Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 129
Protection of the Oppressed
A song of ascents.
1 Since my youth they have often attacked me—
let Israel say—
2 since my youth they have often attacked me,
but they have not prevailed against me.(A)
3 Plowmen plowed over my back;
they made their furrows long.(B)
4 The Lord is righteous;
he has cut the ropes of the wicked.(C)
5 Let all who hate Zion
be driven back in disgrace.(D)
6 Let them be like grass on the rooftops,
which withers before it grows up[a](E)
7 and can’t even fill the hands of the reaper
or the arms of the one who binds sheaves.(F)
8 Then none who pass by will say,
“May the Lord’s blessing be on you.
We bless you in the name of the Lord.”(G)
Zedekiah’s Final Meeting with Jeremiah
14 King Zedekiah sent for the prophet Jeremiah and received him at the third entrance of the Lord’s temple. The king said to Jeremiah, “I am going to ask you something; don’t hide anything from me.”
15 Jeremiah replied to Zedekiah, “If I tell you, you will kill me, won’t you? Besides, if I give you advice, you won’t listen to me anyway.”
16 King Zedekiah swore to Jeremiah in private,(A) “As the Lord lives, who has given us this life,(B) I will not kill you or hand you over to these men who intend to take your life.”
17 Jeremiah therefore said to Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord, the God of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘If indeed you surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon,(C) then you will live, this city will not be burned, and you and your household will survive. 18 But if you do not surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then this city will be handed over to the Chaldeans.(D) They will burn it, and you yourself will not escape from them.’”
19 But King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am worried about the Judeans who have defected to the Chaldeans. They may hand me over to the Judeans to abuse me.”(E)
20 “They will not hand you over,” Jeremiah replied. “Obey the Lord in what I am telling you, so it may go well for you and you can live. 21 But if you refuse to surrender, this is the verdict[a] that the Lord has shown me: 22 ‘All the women[b] who remain in the palace of Judah’s king will be brought out to the officials of the king of Babylon and will say to you,[c]
“Your trusted friends[d] misled[e] you
and overcame you.
Your feet sank into the mire,
and they deserted you.”
23 All your wives and children will be brought out to the Chaldeans.(F) You yourself will not escape from them, for you will be seized by the king of Babylon and this city will burn.’”
24 Then Zedekiah warned Jeremiah, “Don’t let anyone know about this conversation[f] or you will die. 25 The officials may hear that I have spoken with you(G) and come and demand of you, ‘Tell us what you said to the king; don’t hide anything from us and we won’t kill you. Also, what did the king say to you?’ 26 If they do, tell them, ‘I was bringing before the king my petition that he not return me to the house of Jonathan to die there.’”(H) 27 All the officials did come to Jeremiah, and they questioned him. He reported the exact words to them the king had commanded, and they quit speaking with him because the conversation[g] had not been overheard. 28 Jeremiah remained in the guard’s courtyard until the day Jerusalem was captured, and he was there when it happened.[h]
Lawsuits among Believers
6 If any of you has a dispute against another, how dare you take it to court(A) before the unrighteous,[a] and not before the saints? 2 Or don’t you know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the trivial cases? 3 Don’t you know that we will judge angels—how much more matters of this life? 4 So if you have such matters, do you appoint as your judges those who have no standing(B) in the church? 5 I say this to your shame!(C) Can it be that there is not one wise person among you who is able to arbitrate between fellow believers?(D) 6 Instead, brother goes to court against brother, and that before unbelievers!(E)
7 As it is, to have legal disputes against one another is already a defeat for you.(F) Why not rather be wronged?(G) Why not rather be cheated?(H) 8 Instead, you yourselves do wrong and cheat—and you do this to brothers and sisters! 9 Don’t you know that the unrighteous(I) will not inherit God’s kingdom?(J) Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters,(K) adulterers,(L) or males who have sex with males,[b](M) 10 no thieves,(N) greedy(O) people, drunkards, verbally abusive people,(P) or swindlers(Q) will inherit God’s kingdom. 11 And some of you used to be like this.(R) But you were washed, you were sanctified,(S) you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
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