save yourselves from this generation that has gone astray!" 41 Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church--about three thousand in all. 42 They joined with the other believers and devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, sharing in the Lord's Supper and in prayer. 43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44 And all the believers met together constantly and shared everything they had. 45 They sold their possessions and shared the proceeds with those in need. 46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity--47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved.
PSALM 122:1-9
A song for the ascent to Jerusalem. A psalm of David.
1 I was glad when they said to me,
" Let us go to the house of the LORD."
2 And now we are standing here
inside your gates, O Jerusalem.
3 Jerusalem is a well-built city,
knit together as a single unit.
4 All the people of Israel--the LORD's people--
make their pilgrimage here.
They come to give thanks to the name of the LORD
as the law requires.
5 Here stand the thrones where judgment is given,
the thrones of the dynasty of David.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
May all who love this city prosper.
7 O Jerusalem, may there be peace within your walls
and prosperity in your palaces.
8 For the sake of my family and friends, I will say,
" Peace be with you."
9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God,
I will seek what is best for you, O Jerusalem.
PROVERBS 16:19-20
It is better to live humbly with the poor than to share plunder with the proud. Those who listen to instruction will prosper; those who trust the LORD will be happy.
