Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Joyful Restoration of Zion

Psalm 126

²⁴ Now concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite you will surely say, ²⁵ thus declares Adonai-Tzva’ot, the God of Israel, saying: “Because you have sent letters in your own name to all the people who are at Jerusalem, to Zephaniah son of Maaseiah the kohen, and to all the kohanim, saying: ²⁶ ‘Adonai has made you kohen instead of Jehoiada the kohen, so that there should be officers in the House of Adonai for every madman prophesying and so that you will put him in the stocks and iron collar. ²⁷ So now, why haven’t you rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth, who makes himself out to be a prophet to you? ²⁸ For he has sent word to us in Babylon, saying: “The exile will be long—build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit.’”

²⁹ So Zephaniah the kohen read this letter in the ears of the prophet Jeremiah. ³⁰ Then the word of Adonai came to Jeremiah, saying: ³¹ Send word to all of the captivity, saying, thus says Adonai concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: “Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, though I did not send him, and he has caused you to trust in a lie,” ³² therefore thus says Adonai, “I will indeed punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his offspring. There will be none living among this people, and he will not see the good that I will do to My people,” declares Adonai, “because he has spoken rebellion against Adonai.”

Eyes that Need Opening

²² They come to Bethsaida. Some people bring a blind man to Yeshua and beg Him to touch the man. ²³ Taking the blind man by the hand, Yeshua brought him outside the village. After spitting on the man’s eyes and laying His hands on him, Yeshua asked the man, “Do you see anything?”

²⁴ The man looked up and said, “I see men! They look like trees walking about.” ²⁵ Then Yeshua put His hands on the man’s eyes again. The man looked intently, his sight was restored, and he began to see everything clearly.

²⁶ Yeshua sent him straight home, saying, “Don’t even enter the village!”