Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

37 Do not fret because of wicked men, nor be envious of evildoers.

² For they shall soon be cut down like grass and shall wither as the green herb.

³ Trust in the LORD and do good. Dwell in the land, and you shall assuredly be fed.

⁴ And delight yourself in the LORD; and He shall give you your heart’s desire.

⁵ Commit your way to the LORD, and trust in Him; and He shall make it so.

⁶ And He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your judgment as the noon day.

⁷ Wait patiently upon the LORD, and hope in Him. Do not fret over him who prospers in his way, nor over the man who executes wicked schemes.

⁸ Cease from anger and abandon wrath. Do not fret. It leads only to evil.

⁹ For evildoers shall be cut off; and those who wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the land.

18 Now in the third year of Hoshea, son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign.

² He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign and reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. Also, his mother’s name was Abi, the daughter of Zechariah.

³ And he did uprightly in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David, his father, had done.

⁴ He took away the high places and broke the images and cut down the groves and broke the bronze serpent that Moses had made into pieces. For until those days, the children of Israel had burnt incense to it. And he called it “Nehushtan”.

⁵ He trusted in the LORD God of Israel. There has been no one like him among all the kings of Judah since. Nor was there any like him before.

⁶ For he clung to the LORD, not departing from Him but keeping His Commandments (which the LORD had commanded Moses).

⁷ So the LORD was with him. He prospered wherever he went. Also, he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.

⁸ He struck the Philistines to Gaza and its territories, from the watchtower to the defensed city.

²⁸ So Rabshakeh stood, and spoke, saying, “Hear the words of the great king, of the king of Assyria!

²⁹ “Thus says the king, ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you! For he shall not be able to deliver you out of my hand!

³⁰ ‘And do not let Hezekiah make you to trust in the LORD, saying, “The LORD will surely deliver us! And this city shall not be given over into the hand of the king of Assyria!”

³¹ ‘Do not listen to Hezekiah! For thus says the king of Assyria, “Make peace with me! And come out to me, so that every man may eat of his own vine, and every man of his own fig tree, and drink every man of the water of his own well,

³² “until I come and bring you to a land like your own land, a land of wheat and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive oil and honey, so that you may live and not die!” And do not obey Hezekiah, for he deceives you, saying, “The LORD will deliver us!”

³³ ‘Have any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?

³⁴ ‘Where is the god of Hamath, and of Arpad? Where is the god of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivah? How have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?

³⁵ ‘Who are they among all the gods of the nations, that have delivered their land out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?’”

³⁶ But the people held their peace and did not answer him a word. For the king’s commandment was, saying, “Do not answer him.”

⁸ “And to the angel of the Church of the Smyrnians write: ‘These things says He who is first and last, Who was dead and is alive:

⁹ “I know your works and tribulation and poverty. But you are rich. And I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not but are the synagogue of Satan.

¹⁰ “Fear none of those things which you shall suffer. Behold, it shall come to pass that the devil shall cast some of you into prison, so that you may be tried. And you shall have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful to the death, and I will give you the crown of life.’

¹¹ “Let he who has an ear, hear what the Spirit says to the Churches. He that overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.