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Psalm 89

1  My song shall be always of the loving-kindness of the Lord: ♦︎
   with my mouth will I proclaim your faithfulness
      throughout all generations.
2  I will declare that your love is established for ever; ♦︎
   you have set your faithfulness as firm as the heavens.
3  For you said: ‘I have made a covenant with my chosen one; ♦︎
   I have sworn an oath to David my servant:
4  ‘ “Your seed will I establish for ever ♦︎
   and build up your throne for all generations.” ’
5  The heavens praise your wonders, O Lord, ♦︎
   and your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones;
6  For who among the clouds can be compared to the Lord? ♦︎
   Who is like the Lord among the host of heaven?
7  A God feared in the council of the holy ones, ♦︎
   great and terrible above all those round about him.
8  Who is like you, Lord God of hosts? ♦︎
   Mighty Lord, your faithfulness is all around you.
9  You rule the raging of the sea; ♦︎
   you still its waves when they arise.
10  You crushed Rahab with a deadly wound ♦︎
   and scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
11  Yours are the heavens; the earth also is yours; ♦︎
   you established the world and all that fills it.
12  You created the north and the south; ♦︎
   Tabor and Hermon rejoice in your name.
13  You have a mighty arm; ♦︎
   strong is your hand and high is your right hand.
14  Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; ♦︎
   steadfast love and faithfulness go before your face.
15  Happy are the people who know the shout of triumph: ♦︎
   they walk, O Lord, in the light of your countenance.
16  In your name they rejoice all the day long ♦︎
   and are exalted in your righteousness.
17  For you are the glory of their strength, ♦︎
   and in your favour you lift up our heads.
18  Truly the Lord is our shield; ♦︎
   the Holy One of Israel is our king.

David Anointed King of All Israel

5Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron, and said, ‘Look, we are your bone and flesh. ²For some time, while Saul was king over us, it was you who led out Israel and brought it in. The Lord said to you: It is you who shall be shepherd of my people Israel, you who shall be ruler over Israel.’ ³So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron; and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel. ⁴David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for forty years. ⁵At Hebron he reigned over Judah for seven years and six months; and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah for thirty-three years.

Jerusalem Made Capital of the Combined Kingdom

6 The king and his men marched to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, ‘You will not come in here, even the blind and the lame will turn you back’—thinking, ‘David cannot come in here.’ ⁷Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, which is now the city of David. ⁸David had said on that day, ‘Whoever wishes to strike down the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack the lame and the blind, those whom David hates.’^* Therefore it is said, ‘The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.’ ⁹David occupied the stronghold, and named it the city of David. David built the city all around from the Millo inwards. ¹⁰And David became greater and greater, for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him.

11 King Hiram of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedar trees, and carpenters and masons who built David a house. ¹²David then perceived that the Lord had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.

Stephen’s Speech to the Council

7Then the high priest asked him, ‘Are these things so?’ ²And Stephen replied:

‘Brothers^* and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory appeared to our ancestor Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, ³and said to him, “Leave your country and your relatives and go to the land that I will show you.” ⁴Then he left the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, God had him move from there to this country in which you are now living. ⁵He did not give him any of it as a heritage, not even a foot’s length, but promised to give it to him as his possession and to his descendants after him, even though he had no child. ⁶And God spoke in these terms, that his descendants would be resident aliens in a country belonging to others, who would enslave them and maltreat them for four hundred years. ⁷“But I will judge the nation that they serve,” said God, “and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.” ⁸Then he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham^* became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.

9 ‘The patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him, ¹⁰and rescued him from all his afflictions, and enabled him to win favour and to show wisdom when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. ¹¹Now there came a famine throughout Egypt and Canaan, and great suffering, and our ancestors could find no food. ¹²But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors there on their first visit. ¹³On the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh. ¹⁴Then Joseph sent and invited his father Jacob and all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five in all; ¹⁵so Jacob went down to Egypt. He himself died there as well as our ancestors, ¹⁶and their bodies^* were brought back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.