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12 Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord,
    the people whom he has chosen as his heritage.(A)

13 The Lord looks down from heaven;
    he sees all humankind.(B)
14 From where he sits enthroned he watches
    all the inhabitants of the earth—
15 he who fashions the hearts of them all
    and observes all their deeds.(C)
16 A king is not saved by his great army;
    a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.(D)
17 The war horse is a vain hope for victory,
    and by its great might it cannot save.(E)

18 Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
    on those who hope in his steadfast love,(F)
19 to deliver their soul from death
    and to keep them alive in famine.(G)

20 Our soul waits for the Lord;
    he is our help and shield.
21 Our heart is glad in him
    because we trust in his holy name.(H)
22 Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
    even as we hope in you.

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The Coming of the Holy Spirit

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.(A) And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.(B) Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.(C)

Now there were devout Jews from every people under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” 12 All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”

Peter Addresses the Crowd

14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Fellow Jews[a] and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15 Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning.(D) 16 No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

17 ‘In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
    and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
    and your old men shall dream dreams.(E)
18 Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
    in those days I will pour out my Spirit,
        and they shall prophesy.(F)
19 And I will show portents in the heaven above
    and signs on the earth below,
        blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
20 The sun shall be turned to darkness
    and the moon to blood,
        before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.(G)
21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’(H)

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Footnotes

  1. 2.14 Gk Men, Judeans