Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

ל Lamedh

¹¹ Micaiah was the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan. Micaiah heard Baruch reading all the Lord’s words that were written on the scroll. ¹² Then he went down to the secretary’s room in the royal palace. All the officials were sitting there. They included the secretary Elishama and Delaiah, the son of Shemaiah. Elnathan, the son of Akbor, was also there. So was Gemariah, the son of Shaphan. Zedekiah, the son of Hananiah, was there too. And so were all the other officials. ¹³ Micaiah told all of them what he had heard. He told them everything Baruch had read to the people from the scroll. ¹⁴ All the officials sent Jehudi to speak to Baruch, the son of Neriah. Jehudi was the son of Nethaniah. Nethaniah was the son of Shelemiah. Shelemiah was the son of Cushi. Jehudi said to Baruch, “Come. Bring the scroll you have read to the people.” So Baruch went to them. He carried the scroll with him. ¹⁵ The officials said to him, “Please sit down. Read the scroll to us.”

So Baruch read it to them. ¹⁶ They heard all its words. Then they looked at one another in fear. They said to Baruch, “We must report all these words to the king.” ¹⁷ They said to Baruch, “Tell us. How did you happen to write all these things? Did Jeremiah tell you to do this?”

¹⁸ “Yes,” Baruch replied. “He told me to write down all these words. So I wrote them in ink on the scroll.”

¹⁹ Then the officials spoke to Baruch. They said, “You and Jeremiah must go and hide. Don’t let anyone know where you are.”

²⁰ The officials put the scroll in the room of Elishama the secretary. Then they went to the king in the courtyard. They reported everything to him. ²¹ The king sent Jehudi to get the scroll. Jehudi brought it from the room of Elishama the secretary. Jehudi read it to the king. All the officials were standing beside the king. So they heard it too. ²² It was the ninth month. The king was sitting in his winter apartment. A fire was burning in the fire pot in front of him. ²³ Jehudi read three or four sections from the scroll. Then the king cut them off with a secretary’s knife. He threw them into the fire pot. He did that until the entire scroll was burned up in the fire. ²⁴ The king and some of his attendants heard all these words. But they weren’t afraid. They didn’t tear their clothes. ²⁵ Elnathan, Delaiah and Gemariah begged the king not to burn the scroll. But he wouldn’t listen to them. ²⁶ Instead, the king commanded three men to arrest Baruch the secretary and Jeremiah the prophet. But the Lord had hidden them. The three men were Jerahmeel, Seraiah and Shelemiah. Jerahmeel was a member of the royal court. Seraiah was the son of Azriel. And Shelemiah was the son of Abdeel.

Paul Has Joy When the Church Turns Away From Sin

² Make room for us in your hearts. We haven’t done anything wrong to anyone. We haven’t caused anyone to sin. We haven’t taken advantage of anyone. ³ I don’t say this to judge you. I have told you before that you have an important place in our hearts. We would live or die with you. ⁴ I have spoken to you very honestly. I am very proud of you. I am very happy. Even with all our troubles, my joy has no limit.

⁵ When we came to Macedonia, we weren’t able to rest. We were attacked no matter where we went. We had battles on the outside and fears on the inside. ⁶ But God comforts those who are sad. He comforted us when Titus came. ⁷ We were comforted not only when he came but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us how much you longed for me. He told us about your deep sadness and concern for me. That made my joy greater than ever.

⁸ Even if my letter made you sad, I’m not sorry I sent it. At first I was sorry. I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while. ⁹ Now I am happy. I’m not happy because you were made sad. I’m happy because your sadness led you to turn away from your sins. You became sad just as God wanted you to. So you were not hurt in any way by us. ¹⁰ Godly sadness causes us to turn away from our sins and be saved. And we are certainly not sorry about that! But worldly sadness brings death. ¹¹ Look at what that godly sadness has produced in you. You are working hard to clear yourselves. You are angry and alarmed. You are longing to see me. You are concerned. You are ready to make sure that the right thing is done. In every way you have proved that you are not guilty in that matter. ¹² So even though I wrote to you, it wasn’t because of the one who did the wrong. It wasn’t because of the one who was hurt either. Instead, I wrote you so that in the sight of God you could see for yourselves how faithful you are to us.