Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

The Way of the Righteous and the End of the Ungodly

The Sign of Two Baskets of Figs

24 The ^(A)Lord showed me, and there were two baskets of figs set before the temple of the Lord, after Nebuchadnezzar ^(B)king of Babylon had carried away captive ^(C)Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and the princes of Judah with the craftsmen and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon. ² One basket had very good figs, like the figs that are first ripe; and the other basket had very bad figs which could not be eaten, they were so ^(D)bad. ³ Then the Lord said to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?”

And I said, “Figs, the good figs, very good; and the bad, very bad, which cannot be eaten, they are so bad.”

⁴ Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ⁵ “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Like these good figs, so will I ^[a]acknowledge those who are carried away captive from Judah, whom I have sent out of this place for their own good, into the land of the Chaldeans. ⁶ For I will set My eyes on them for good, and ^(E)I will bring them back to this land; ^(F)I will build them and not pull them down, and I will plant them and not pluck them up. ⁷ Then I will give them ^(G)a heart to know Me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be ^(H)My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me ^(I)with their whole heart.

⁸ ‘And as the bad ^(J)figs which cannot be eaten, they are so bad’—surely thus says the Lord—‘so will I give up Zedekiah the king of Judah, his princes, the ^(K)residue of Jerusalem who remain in this land, and ^(L)those who dwell in the land of Egypt. ⁹ I will deliver them to ^(M)trouble into all the kingdoms of the earth, for their harm, ^(N)to be a reproach and a byword, a taunt and a curse, in all places where I shall drive them. ¹⁰ And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence among them, till they are ^[b]consumed from the land that I gave to them and their fathers.’ ”

Collection for the Saints

16 Now concerning ^(A)the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: ^2 (B)On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. ³ And when I come, ^(C)whomever you approve by your letters I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem. ^4 (D)But if it is fitting that I go also, they will go with me.

Personal Plans^(E)

⁵ Now I will come to you ^(F)when I pass through Macedonia (for I am passing through Macedonia). ⁶ And it may be that I will remain, or even spend the winter with you, that you may ^(G)send me on my journey, wherever I go. ⁷ For I do not wish to see you now on the way; but I hope to stay a while with you, ^(H)if the Lord permits.

⁸ But I will tarry in Ephesus until ^(I)Pentecost. ⁹ For ^(J)a great and effective door has opened to me, and ^(K)there are many adversaries.

¹⁰ And ^(L)if Timothy comes, see that he may be with you without fear; for ^(M)he does the work of the Lord, as I also do. ^11 (N)Therefore let no one despise him. But send him on his journey ^(O)in peace, that he may come to me; for I am waiting for him with the brethren.

¹² Now concerning our brother ^(P)Apollos, I strongly urged him to come to you with the brethren, but he was quite unwilling to come at this time; however, he will come when he has a convenient time.