Isaiah 63 - 64, Acts 3 - 4, Psalm 80 — Legacy Standard Bible

Vengeance of Yahweh

63Who is this who comes from ^aEdom,With ^bgarments of ¹glowing colors from ^cBozrah,This One who is majestic in His clothing,²Marching in the greatness of His power?“It is I who speak in righteousness, ^dmighty to save.”²Why is Your clothing red,And Your garments like the one who ^atreads in the wine press?³“^aI have trodden the wine trough alone,And from the peoples there was no man with Me.I also ^btrod them in My angerAnd ^ctrampled them in My wrath;And ^dtheir ¹lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments,And I ²stained all My clothes.⁴“For the ^aday of vengeance was in My heart,And My year of redemption has come.⁵“I looked, and there was ^ano one to help,And I was astonished, and there was no one to uphold;So My ^bown arm brought salvation to Me,And My wrath upheld Me.⁶“I ^atrod down the peoples in My angerAnd made them ^bdrunk in My wrath,And I brought down their lifeblood to the earth.”

Remember the Lovingkindness of Yahweh

⁷I shall bring to remembrance the ^alovingkindnesses of Yahweh, the praises of Yahweh,According to all the ways that Yahweh has dealt bountifully with us,And the abundant ^bgoodness toward the house of Israel,Which He has dealt bountifully to them according to His ^ccompassionAnd according to the abundance of His lovingkindnesses.⁸And He said, “Surely, they are ^aMy people,Sons who will not deal falsely.”So He became their ^bSavior.⁹In all their distress ¹^,^aHe was distressed,And the ^bangel of His presence saved them;In His ^clove and in His mercy He ^dredeemed them,And He ^elifted them and carried them all the ancient days.¹⁰But they ^arebelledAnd grieved His ^bHoly Spirit;Therefore He turned Himself to become their enemy;He fought against them.¹¹Then ^aHis people remembered the ancient days, of Moses.Where is ^bHe who brought them up out of the sea with the ¹shepherds of His flock?Where is He who ^cput His Holy Spirit in the midst of ²them,¹²Who caused His ^aglorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses,Who ^bsplit the waters before them to make for Himself an everlasting name,¹³Who led them through the depths?Like the horse in the wilderness, they did not ^astumble;¹⁴As the cattle which go down into the valley,The Spirit of ^aYahweh gave ¹them rest.So You ^bled Your people,To make for Yourself a glorious name.

Prayer for Mercy and Help

¹⁵^aLook down from heaven and see from Your holy and glorious ^bhabitation;Where are Your ^czeal and Your mighty deeds?The ^dtumults within You and Your compassion are restrained toward me.¹⁶For You are our ^aFather, though ^bAbraham does not know usAnd Israel does not recognize us.You, O Yahweh, are our Father,Our ^cRedeemer from everlasting is Your name.¹⁷Why, O Yahweh, do You ^acause us to stray from Your waysAnd ^bstiffen our heart from fearing You?^cReturn for the sake of Your slaves, the tribes of Your inheritance.¹⁸Your holy people possessed Your sanctuary for a little while;Our adversaries have ^atrodden it down.¹⁹We have become like those over whom You have never ruled,Like those who were not called by Your name.64¹Oh, that You would rend the heavens and ^acome down,That the mountains might ^bquake at Your presence—²¹As fire kindles the brushwood, as fire causes water to boil—To make Your name known to Your adversaries,That the ^anations may tremble at Your presence!³When You did ^aawesome things for which we did not hope,You came down; the mountains quaked at Your presence.⁴For from ancient times ^athey have not heard or given ear,Nor has the eye seen a God besides You,Who acts in behalf of the one who ^bwaits for Him.⁵You ^ameet him who rejoices and ^bdoes righteousness,Who ^cremembers You in Your ways.Behold, ^dYou were angry; indeed we have sinned—We continued in them a long time—And shall we be saved?⁶For all of us have become like one who is ^aunclean,And all our ^brighteous deeds are like a filthy garment;And all of us ^cwither like a leaf,And our ^diniquities, like the wind, carry us away.⁷There is ^ano one who calls on Your name,Who awakens himself to take hold of You,For You have ^bhidden Your face from usAnd have ¹melted us into the hand of our iniquities.⁸But now, O Yahweh, ^aYou are our Father;We are the ^bclay, and You our potter;And all of us are the ^cwork of Your hand.⁹Do not be ^aangry beyond measure, O Yahweh,^bNor remember iniquity forever;Behold, look now, all of us are ^cYour people.¹⁰Your ^aholy cities have become a ^bwilderness;Zion has become a wilderness,Jerusalem a desolation.¹¹Our holy and glorious ^ahouse,Where our fathers praised You,Has been burned by fire;And ^ball our precious things have become a waste place.¹²Will You ^arestrain Yourself at these things, O Yahweh?Will You keep silent and afflict us beyond measure?

