Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
5 Then Jeremiah the prophet replied to the false prophet Hananiah. Jeremiah spoke to him in front of the priests and all the people. They were standing in the Lord’s house. 6 Jeremiah said, “Amen, Hananiah! May the Lord do those things! May he make the words you have prophesied come true. May he bring back from Babylon the objects that belong to the Lord’s house. May he bring back to this place all the people who were taken away. 7 But listen to what I have to say. I want you and all the people to hear it. 8 There have been prophets long before you and I were ever born. They have prophesied against many countries and great kingdoms. They have spoken about war, trouble and plague. 9 But what if a prophet says peace will come? And suppose peace really does come? Only then will he be recognized as a prophet truly sent by the Lord.”
A maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.
89 Lord, I will sing about your great love forever.
For all time to come, I will tell how faithful you are.
2 I will tell everyone that your love stands firm forever.
I will tell them that you are always faithful, even in heaven itself.
3 You said, “Here is the covenant I have made with my chosen one.
Here is the promise I have made to my servant David.
4 ‘I will make your family line continue forever.
I will make your kingdom secure for all time to come.’ ”
15 Blessed are those who have learned to shout praise to you.
Lord, they live in the light of your kindness.
16 All day long they are full of joy because of who you are.
They celebrate the fact that you do what is right.
17 You bring them glory and give them strength.
You are pleased to honor our king.
18 Our king is like a shield that keeps us safe.
He belongs to the Lord.
He belongs to the Holy One of Israel.
12 So don’t let sin rule your body, which is going to die. Don’t obey its evil desires. 13 Don’t give any part of yourself to serve sin. Don’t let any part of yourself be used to do evil. Instead, give yourselves to God. You have been brought from death to life. So give every part of yourself to God to do what is right. 14 Sin will no longer control you like a master. That’s because the law does not rule you. God’s grace has set you free.
Slaves to Right Living
15 What should we say then? Should we sin because we are not ruled by the law but by God’s grace? Not at all! 16 Don’t you know that when you give yourselves to obey someone you become that person’s slave? If you are slaves of sin, then you will die. But if you are slaves who obey God, then you will live a godly life. 17 You used to be slaves of sin. But thank God that with your whole heart you obeyed the teachings you were given! 18 You have been set free from sin. You have become slaves to right living.
19 Because you are human, you find this hard to understand. So I am using an everyday example to help you understand. You used to give yourselves to be slaves to unclean living. You were becoming more and more evil. Now give yourselves to be slaves to right living. Then you will become holy. 20 Once you were slaves of sin. At that time right living did not control you. 21 What benefit did you gain from doing the things you are now ashamed of? Those things lead to death! 22 You have been set free from sin. God has made you his slaves. The benefit you gain leads to holy living. And the end result is eternal life. 23 When you sin, the pay you get is death. But God gives you the gift of eternal life. That’s because of what Christ Jesus our Lord has done.
40 “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me. And anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41 Suppose someone welcomes a prophet as a prophet. They will receive a prophet’s reward. And suppose someone welcomes a godly person as a godly person. They will receive a godly person’s reward. 42 Suppose someone gives even a cup of cold water to a little one who follows me. What I’m about to tell you is true. That person will certainly be rewarded.”
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.