Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

ל Lamedh.

¹¹ And when Micaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard out of the book all the words of Jehovah, ¹² he went down into the king’s house, into the scribe’s chamber: and, lo, all the princes were sitting there, to wit, Elishama the scribe, and Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan the son of Achbor, and Gemariah the son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the princes. ¹³ Then Micaiah declared unto them all the words that he had heard, when Baruch read the book in the ears of the people. ¹⁴ Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, unto Baruch, saying, Take in thy hand the roll wherein thou hast read in the ears of the people, and come. So Baruch the son of Neriah took the roll in his hand, and came unto them. ¹⁵ And they said unto him, Sit down now, and read it in our ears. So Baruch read it in their ears. ¹⁶ Now it came to pass, when they had heard all the words, they turned in fear one toward another, and said unto Baruch, We will surely tell the king of all these words. ¹⁷ And they asked Baruch, saying, Tell us now, How didst thou write all these words at his mouth? ¹⁸ Then Baruch answered them, He pronounced all these words unto me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book. ¹⁹ Then said the princes unto Baruch, Go, hide thee, thou and Jeremiah; and let no man know where ye are.

²⁰ And they went in to the king into the court; but they had laid up the roll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe; and they told all the words in the ears of the king. ²¹ So the king sent Jehudi to fetch the roll; and he took it out of the chamber of Elishama the scribe. And Jehudi read it in the ears of the king, and in the ears of all the princes that stood beside the king. ²² Now the king was sitting in the winter-house in the ninth month: and there was a fire in the brazier burning before him. ²³ And it came to pass, when Jehudi had read three or four ^[a]leaves, that the king cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was in the brazier, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was in the brazier. ²⁴ And they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words. ²⁵ Moreover Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the roll; but he would not hear them. ²⁶ And the king commanded Jerahmeel ^[b]the king’s son, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to take Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet; but Jehovah hid them.

^2 [a]Open your hearts to us: we wronged no man, we corrupted no man, we took advantage of no man. ³ I say it not to condemn you: for I have said before, that ye are in our hearts to die together and live together. ⁴ Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying on your behalf: I am filled with comfort, I overflow with joy in all our affliction.

⁵ For even when we were come into Macedonia our flesh had no relief, but we were afflicted on every side; without were fightings, within were fears. ⁶ Nevertheless he that comforteth the lowly, even God, comforted us by the ^[b]coming of Titus; ⁷ and not by his ^[c]coming only, but also by the comfort wherewith he was comforted in you, while he told us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me; so that I rejoiced yet more. ⁸ For though I made you sorry with my epistle, I do not regret it: though I did regret it ^[d](for I see that that epistle made you sorry, though but for a season), ⁹ I now rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye were made sorry unto repentance; for ye were made sorry after a godly sort, that ye might suffer loss by us in nothing. ¹⁰ For godly sorrow worketh repentance ^[e]unto salvation, a repentance which bringeth no regret: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. ¹¹ For behold, this selfsame thing, that ye were made sorry after a godly sort, what earnest care it wrought in you, yea what clearing of yourselves, yea what indignation, yea what fear, yea what longing, yea what zeal, yea what avenging! In everything ye approved yourselves to be pure in the matter. ¹² So although I wrote unto you, I wrote not for his cause that did the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered the wrong, but that your earnest care for us might be made manifest unto you in the sight of God.