The Lame Beggar Healed

3Now ^aPeter and John were going up to the temple at the ¹ninth hour, ^bthe hour of prayer. ²And ^aa man who had been lame from his mother’s womb was being carried, whom they ^bused to set down daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, ^cin order to beg ¹alms of those who were entering the temple. ³When he saw ^aPeter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking to receive alms. ⁴But when Peter, along with John, ^afixed his gaze on him, he said, “Look at us!” ⁵And he began to give them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. ⁶But Peter said, “I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: ^aIn the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—walk!” ⁷And seizing him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened. ⁸^aAnd leaping up, he stood upright and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. ⁹And ^aall the people saw him walking and praising God; ¹⁰and they were recognizing him, that he was the one who used to ^asit at the Beautiful Gate of the temple to beg alms, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Peter’s Sermon in Solomon’s Portico

¹¹And while he was clinging to ^aPeter and John, all the people ran together to them at the ¹^,^bportico called Solomon’s, full of wonder. ¹²But when Peter saw this, he replied to the people, “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this, or why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk? ¹³“^aThe God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, ^bthe God of our fathers, has glorified His ^cServant Jesus, whom ^dyou delivered and denied in the presence of ^ePilate, when he had ^fdecided to release Him. ¹⁴“But you denied ^athe Holy and Righteous One and ^basked for a murderer to be granted to you, ¹⁵but put to death the ^aAuthor of life, whom ^bGod raised from the dead, a fact to which we are ^cwitnesses. ¹⁶“And on the basis of faith ^ain His name, it is ¹the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which is through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.

¹⁷“And now, brothers, I know that you acted ^ain ignorance, just as your ^brulers did also. ¹⁸“But the things which ^aGod announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, ^bthat His ¹Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. ¹⁹“Therefore ^arepent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that ¹^,^btimes of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; ²⁰and that He may send Jesus, the ¹Christ appointed for you, ²¹^awhom heaven must receive until the ¹period of ^brestoration of all things about which ^cGod spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time. ²²“Moses said, ‘^aThe ¹Lord God will raise up for you a prophet ²like me from your brothers; to Him you shall listen to everything He says to you. ²³‘^aAnd it will be that every ^bsoul that does not heed that prophet ^cshall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ ²⁴“And likewise, ^aall the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and his successors onward, also proclaimed these days. ²⁵“It is you who are ^athe sons of the prophets and of the ^bcovenant which God ¹made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘^cAnd in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ ²⁶“For you ^afirst, God ^braised up His ¹Servant and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.”

Peter and John Arrested

4Now as they were speaking to the people, the priests and ^athe captain of the temple guard and ^bthe Sadducees ^ccame up to them, ²being greatly agitated because they were teaching the people and proclaiming ¹^,^ain Jesus the resurrection from the dead. ³And they laid hands on them and ^aput them in jail until the next day, for it was already evening. ⁴But many of those who had heard the ¹message believed, and ^athe number of the men came to be about five thousand.

⁵Now it happened that on the next day, their ^arulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem; ⁶and ^aAnnas the high priest was there, and ^bCaiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly descent. ⁷And when they had placed them in their midst, they began to inquire, “By what power, or in what name, have you done this?” ⁸Then Peter, ¹^,^afilled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “²^,^bRulers and elders of the people, ⁹if we are ¹being examined today for ^aa good deed done to a sick man, ²as to how this man has been ³saved from his sickness, ¹⁰let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that ¹^,^aby the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom ^bGod raised from the dead—²by ³this name this man stands here before you in good health. ¹¹“¹^,^aHe is the ^bstone which was ^crejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone. ¹²“And there is salvation in ^ano one else, for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

