Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
ג Gimel
17 Be good to me while I am alive.
Do this so that I may obey your word.
18 Open my eyes so that I can see
the wonderful truths in your law.
19 I’m a stranger on earth.
Don’t hide your commands from me.
20 My heart is filled with longing
for your laws at all times.
21 You correct proud people. They are under your curse.
They wander away from your commands.
22 I obey your covenant laws.
So don’t let evil people laugh at me or hate me.
23 Even if rulers sit together and tell lies about me,
I will spend time thinking about your orders.
24 Your covenant laws are my delight.
They give me wise advice.
The Lord Promises to Heal His People
33 Jeremiah was still being held as a prisoner. He was kept in the courtyard of the guard. Then another message from the Lord came to him. The Lord said, 2 “I made the earth. I formed it. And I set it in place. The Lord is my name. 3 Call out to me. I will answer you. I will tell you great things you do not know. And unless I do, you wouldn’t be able to find out about them.” 4 The Lord is the God of Israel. He speaks about the houses in Jerusalem. He talks about the royal palaces of Judah. The people had torn down many of them. They had used their stones to strengthen the city walls against attack. 5 That was during their fight with the armies of Babylon. The Lord says, “The houses will be filled with dead bodies. They will be the bodies of the people I will kill. I will kill them when I am very angry with them. I will hide my face from this city. That’s because its people have committed so many sins.
6 “But now I will bring health and healing to Jerusalem. I will heal my people. I will let them enjoy great peace and security. 7 I will bring Judah and Israel back from the places where they have been taken. I will build up the nation again. It will be just as it was before. 8 I will wash from its people all the sins they have committed against me. And I will forgive all the sins they committed when they turned away from me. 9 Then this city will bring me fame, joy, praise and honor. All the nations on earth will hear about the good things I do for this city. They will see the great success and peace I give it. Then they will be filled with wonder. And they will tremble with fear.”
10 The Lord says, “You say about this place, ‘It’s a dry and empty desert. It doesn’t have any people or animals in it.’ The towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem are now deserted. So they do not have any people or animals living in them. But happy sounds will be heard there once more. 11 They will be the sounds of joy and gladness. The voices of brides and grooms will fill the streets. And the voices of those who bring thank offerings to my house will be heard there. They will say,
“ ‘Give thanks to the Lord who rules over all,
because he is good.
His faithful love continues forever.’
That’s because I will bless this land with great success again. It will be as it was before,” says the Lord.
Two Blind Men Receive Their Sight
29 Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho. A large crowd followed him. 30 Two blind men were sitting by the side of the road. They heard that Jesus was going by. So they shouted, “Lord! Son of David! Have mercy on us!”
31 The crowd commanded them to stop. They told them to be quiet. But the two men shouted even louder, “Lord! Son of David! Have mercy on us!”
32 Jesus stopped and called out to them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.
33 “Lord,” they answered, “we want to be able to see.”
34 Jesus felt deep concern for them. He touched their eyes. Right away they could see. And they followed him.
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