Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 126
A song for going up to worship.
1 When Yahweh restored the fortunes of Zion,
it was as if we were dreaming.
2 Then our mouths were filled with laughter
and our tongues with joyful songs.
Then the nations said,
“Yahweh has done spectacular things for them.”
3 Yahweh has done spectacular things for us.
We are overjoyed.
4 Restore our fortunes, O Yahweh,
as you restore streams to dry riverbeds in the Negev.
5 Those who cry while they plant
will joyfully sing while they harvest.
6 The person who goes out weeping, carrying his bag of seed,
will come home singing, carrying his bundles of grain.
12 Then Jeremiah said to all the officials and all the people, “Yahweh sent me to prophesy everything that you have heard me say against this temple and against this city. 13 Now, change your ways and what you are doing, and listen to Yahweh your Elohim. Then Yahweh will change his plan about the disaster that he intends to bring on you.
14 “My life is in your hands. Do with me whatever you think is good and right. 15 But know for certain that if you put me to death, you, this city, and the people living in it will be guilty of killing an innocent person. Yahweh has certainly sent me to speak all these things to you.”
16 Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and prophets, “This man should not be condemned to die. He has spoken to us in the name of Yahweh our Elohim.”
17 Then some of the leaders in the land got up and said to the entire crowd, 18 “Micah from Moresheth prophesied at the time of Judah’s King Hezekiah and said to all the people of Judah, ‘This is what Yahweh Tsebaoth says:
Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become a pile of rubble,
and the temple mountain will become a worship site
covered with trees.’
19 Did Judah’s King Hezekiah and all the people of Judah put Micah to death? No! Hezekiah feared Yahweh and sought Yahweh’s favor. So Yahweh changed his plan about the disaster he intended to bring on them. But we are about to bring a bigger disaster on ourselves.”
20 There was another man prophesying in the name of Yahweh. His name was Uriah, son of Shemaiah, from Kiriath Jearim. He prophesied against this city and this land as Jeremiah did. 21 When King Jehoiakim and all his personal troops and officials heard what Uriah said, the king wanted to put him to death. But Uriah heard about it and fled in fear to Egypt. 22 King Jehoiakim sent soldiers to Egypt: Elnathan (son of Achbor) and other soldiers along with him. 23 They brought Uriah from Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim. The king executed Uriah and threw his body into the burial ground for the common people. 24 Ahikam, son of Shaphan, supported Jeremiah. So Jeremiah was not handed over to the people to be put to death.
11 The people established the Levitical priesthood based on instructions they received. If the work of the Levitical priests had been perfect, we wouldn’t need to speak about another kind of priest. However, we speak about another kind of priest, a priest like Melchizedek, not a Levitical priest like Aaron.
12 When a different kind of priesthood is established, the regulations for those priests are different. 13 The priest whom we are talking about was a member of a different tribe. No one from that tribe ever served as a priest at the altar. 14 Everyone knows that our Lord came from the tribe of Judah. Moses never said anything about priests coming from that tribe. 15 The regulations were different. This became clear when a different priest who is like Melchizedek appeared. 16 That person is a priest, not because he met human requirements, but because he has power that comes from a life that cannot be destroyed. 17 The Scriptures say the following about him: “You are a priest forever, in the way Melchizedek was a priest.” 18 The former requirements are rejected because they are weak and useless. 19 Moses’ Teachings couldn’t accomplish everything that God required. But we have something else that gives us greater confidence and allows us to approach God.
20 None of this happened without an oath. The men from the tribe of Levi may have become priests without an oath, 21 but Yeshua became a priest when God took an oath. God said about him, “The Lord has taken an oath and will not change his mind. You are a priest forever.” 22 In this way Yeshua has become the guarantee of a better promise.[a]
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.