Peter and John Threatened and Released

¹³Now as they observed the ^aconfidence of ^bPeter and John and comprehended that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were marveling, and ^cbegan to recognize them ¹as having been with Jesus. ¹⁴And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply. ¹⁵But when they had ordered them to leave the ¹^,^aSanhedrin, they began to confer with one another, ¹⁶saying, “^aWhat should we do with these men? For the fact that a ^bnoteworthy ¹sign has happened through them is apparent to all who live in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. ¹⁷“But lest it spread any further among the people, let us warn them to speak no longer to any man ^ain this name.” ¹⁸And when they had summoned them, they ^acommanded them not to speak or teach at all ¹in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹But ^aPeter and John answered and said to them, “^bWhether it is right in the sight of God to hear you rather than God, you be the judge; ²⁰for ^awe cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” ²¹And when they had threatened them further, they let them go (finding no basis on which to punish them) ^aon account of the people, because they were all ^bglorifying God for what had happened; ²²for the man was more than forty years old on whom this sign of healing had occurred.

²³So when they were released, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. ²⁴And when they heard this, they lifted their voices to God with one accord and said, “O Master, it is You who ^amade the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them, ²⁵who ^aby the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David Your servant, said, ‘^bWhy did the ¹Gentiles rage,And the peoples devise vain things?

²⁶‘^aThe kings of the earth ¹took their stand,And the rulers were gathered togetherAgainst the Lord and against His ²^,^bChrist.’

²⁷“For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy ¹^,^aServant Jesus, whom You anointed, both ^bHerod and ^cPontius Pilate, along with ^dthe ²Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, ²⁸to do whatever Your hand and ^aYour purpose predestined to occur. ²⁹“And ¹now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your slaves may ^aspeak Your word with all ^bconfidence, ³⁰while You extend Your hand to heal, and ¹^,^asigns and wonders happen through the name of Your holy ²^,^bServant Jesus.” ³¹And when they had prayed earnestly, the ^aplace where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all ^bfilled with the Holy Spirit and began to ^cspeak the word of God with ^dconfidence.

Distribution Among Needy Believers

³²And the ¹congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and not one was saying that any of his possessions was his own, but, for them, ^aeverything was common. ³³And ^awith great power the apostles were bearing ^bwitness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. ³⁴For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses ^awould sell them and bring the ¹proceeds of the sales ³⁵and ^alay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be ^bdistributed to each as any had need.

³⁶Now Joseph, a Levite of ^aCyprian birth, who was also called ^bBarnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of ¹^,^cEncouragement), ³⁷and who owned a field, sold it and brought the money and ^alaid it at the apostles’ feet.

O God, Restore Us

For the choir director. ¹El Shoshannim. ²Eduth. Of Asaph. A Psalm.

O ^aShepherd of Israel, give ear,You who guide ^bJoseph like a flock;You who ^care enthroned above the cherubim, shine forth!²Before ^aEphraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, ^bstir up Your mightAnd come to save us!³O God, ^arestore usAnd ^bcause Your face to shine upon us, that we would be saved.⁴O ^aYahweh God of hosts,^bHow long will You ¹smolder against the prayer of Your people?⁵You have fed them with the ^abread of tears,And You have made them to drink tears in ¹large measure.⁶You set us as ¹an object of strife ^ato our neighbors,And our enemies mock us among themselves.⁷O God of hosts, restore usAnd cause Your face to shine upon us, that we might be saved.⁸You removed a ^avine from Egypt;You ^bdrove out the ¹nations and then You ^cplanted it.⁹You ^acleared the ground before it,And it ^btook deep root and filled the land.¹⁰The mountains were covered with its shadow,And ¹the cedars of God with its ^aboughs.¹¹It sent out its branches ^ato the seaAnd its shoots to the River.¹²Why have You ^abroken down its ¹hedges,So that all who pass that way pick its fruit?¹³A boar from the forest ^adevours itAnd whatever moves in the field feeds on it.¹⁴O God of hosts, ^areturn now, we beseech You;^bLook down from heaven and see, and visit this vine,¹⁵Even the ¹^,^asapling which Your right hand has planted,And on the ²son whom You have ³strengthened for Yourself.¹⁶It is ^aburned with fire, it is cut down;They perish at the ^brebuke of Your face.¹⁷Let ^aYour hand be upon the man of Your right hand,Upon the son of man whom You ^bmade strong for Yourself.¹⁸Then we shall not ^aturn back from You;^bRevive us, and we will call upon Your name.¹⁹O Yahweh God of hosts, ^arestore us;Cause Your face to shine upon us, that we might be saved.