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Psalm 132

1  Lord, remember for David ♦︎
   all the hardships he endured;
2  How he swore an oath to the Lord ♦︎
   and vowed a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:
3  ‘I will not come within the shelter of my house, ♦︎
   nor climb up into my bed;
4  ‘I will not allow my eyes to sleep, ♦︎
   nor let my eyelids slumber,
5  ‘Until I find a place for the Lord, ♦︎
   a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.’
6  Now, we heard of the ark in Ephrathah ♦︎
   and found it in the fields of Ja-ar.
7  Let us enter his dwelling place ♦︎
   and fall low before his footstool.
8  Arise, O Lord, into your resting place, ♦︎
   you and the ark of your strength.
9  Let your priests be clothed with righteousness ♦︎
   and your faithful ones sing with joy.
10  For your servant David’s sake, ♦︎
   turn not away the face of your anointed.
11  The Lord has sworn an oath to David, ♦︎
   a promise from which he will not shrink:
12  ‘Of the fruit of your body ♦︎
   shall I set upon your throne.
13  ‘If your children keep my covenant
      and my testimonies that I shall teach them, ♦︎
   their children also shall sit upon your throne for evermore.’
14  For the Lord has chosen Zion for himself; ♦︎
   he has desired her for his habitation:
15  ‘This shall be my resting place for ever; ♦︎
   here will I dwell, for I have longed for her.
16  ‘I will abundantly bless her provision; ♦︎
   her poor will I satisfy with bread.
17  ‘I will clothe her priests with salvation, ♦︎
   and her faithful ones shall rejoice and sing.
18  ‘There will I make a horn to spring up for David; ♦︎
   I will keep a lantern burning for my anointed.

Josiah Reigns over Judah

22Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign; he reigned for thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. ²He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the way of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.

Hilkiah Finds the Book of the Law

3 In the eighteenth year of King Josiah, the king sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, son of Meshullam, the secretary, to the house of the Lord, saying, ⁴‘Go up to the high priest Hilkiah, and have him count the entire sum of the money that has been brought into the house of the Lord, which the keepers of the threshold have collected from the people; ⁵let it be given into the hand of the workers who have the oversight of the house of the Lord; let them give it to the workers who are at the house of the Lord, repairing the house, ⁶that is, to the carpenters, to the builders, to the masons; and let them use it to buy timber and quarried stone to repair the house. ⁷But no account shall be asked from them for the money that is delivered into their hand, for they deal honestly.’

8 The high priest Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, ‘I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord.’ When Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, he read it. ⁹Then Shaphan the secretary came to the king, and reported to the king, ‘Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of the workers who have oversight of the house of the Lord.’ ¹⁰Shaphan the secretary informed the king, ‘The priest Hilkiah has given me a book.’ Shaphan then read it aloud to the king.

The Stoning of Stephen

54 When they heard these things, they became enraged and ground their teeth at Stephen.^{* 55}But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ⁵⁶‘Look,’ he said, ‘I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!’ ⁵⁷But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. ⁵⁸Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. ⁵⁹While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ ⁶⁰Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ When he had said this, he died.^* 8¹And Saul approved of their killing him.

Saul Persecutes the Church

That day a severe persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria.