Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

He Will Not Forsake His Saints

^[a] Of David.

Hezekiah Reigns in Judah

18 ^(A)In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, ^(B)Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign. ² He was ^(C)twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was ^(D)Abi the daughter of Zechariah. ^3 (E)And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. ^4 (F)He removed the high places and broke the ^(G)pillars and cut down ^(H)the Asherah. And he broke in pieces ^(I)the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan).^{[a] 5 (J)}He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel, ^(K)so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him. ^6 (L)For he held fast to the Lord. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the Lord commanded Moses. ^7 (M)And the Lord was with him; wherever he went out, ^(N)he prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and would not serve him. ^8 (O)He struck down the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, ^(P)from watchtower to fortified city.

²⁸ Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah: “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! ²⁹ Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you out of my^[a] hand. ³⁰ Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord by saying, The Lord will surely deliver us, and this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’ ³¹ Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria: ‘Make your peace with me^[b] and come out to me. Then ^(A)each one of you will eat of his own vine, and each one of his own fig tree, and each one of you will drink the water of his own cistern, ³² until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, ^(B)a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and ^(C)honey, that you may live, and not die. And do not listen to Hezekiah when he misleads you by saying, The Lord will deliver us. ^33 (D)Has any of the gods of the nations ever delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? ^34 (E)Where are the gods of ^(F)Hamath and ^(G)Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and ^(H)Ivvah? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? ³⁵ Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their lands out of my hand, ^(I)that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?’”

³⁶ But the people were silent and answered him not a word, for the king's command was, “Do not answer him.”

To the Church in Smyrna

⁸ “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of ^(A)the first and the last, ^(B)who died and came to life.

⁹ “‘I know your tribulation and ^(C)your poverty (^(D)but you are rich) and the slander^[a] of ^(E)those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. ¹⁰ Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, ^(F)that you may be tested, and for ^(G)ten days ^(H)you will have tribulation. ^(I)Be faithful ^(J)unto death, and I will give you ^(K)the crown of life. ^11 (L)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ^(M)The one who conquers will not be hurt by ^(N)the second death.’