Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

כ (Kaf)

⁸ But you, human being, hear what I am telling you: don’t you be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth, and eat what I am about to give you.”

⁹ When I looked, there was a hand stretched out to me, holding a scroll. ¹⁰ He spread it out in front of me, and it was covered with writing front and back. Written on it were laments, dirges and woes.

3 He said to me, “Human being, eat what you see in front of you; eat this scroll. Then go and speak to the house of Isra’el.” ² So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat, ³ as he said, “Human being, eat this scroll I am giving you; fill your insides with it.” When I ate it, it tasted as sweet as honey.

⁴ “Human being,” he said to me, “go to the house of Isra’el, and speak my words to them. ⁵ For you are not being sent to a people with a difficult language and unintelligible speech, but to the house of Isra’el — ⁶ not to many peoples with difficult languages and unintelligible speech, whose words you can’t understand when you hear them. Without doubt, if I sent you to them, they would listen to you. ⁷ But the house of Isra’el will not be willing to listen to you, because they aren’t willing to listen to me; since all the house of Isra’el are obstinate and hardhearted. ⁸ However, I am making you as defiant and obstinate as they are. ⁹ Yes, I am making your resoluteness harder than flint, as hard as a diamond. So don’t be afraid of them or depressed by how they look at you, because they are a rebellious house.”

¹⁰ Then he said to me, “Human being, receive in your heart and hear with your ears all my words that I speak to you. ¹¹ Then go to the exiles, to your countrymen; and speak to them. Tell them, ‘Here is what Adonai Elohim, says,’ whether they listen or not.”

¹⁶ I repeat: don’t let anyone think I am a fool. But even if you do, at least receive me as a fool; so that I too may do a little boasting! ¹⁷ What I am saying is not in accordance with the Lord; rather, this conceited boasting is spoken as a fool would speak. ¹⁸ Since many people boast in a worldly way, I too will boast this way. ¹⁹ For since you yourselves are so wise, you gladly put up with fools! ²⁰ You put up with it if someone makes slaves of you, exploits you, takes you in, puffs himself up, slaps you in the face. ²¹ To my shame, I must admit that we have been too “weak” to do such things!

But if anyone dares to boast about something — I’m talking like a fool! — I am just as daring. ²² Are they Hebrew-speakers? So am I. Are they of the people of Isra’el? So am I. Are they descendants of Avraham? So am I. ²³ Are they servants of the Messiah? (I’m talking like a madman!) I’m a better one! I’ve worked much harder, been imprisoned more often, suffered more beatings, been near death over and over. ²⁴ Five times I received “forty lashes less one” from the Jews. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. I spent a night and a day in the open sea. ²⁶ In my many travels I have been exposed to danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the desert, danger at sea, danger from false brothers. ²⁷ I have toiled and endured hardship, often not had enough sleep, been hungry and thirsty, frequently gone without food, been cold and naked. ²⁸ And besides these external matters, there is the daily pressure of my anxious concern for all the congregations. ²⁹ Who is weak without my sharing his weakness? Who falls into sin without my burning inside?

³⁰ If I must boast, I will boast about things that show how weak I am. ³¹ God the Father of the Lord Yeshua — blessed be he forever — knows that I am not lying! ³² When I was in Dalmanuta, the governor under King Aretas had the city of Dalmanuta guarded in order to arrest me; ³³ but I was lowered in a basket through an opening in the wall and escaped his clutches.