⁹ In the ninth month^(A) of the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, a time of fasting^(B) before the Lord was proclaimed for all the people in Jerusalem and those who had come from the towns of Judah. ¹⁰ From the room of Gemariah^(C) son of Shaphan^(D) the secretary,^(E) which was in the upper courtyard at the entrance of the New Gate^(F) of the temple, Baruch read to all the people at the Lord’s temple the words of Jeremiah from the scroll.

¹¹ When Micaiah son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, heard all the words of the Lord from the scroll, ¹² he went down to the secretary’s^(G) room in the royal palace, where all the officials were sitting: Elishama the secretary, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan^(H) son of Akbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the other officials.^{(I) 13} After Micaiah told them everything he had heard Baruch read to the people from the scroll, ¹⁴ all the officials sent Jehudi^(J) son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to say to Baruch, “Bring the scroll^(K) from which you have read to the people and come.” So Baruch son of Neriah went to them with the scroll in his hand. ¹⁵ They said to him, “Sit down, please, and read it to us.”

So Baruch read it to them. ¹⁶ When they heard all these words, they looked at each other in fear^(L) and said to Baruch, “We must report all these words to the king.” ¹⁷ Then they asked Baruch, “Tell us, how did you come to write^(M) all this? Did Jeremiah dictate it?”

¹⁸ “Yes,” Baruch replied, “he dictated^(N) all these words to me, and I wrote them in ink on the scroll.”

¹⁹ Then the officials^(O) said to Baruch, “You and Jeremiah, go and hide.^(P) Don’t let anyone know where you are.”

²⁰ After they put the scroll in the room of Elishama the secretary, they went to the king in the courtyard and reported everything to him. ²¹ The king sent Jehudi^(Q) to get the scroll, and Jehudi brought it from the room of Elishama the secretary and read it to the king^(R) and all the officials standing beside him. ²² It was the ninth month and the king was sitting in the winter apartment,^(S) with a fire burning in the firepot in front of him. ²³ Whenever Jehudi had read three or four columns of the scroll,^(T) the king cut them off with a scribe’s knife and threw them into the firepot, until the entire scroll was burned in the fire.^{(U) 24} The king and all his attendants who heard all these words showed no fear,^(V) nor did they tear their clothes.^{(W) 25} Even though Elnathan, Delaiah^(X) and Gemariah^(Y) urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them. ²⁶ Instead, the king commanded Jerahmeel, a son of the king, Seraiah son of Azriel and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest^(Z) Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet. But the Lord had hidden^(AA) them.

²⁷ After the king burned the scroll containing the words that Baruch had written at Jeremiah’s dictation,^(AB) the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ²⁸ “Take another scroll^(AC) and write on it all the words that were on the first scroll, which Jehoiakim king of Judah burned up. ²⁹ Also tell Jehoiakim king of Judah, ‘This is what the Lord says: You burned that scroll and said, “Why did you write on it that the king of Babylon would certainly come and destroy this land and wipe from it^(AD) both man and beast?”^{(AE) 30} Therefore this is what the Lord says about Jehoiakim^(AF) king of Judah: He will have no one to sit on the throne of David; his body will be thrown out^(AG) and exposed^(AH) to the heat by day and the frost by night.^{(AI) 31} I will punish him and his children^(AJ) and his attendants for their wickedness; I will bring on them and those living in Jerusalem and the people of Judah every disaster^(AK) I pronounced against them, because they have not listened.^(AL)’”

³² So Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to the scribe Baruch son of Neriah, and as Jeremiah dictated,^(AM) Baruch wrote^(AN) on it all the words of the scroll that Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned^(AO) in the fire. And many similar words were added to them.

Psalm 119^[a]

א Aleph

⁵ Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.”^{[a](A) 6} But the righteousness that is by faith^(B) says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’”^[b](C) (that is, to bring Christ down) ⁷ “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’”^[c](D) (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).^{(E) 8} But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,”^[d](F) that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: ⁹ If you declare^(G) with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,”^(H) and believe^(I) in your heart that God raised him from the dead,^(J) you will be saved.^{(K) 10} For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. ¹¹ As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”^{[e](L) 12} For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile^(M)—the same Lord is Lord of all^(N) and richly blesses all who call on him, ¹³ for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord^(O) will be saved.”^[f](P)

¹⁴ How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? ¹⁵ And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”^[g](Q)

¹⁶ But not all the Israelites accepted the good news.^(R) For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”^{[h](S) 17} Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message,^(T) and the message is heard through the word about Christ.^(U)

The Greatest Commandment^(A)

³⁴ Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,^(B) the Pharisees got together. ³⁵ One of them, an expert in the law,^(C) tested him with this question: ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’^{[a](D) 38} This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^{[b](E) 40} All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”^(F)