Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Thanksgiving for Return from Captivity.

A Song of Ascents.

²⁴ Now you shall speak to ^(A)Shemaiah the Nehelamite, saying, ²⁵ “This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: ‘Because you have sent ^(B)letters in your own name to all the people who are in Jerusalem, and to ^(C)the priest Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, and to all the priests, saying, ²⁶ “The Lord has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, to be the ^[a](D)overseer of the house of the Lord for every ^(E)insane person who ^(F)prophesies, to ^(G)put him in the stocks and in the iron collar. ²⁷ So now, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of ^(H)Anathoth who prophesies to you, ²⁸ seeing that he has ^(I)sent word to us in Babylon, saying, ‘^[b]The exile will be ^(J)long; ^(K)build houses and live in them, and plant gardens and eat their ^[c]produce’?”’”

²⁹ Now ^(L)Zephaniah the priest read this letter ^[d]to Jeremiah the prophet. ³⁰ Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, ³¹ “Send word to ^(M)all the exiles, saying, ‘This is what the Lord says concerning ^(N)Shemaiah the Nehelamite: “Because Shemaiah has ^(O)prophesied to you, although I did not send him, and he has ^(P)made you trust in a lie,” ³² therefore this is what the Lord says: “Behold, I am going to ^(Q)punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his ^[e]descendants; he will ^(R)not have anyone living among this people, ^(S)and he will not see the good that I am going to do for My people,” declares the Lord, “because he has ^(T)spoken falsely against the Lord.”’”

²² And they *came to ^(A)Bethsaida. And some people *brought a man who was blind to ^[a]Jesus and *begged Him to ^(B)touch him. ²³ Taking the man who was blind by the hand, He ^(C)brought him out of the village; and after ^(D)spitting in his eyes and ^(E)laying His hands on him, He asked him, “Do you see anything?” ²⁴ And he ^[b]looked up and said, “I see people, for I see them like trees, walking around.” ²⁵ Then again He laid His hands on his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and began to see everything clearly. ²⁶ And He sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter ^(F)the village.”