Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Childlike Trust in the Lord
A song ·for going up to worship [of ascents; C perhaps sung while traveling to Jerusalem to celebrate an annual religious festival like Passover]. Of David.
131 Lord, my heart is not proud;
·I don’t look down on others [L my eyes are not haughty/lifted up].
I don’t ·do [consider doing] great things,
and I ·can’t do [don’t consider doing] ·miracles [wonderful acts].
2 But I ·am calm and quiet [L have stilled and quieted my soul]
like a ·baby [L weaned child] with its mother,
like a ·baby [L weaned child] with its mother [C a relationship with God is like that of a mother with her weaned child resting comfortably in her arms].
3 People of Israel, put your hope in the Lord
now and forever.
Nebuchadnezzar Is Made Ruler
27 The Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah soon after ·Zedekiah [or Jehoiakim] son of Josiah was made king of Judah. 2 This is what the Lord said to me: “Make a yoke out of straps and poles, and put it on the back of your neck. 3 Then send messages to the kings of Edom, Moab, ·Ammon [L the sons of Ammon], Tyre, and Sidon by their messengers who have come to Jerusalem to see Zedekiah king of Judah. 4 Tell them to give this message to their masters: ‘The Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], the God of Israel, says: “Tell your masters: 5 I made the earth, its people, and all its animals with my great power and ·strength [L outstretched hand]. I can give the earth to anyone ·I want [L that is right in my eyes]. 6 Now I have given all these lands to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, my servant. I will make even the wild animals ·obey [L serve] him. 7 All nations will serve Nebuchadnezzar and his son and grandson. Then the time will come for Babylon to be defeated, and many nations and great kings will make Babylon their ·servant [or slave].
8 “‘ “But if some nations or kingdoms refuse to serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and refuse to ·be under his control [L put their necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon], I will punish them with ·war [L the sword], ·hunger [famine], and ·terrible diseases [plague; pestilence], says the Lord. ·I will use Nebuchadnezzar to destroy them [L …until I have completed its destruction by its hand]. 9 So don’t listen to your prophets, ·those who use magic to tell the future [your diviners], ·those who explain dreams [your dreamers], the mediums, or magicians. They all tell you, ‘·You will not be slaves to [L Do not serve] the king of Babylon.’ 10 They are ·telling [L prophesying to] you lies that will cause you to be taken far from your homeland. I will ·force you to leave [drive you from] your homes, and you will ·die in another land [perish]. 11 But the nations who ·put themselves under the control [L bring their necks under the yoke] of the king of Babylon and serve him I will let stay in their own country, says the Lord. The people from those nations will live in their own land and farm it.”’”
16 Then I [C Jeremiah] said to the priests and all this people, “This is what the Lord says: Those false prophets are saying, ‘The ·Babylonians will soon return what they took from the Temple of the Lord [L vessels of the house of the Lord will be returned from Babylon; 2 Kin. 24:13; Dan. 1:2].’ Don’t listen to them! They are prophesying lies to you. 17 Don’t listen to those prophets. But serve the king of Babylon, and you will live. ·There is no reason for you to cause Jerusalem to [L Why should this city…?] become a ruin. 18 If they are prophets and have the ·message from [word of] the Lord, let them ·pray to [L intercede with] the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts]. Let them ask that the ·items [vessels] which ·are still [L remain] in the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord and in the king’s ·palace [L house] and in Jerusalem not ·be taken away [L go] to Babylon.
19 “This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says about those ·items [vessels] left in this city [C Jerusalem]: the pillars [1 Kin. 7:15–22], the Sea [1 Kin. 7:23–26], the stands [1 Kin. 7:27–37] and other things [C bronze basins, various altars, lampstands, and more]. 20 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take these away when he ·took as captives [exiled] Jehoiachin [L Jeconiah] son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and all the ·other important people [nobles] from Judah and Jerusalem to Babylon. 21 This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], the God of Israel, says about the ·items [vessels] left in the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord and in the king’s ·palace [L house] and in Jerusalem: 22 ‘·All of them will also be taken [L They will be brought] to Babylon. And they will stay there until the day I ·go to get [attend to] them,’ says the Lord. ‘Then I will bring them back and return them to this place.’”
All People Have Sinned
18 [L For] God’s ·anger [wrath; retribution] is ·shown [being revealed] from heaven against all the ·evil [ungodly] and ·wrong [wicked; unrighteous] things people do. By their ·own evil lives [wickedness; unrighteousness] they ·hide [suppress] the truth. 19 God ·shows [reveals] his ·anger [wrath; retribution] because ·some knowledge of [what can be known about] him has been made ·clear [plain; evident] to them. Yes, God has ·shown himself [revealed/disclosed it] to them. 20 For since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and ·all the things that make him God [his divine nature]—have been clearly ·seen [perceived], understood through what God has made. So people have no excuse. 21 They knew God, but they did not give glory to God or thank him. Their thinking became ·useless [futile; pointless]. Their ·foolish [ignorant; uncomprehending] ·minds [L hearts] were ·filled with darkness [darkened]. 22 They claimed to be wise, but they became fools. 23 They ·traded [exchanged] the glory of ·God who lives forever [the immortal/imperishable God] for the worship of ·idols [images] made to look like ·earthly [mortal; perishable] people, birds, animals, and reptiles.
24 Because they did these things, God ·abandoned them to [allowed them to pursue; gave them over to] ·their sinful desires [L the desires of their hearts], resulting in ·sexual impurity [L uncleanness; impurity] and the dishonoring of their bodies with one another. 25 They ·traded [exchanged] the truth of God for ·a lie [or the lie; see Gen. 3:4–5] and worshiped and served ·the creation [or the creature; or created things] instead of the Creator, who ·should be praised [or is blessed] forever. Amen.
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