Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Kaph.

Distresses Foretold

16 The word of the Lord also came to me saying, ² “You shall not take a wife for yourself nor have sons or daughters in this place.” ³ For thus says the Lord concerning the sons and daughters born in this place, and concerning their ^(A)mothers who bear them, and their ^(B)fathers who beget them in this land: ⁴ “They will ^(C)die of deadly diseases, they ^(D)will not be lamented or buried; they will be as ^(E)dung on the surface of the ground and come to an end by sword and famine, and their carcasses will become food for the ^(F)birds of the sky and for the beasts of the earth.”

⁵ For thus says the Lord, “Do not enter a house of ^[a](G)mourning, or go to lament or to console them; for I have ^(H)withdrawn My peace from this people,” declares the Lord, “My ^(I)lovingkindness and compassion. ⁶ Both ^(J)great men and small will die in this land; they will not be buried, they will not be lamented, nor will anyone ^(K)gash himself or ^(L)shave his head for them. ⁷ Men will not ^(M)break bread in mourning for them, to comfort anyone for the dead, nor give them a cup of consolation to drink for anyone’s father or mother. ⁸ Moreover you shall ^(N)not go into a house of feasting to sit with them to eat and drink.” ⁹ For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Behold, I am going to ^[b](O)eliminate from this place, before your eyes and in your time, the voice of rejoicing and the voice of gladness, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride.

¹⁰ “Now when you tell this people all these words, they will say to you, ‘^(P)For what reason has the Lord declared all this great calamity against us? And what is our iniquity, or what is our sin which we have committed against the Lord our God?’ ¹¹ Then you are to say to them, ‘It is ^(Q)because your forefathers have forsaken Me,’ declares the Lord, ‘and have followed ^(R)other gods and served them and bowed down to them; but Me they have forsaken and have not kept My law. ¹² You too have done evil, even ^(S)more than your forefathers; for behold, you are each one walking according to the ^(T)stubbornness of his own ^(U)evil heart, without listening to Me. ¹³ So I will ^(V)hurl you out of this land into the ^(W)land which you have not known, neither you nor your fathers; and there you will ^(X)serve other gods day and night, for I will grant you no favor.’

Exhortation

⁷ Therefore be patient, ^(A)brethren, ^(B)until the coming of the Lord. ^(C)The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until ^[a]it gets ^(D)the early and late rains. ^8 (E)You too be patient; ^(F)strengthen your hearts, for ^(G)the coming of the Lord is ^(H)near. ^9 (I)Do not ^[b]complain, ^(J)brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, ^(K)the Judge is standing ^[c](L)right at the ^[d]door. ¹⁰ As an example, ^(M)brethren, of suffering and patience, take ^(N)the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. ¹¹ We count those ^(O)blessed who endured. You have heard of ^(P)the ^[e]endurance of Job and have seen ^(Q)the ^[f]outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that ^(R)the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.

¹² But above all, ^(S)my brethren, ^(T)do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but ^[g]your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.