Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

An expectant prayer for Jehovah’s help.

A Song of Ascents.

7 The word that came to Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying, ² Stand in the gate of Jehovah’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of Jehovah, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship Jehovah. ³ Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. ⁴ Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of Jehovah, the temple of Jehovah, the temple of Jehovah, are these. ⁵ For if ye thoroughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye thoroughly execute justice between a man and his neighbor; ⁶ if ye oppress not the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your own hurt: ⁷ then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, from of old even for evermore.

⁸ Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit. ⁹ Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods that ye have not known, ¹⁰ and come and stand before me in this house, ^[a]which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered; that ye may do all these abominations? ¹¹ Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it, saith Jehovah.

¹² But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I caused my name to dwell at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel. ¹³ And now, because ye have done all these works, saith Jehovah, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not: ¹⁴ therefore will I do unto the house which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I did to Shiloh. ¹⁵ And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim.

⁸ Already are ye filled, already ye are become rich, ye have come to reign without us: yea and I would that ye did reign, that we also might reign with you. ⁹ For, I think, God hath set forth us the apostles last of all, as men doomed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, ^[a]both to angels and men. ¹⁰ We are fools for Christ’s sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye have glory, but we have dishonor. ¹¹ Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling-place; ¹² and we toil, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; ¹³ being defamed, we entreat: we are made as the ^[b]filth of the world, the offscouring of all things, even until now.