May 19
1Kings 8:33-66 & Acts 2
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1Kings 8:33-66

1Kings 8:33-66

33When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy,
because they have sinned against You,
and they return to You and praise Your name,
and they pray and plead with You
for mercy in this temple,
34may You hear in heaven
and forgive the sin of Your people Israel.
May You restore them to the land
You gave their ancestors.
35When the skies are shut and there is no rain,
because they have sinned against You,
and they pray toward this place
and praise Your name,
and they turn from their sins
because You are afflicting them,
36may You hear in heaven
and forgive the sin of Your servants
and Your people Israel,
so that You may teach them the good way
they should walk in.
May You send rain on Your land
that You gave Your people for an inheritance.
37When there is famine on the earth,
when there is pestilence,
when there is blight, mildew, locust, or grasshopper,
when their enemy besieges them
in the region of their fortified cities,
when there is any plague or illness,
38whatever prayer or petition
anyone from Your people Israel might have-
each man knowing his own afflictions
and spreading out his hands toward this temple-
39may You hear in heaven, Your dwelling place,
and may You forgive, act, and repay the man,
according to all his ways, since You know his heart,
for You alone know every human heart,
40so that they may fear You
all the days they live on the land
You gave our ancestors.
41Even for the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel
but has come from a distant land
because of Your name-
42for they will hear of Your great name,
mighty hand, and outstretched arm,
and will come and pray toward this temple-
43may You hear in heaven, Your dwelling place,
and do according to all the foreigner asks You for.
Then all the people on earth will know Your name,
to fear You as Your people Israel do
and know that this temple I have built
is called by Your name.
44When Your people go out to fight against their enemies,
wherever You send them,
and they pray to Yahweh
in the direction of the city You have chosen
and the temple I have built for Your name,
45may You hear their prayer and petition in heaven
and uphold their cause.
46When they sin against You-
for there is no one who does not sin-
and You are angry with them
and hand them over to the enemy,
and their captors deport them to the enemy's country-
whether distant or nearby-
47and when they come to their senses
in the land where they were deported
and repent and petition You in their captors' land:
"We have sinned and done wrong;
we have been wicked,"
48and when they return to You with their whole mind and heart
in the land of their enemies who took them captive,
and when they pray to You in the direction of their land
that You gave their ancestors,
the city You have chosen,
and the temple I have built for Your name,
49may You hear in heaven, Your dwelling place,
their prayer and petition and uphold their cause.
50May You forgive Your people
who sinned against You
and all their rebellions against You,
and may You give them compassion
in the eyes of their captors,
so that they may be compassionate to them.
51For they are Your people and Your inheritance;
You brought them out of Egypt,
out of the middle of an iron furnace.
52May Your eyes be open to Your servant's petition
and to the petition of Your people Israel,
listening to them whenever they call to You.
53For You, Lord God, have set them apart as Your inheritance
from all the people on earth,
as You spoke through Your servant Moses
when You brought their ancestors out of Egypt.
54When Solomon finished praying this entire prayer and petition to the Lord, he got up from kneeling before the altar of the Lord, with his hands spread out toward heaven, 55and he stood and blessed the whole congregation of Israel with a loud voice: 56"May the Lord be praised! He has given rest to His people Israel according to all He has said. Not one of all the good promises He made through His servant Moses has failed. 57May the Lord our God be with us as He was with our ancestors. May He not abandon us or leave us 58so that He causes us to be devoted to Him, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commands, statutes, and ordinances, which He commanded our ancestors. 59May my words I have made my petition with before the Lord be near the Lord our God day and night, so that He may uphold His servant's cause and the cause of His people Israel, as each day requires, 60and so that all the peoples of the earth may know that Yahweh is God. There is no other! 61Let your heart be completely devoted to the Lord our God to walk in His statutes and to keep His commands, as it is today."
62The king and all Israel with him were offering sacrifices in the Lord's presence. 63Solomon offered a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to the Lord: 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep. In this manner the king and all the Israelites dedicated the Lord's temple.
64On the same day, the king consecrated the middle of the courtyard that was in front of the Lord's temple because that was where he offered the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the fat of the fellowship offerings since the bronze altar before the Lord was too small to accommodate the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat of the fellowship offerings.
65Solomon and all Israel with him-a great assembly, from the entrance of Hamath to the Brook of Egypt-observed the festival at that time in the presence of the Lord our God, seven days, and seven more days-14 days. 66On the fifteenth day he sent the people away. So they blessed the king and went home to their tents rejoicing and with joyful hearts for all the goodness that the Lord had done for His servant David and for His people Israel.

Acts 2

Chapter 2

2:1When the day of Pentecost had arrived, they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were staying. 3And tongues, like flames of fire that were divided, appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different languages, as the Spirit gave them ability for speech.
5There were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6When this sound occurred, a crowd came together and was confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7And they were astounded and amazed, saying, "Look, aren't all these who are speaking Galileans? 8How is it that each of us can hear in our own native language? 9Parthians, Medes, Elamites; those who live in Mesopotamia, in Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11Cretans and Arabs-we hear them speaking the magnificent acts of God in our own languages." 12They were all astounded and perplexed, saying to one another, "What could this be?" 13But some sneered and said, "They're full of new wine!"
14But Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed to them: "Men of Judah and all you residents of Jerusalem, let me explain this to you and pay attention to my words. 15For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it's only nine in the morning. 16On the contrary, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
17And it will be in the last days, says God,
that I will pour out My Spirit on all humanity;
then your sons and your daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
and your old men will dream dreams.
18I will even pour out My Spirit
on My male and female slaves in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19I will display wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below:
blood and fire and a cloud of smoke.
20The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the great and remarkable Day of the Lord comes.
21Then everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.
22"Men of Israel, listen to these words: This Jesus the Nazarene was a man pointed out to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs that God did among you through Him, just as you yourselves know. 23Though He was delivered up according to God's determined plan and foreknowledge, you used lawless people to nail Him to a cross and kill Him. 24God raised Him up, ending the pains of death, because it was not possible for Him to be held by it. 25For David says of Him:
I saw the Lord ever before me;
because He is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
26Therefore my heart was glad,
and my tongue rejoiced.
Moreover, my flesh will rest in hope,
27because You will not leave me in Hades
or allow Your Holy One to see decay.
28You have revealed the paths of life to me;
You will fill me with gladness
in Your presence.
29"Brothers, I can confidently speak to you about the patriarch David: He is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn an oath to him to seat one of his descendants on his throne. 31Seeing this in advance, he spoke concerning the resurrection of the Messiah:
He was not left in Hades,
and His flesh did not experience decay.
32"God has resurrected this Jesus. We are all witnesses of this. 33Therefore, since He has been exalted to the right hand of God and has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit, He has poured out what you both see and hear. 34For it was not David who ascended into the heavens, but he himself says:
The Lord declared to my Lord,
'Sit at My right hand
35until I make Your enemies Your footstool.'
36"Therefore let all the house of Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah!"
37When they heard this, they came under deep conviction and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles: "Brothers, what must we do?"
38"Repent," Peter said to them, "and be baptized, each 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 the promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call." 40And with many other words he testified and strongly urged them, saying, "Be saved from this corrupt generation!"
41So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about 3,000 people were added to them. 42And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to the prayers.
43Then fear came over everyone, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles. 44Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. 45They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as anyone had a need. 46Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple complex, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with a joyful and humble attitude, 47praising God and having favor with all the people. And every day the Lord added to them those who were being saved.

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