Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 126

The Return of the Captives

Heading
A song of the ascents.

The Captives Return

¹² Then Jeremiah said to all the officials and to all the people, “The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the things that you have heard. ¹³ Now reform your ways and your actions, and obey the Lord your God. Then the Lord will relent and not bring about the disaster he has pronounced against you. ¹⁴ But as for me, look, I am in your hands. Do with me whatever seems good and right in your eyes. ¹⁵ But you can be certain of this. If you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood on yourselves and on this city and on those who live here, for it is true that the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing.”

¹⁶ Then the officials and the people said to the priests and to the prophets, “This man does not deserve to die. He has spoken in the name of the Lord our God.”

¹⁷ Some of the elders of the land got up and spoke to all the assembled people.

²⁰ (There had also been another man who prophesied in the name of the Lord, Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath Jearim. He prophesied against this city and against the land the same things that Jeremiah did. ²¹ When King Jehoiakim, all his strong warriors, and all his officials heard his words, the king wanted to put him to death. But Uriah heard about it and fled in fear to Egypt. ²² Then King Jehoiakim sent Elnathan son of Akbor and some other men to Egypt. ²³ They brought Uriah out of Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim, who had him put to death with a sword and had his body thrown into the grave of the common people.)

²⁴ But Ahikam son of Shaphan used his authority to protect Jeremiah, who was not handed over to the people to be put to death.

¹¹ So if everything could have been brought to its goal through the Levitical priesthood (for the people received the law on the basis of that priesthood), what further need was there for another priest to arise who was like Melchizedek, yet not said to be like Aaron? ¹² For when the priesthood is changed, by necessity a change in the law also happens. ¹³ Yet these things are said about the one who belonged to another tribe, from which no one had served at the altar. ¹⁴ It is certainly clear that our Lord is descended from Judah. Moses said nothing about priests in connection with that tribe.

¹⁵ And this becomes even clearer if another priest arises like Melchizedek, ¹⁶ who became a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement about physical descent, but on the basis of the power of an endless^[a] life. ¹⁷ For it has been testified in Scripture about him:

¹⁸ To be sure, the former requirement is annulled, because it was weak and useless— ¹⁹ for the law did not bring anything to its goal—but now a better hope is introduced, by which we approach God.

²⁰ And something like this did not happen without an oath. Indeed, others who became priests did so without an oath, ²¹ but this one became a priest with an oath, through the one who said to him:

²² In this way, Jesus has become the guarantor^[d] of a better covenant.^[e]